Hear me out #AI is trick by big deep tech corporations to harm #FOSS orgs. #Linux #RunBSD #unix

I just wrapped up an interesting call that was originally scheduled for last week but rescheduled for today. The client is looking for a unique setup, and thanks to having an early re-read of the fantastic The Book of PF - 4th Edition, I was able to propose some configurations that had completely slipped my mind. The client is extremely curious, and this will likely lead to a new OpenBSD deployment in an interesting environment.

At the same time, I received an email from a professor at an Italian university whom I had encouraged to extend his lectures to include BSDs. I piqued his curiosity as well and proposed a session specifically on firewalls, focusing on OpenBSD and pf. He will be reading The Book of PF soon and will likely add it to his students' recommended reading list. I'll probably present them, too.

In short - one book, a thousand new possibilities. Infinite thanks to @pitrh for the massive and wonderful work behind it.

https://nostarch.com/book-of-pf-4th-edition

#OpenBSD #FreeBSD #NetBSD #RunBSD #PF #Firewalling #IT #SysAdmin

World #RISC-V Days - Gujarat India

#NetBSD #FreeBSD #OpenBSD #RunBSD

https://community.riscv.org/events/details/risc-v-international-risc-v-synergy-forums-technical-talks-and-webinars-presents-world-risc-v-days-gujarat-india/

Obligatory Dmesg: https://dmesgd.nycbug.org/dmesgd?do=view&id=8833
#NetBSD #RunBSD

Make Your Own CDN with NetBSD

NetBSD is a lightweight, stable, and secure operating system that supports a wide range of hardware, making it an excellent choice for a caching reverse proxy.

https://it-notes.dragas.net/2024/09/03/make-your-own-cdn-netbsd/

#NetBSD #RunBSD #ITNotes #CDN #Caching #IT #SysAdmin

Make your own Read-Only Device with NetBSD

One detail that is often overlooked when dealing with embedded (or remote) devices is a key point of vulnerability: the file system.

https://it-notes.dragas.net/2024/09/10/make-your-own-readonly-device-with-netbsd/

#NetBSD #RunBSD #EmbeddedDevices #OwnYourData #ITNotes

As the @bsdcan lists of talks and tutorials have been posted, I can officially announce my presentation:

Don't Freeze in the Cloud: Reclaiming Home Control with NetBSD

In 2010, I was taking more flights than cups of coffee. After a two-week trip, I returned home to a nasty, albeit expected, surprise: an indoor temperature of 7.8°C (46 F). Possessing more time than money, I decided to solve the problem my own way. I built a custom Python-based control system, accessible only via VPN, to manage my heating.

In 2015, after moving houses, this system was demoted to a secondary role, replaced by a shiny, commercial "smart" thermostat. However, I continued to maintain and update my custom solution for fun.

Fast forward to October 2025: major cloud providers faced significant outages. My commercial thermostat became dumber than a mechanical switch. I was reduced to manual two-hour overrides, with no visibility into settings or usage. It was a wake-up call: keeping my home warm should not depend on someone else's server.

I dusted off my solution and adapted it to modern needs - powered, of course, by NetBSD, running on the very same hardware that served my previous home for years.

In this talk, I will share the journey, the technical challenges, and the architectural decisions behind the project. I will demonstrate how NetBSD’s stability and low footprint make it the ideal operating system for long-term, "set-and-forget" home automation, allowing us to reclaim control from the cloud.

#NetBSD #BSDCan #BSDCan2026 #RunBSD #OwnYourData #Presentation #Talk

My BSDCan submission has been approved!

It will be wonderful to be back in Ottawa, meet again all the "old" (and new) friends from the BSD world and, this time, present something that has saved me more than once... and it’s based on NetBSD!

#BSDCan #BSDCon #NetBSD #FreeBSD #OpenBSD #DragonFlyBSD #RunBSD #BSDCan2026 #Ottawa #Canada #BSD

I’ve just received a wonderful email. I’m so excited!

More about this in the coming days.

#RunBSD #NetBSD

This morning I was thinking about something: one of the reasons why every enthusiast should consider going to a BSDCon is simple.

I eat a lot and I still come back slimmer 😄

2024 - EuroBSDCon: ate twice as much as usual, came back from Dublin 1 kg lighter.
2025 - BSDCan: breakfasts that could cover a whole day’s calories, huge delicious meals... came back from Ottawa 0.5 kg lighter.
2025 - EuroBSDCon: double breakfast (sweet + savory), massive lunches, delicious dinners (including a huge pizza, as @outofcreativity, @angie and @mwl can confirm) and still came back 0.5 kg lighter.

Positive emotions burn calories.

So come to BSDCons: you’ll come back happy and slimmer!

#RunBSD #FreeBSD #NetBSD #OpenBSD #DragonFlyBSD #BSDCon #AsiaBSDCon #BSDCan #EuroBSDCon

5 days left to get your @bsdcan talk submitted! Join your friends in Canada to discuss the state of the *BSDs. See talks by leaders of our industry, parents of the Internet, and that person you've been seeing on mailing lists for years!:

https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/papers.html#main

#runbsd #netbsd #freebsd #openbsd #dragonflybsd #sysadmin

New year, same love for clean code. 🧡

I saw @netbsd 🚩was short $327 on their 2025 funding goal, so I sent a donation to start 2026 on a high note.

Wishing the team a great 2026.

Wishing all BSD users Happy New Year ahead!

#NetBSD #Unix #OpenSource #linux #sysadmin #runbsd

Here is the CPU usage graph for the last 24 hours of the FediMeteo VM. A full 24 hours, during which a huge number of people are connecting, helped by the traction gained from being among the top stories on Hacker News and Lobsters, as well as the many shares across the Fediverse.

RAM usage? Active, around 450 MB. Then there is cache, ARC, and so on. But in practice, zero swap in use after days of uptime.

39 jails running, 39 snac instances, nginx serving the homepage, and HAProxy. HAProxy caching enabled. ZFS snapshots every 15 minutes, backups via zfs send and receive every hour. The same hourly schedule applies to the recalculation of cities, countries, and followers for the homepage.

All of this on a 4 euro per month FreeBSD VM.

If anyone has doubts about the quality and efficiency of FreeBSD, this is the data to show.

#FediMeteo #FreeBSD #RunBSD #IT #SysAdmin

Alt...

Time series graph showing CPU usage percentage over roughly 24 hours. The x axis represents time from about 13:00 to 12:00 the next day, and the y axis shows CPU usage from 0 to 100 percent. CPU usage fluctuates mostly between 15 and 35 percent, with periodic rises during daytime and early morning hours. Several short spikes reach around 45 to 55 percent, and one brief peak climbs to about 60 percent. Usage drops to lower levels, around 10 to 20 percent, during late evening and early morning periods. Overall, the graph shows moderate, variable CPU load with occasional sharp peaks.

I think #RunBSD people will like this

https://neal.fun/size-of-life/

In order to enable audio support in a jailed #xrdp desktop, install pulseaudio-module-xrdp package. Viola! Works like a charm with MS Windows RDP app.

https://it-notes.dragas.net/2023/12/13/how-to-create-a-freebsd-jail-hosting-xrdp-and-xfce-remote-access-desktop/

#FreeBSD #RunBSD #RDP

Forget the chaotic Black Friday sales! 🤯 NetBSD 🚩 offers the BEST deal: it's 100% FREE! Always has been, always will be. Perfect for self-hosters and anyone seeking pure, open-source goodness without spending a dime. No catches, just solid OS. #NetBSD #BlackFriday #FreeSoftware #SelfHost #RetroComputing #OpenSource #Linux #RunBSD

Also I'm in #Glasgow Saturday through Wednesday; I'll even take whisky with a fellow #RunBSD person there. ;)

Does anyone manage to use the #keyboard media controls in #FreeBSD #Xorg? I have a DasKeyboard with a volume jog that works out of the box on #OpenBSD.

The events seems to be working using xev tester. It regognizes the RaiseVolume and LowerVolume events.

Not sure where to actually start looking for a solution.

#RunBSD

"The contrast with Docker is striking: while the Docker container required 100% CPU to reach peak for the HTTP and HTTPS throughput, the FreeBSD jail delivered the same speed with ~60% of the CPU sitting idle. In terms of performance cost per request, Jails are drastically cheaper."

https://it-notes.dragas.net/2025/11/19/static-web-hosting-intel-n150-freebsd-smartos-netbsd-openbsd-linux/

#ITNotes #Linux #Docker #Containers #FreeBSD #RunBSD #IT #SysAdmin

📢 NetBSD 11.0 release is imminent!

Release is getting a massive upgrade. Community need your help to ensure it runs smoothly on everything from modern servers to vintage workstations.

✨ What to test:
• Improved RISC-V Support
• ZFS & Kernel stability
• Your favorite pkgsrc tools

🔥 The Challenge: #RunOnAnything. Install the Beta on your most interesting hardware and show us the results!

⬇️ Grab the latest NetBSD 11 binaries here:
https://nycdn.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-daily/netbsd-11/latest

#NetBSD #BSD #OpenSource #Unix #BetaTesting #RetroComputing #RunBSD

Hey #NetBSD 🚩community! There's been discussion over the years about whether the NetBSD project should have its own unique mascot (separate from the general BSD Beastie).

I outlined a proposal for one back in 2021, including some concepts:
https://mail-index.netbsd.org/netbsd-advocacy/2021/01/21/msg000828.html

What's the general feeling today? #RunBSD #OpenSource #FreeBSD #OpenBSD #DragonflyBSD

Why and how we're migrating many of our servers from Linux to the BSDs

My BSDCan 2025 presentation, PeerTube and YouTube links:

PeerTube: https://tube.bsd.cafe/w/x4oPuHpCJK3qWFfdZtr7hd

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnVp25-6Qao

#RunBSD #FreeBSD #NetBSD #OpenBSD #BSDCan #ISolveProblems #Linux

I'm running some tests on my old and trusted Raspberry Pi A+.
I've installed Raspbian - latest release, lite version. At the prompt, it's using 92 MB of RAM, mainly due to systemd and NetworkManager. As soon as you use it (even just for apt), it starts swapping and becomes almost unusable. It took 5 minutes just to install Python.

I tried NetBSD (on the same memory card): 35 MB of RAM used (including Postfix!) and it's totally usable.

#RunBSD #NetBSD #Raspbian #Linux #Debian

Think NetBSD is just some spooky, complicated thing for old-school hackers? Nah.
But all that legendary portability and rock-solid reliability? That doesn't happen by magic.
Every stable update, cool new feature, and wild new platform it supports (yes, even your toaster) comes from the hard work of the NetBSD community. And honestly, they're powered by support from people just like you.
When you donate to the NetBSD Foundation, you're directly helping to:
Keep NetBSD's code clean, secure, and ready for whatever's next.
Supercharge the build systems and infrastructure that our devs live on.
Cook up more docs, guides, and resources for new users and seasoned pros.
Make sure "Of course it runs NetBSD" stays a free-for-everyone reality.
Your contribution is what keeps NetBSD stable, modern, and running on (almost) everything. Pitch in to support the work that keeps #NetBSD awesome!

#OpenSource #Halloween #donate #runbsd #linux #retro #ewaste

Anyway, I've reduced my ambitions ever so slightly, and am now in the process of installing NetBSD (-CURRENT) on what is essentially a 386SX-class machine: 16-bit bus, 24-bit addressing, 16MB RAM, and nearly as unpleasantly slow as the 286 I had planned to use. It is however equipped with an IBM-branded 486SLC, which is from the Blue Lightning series. This one definitely has a full 486 instruction set. More hardware details will follow when I've completed the build (and installation).

Meanwhile, the obligatory screenshot from the installer. Note the ETA for simply unpacking base.tgz ..
#RunBSD #Retrocomputing #Slowcomputing

Alt...

Screenshot from installer. Shows base.txz being extracted, at a speed of 110 KB/s. ETA given is about 30 minutes, which turned out to be relatively accurate.