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OpenBSD was right to disable hyperthreading [video]

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Re: OpenBSD was right to disable hyperthreading [video]

#4
post #2

Why aren’t the *BSD operating systems more popular in the server and workstation spaces?

I'd say, release early, release often.

In general, *BSDs take more time to work out technical details, make sure that the design is right.

The approach in the Linux communtity is much more, release something that mostly works now and fix it later.

Re: OpenBSD was right to disable hyperthreading [video]

#5
post #3
post #2

Why aren’t the *BSD operating systems more popular in the server and workstation spaces?

The BSD wars of '92.

The BSD troubles rather than wars: it wasn't a spat between BSD distros, it was BSDi and UC (Berkeley) getting sued by USL.

It cast a long shadow over the viability of Berkeley at the height of the UNIX wars, and just as Linux was appearing as a completely independent and unencumbered UNIX supported by the maturation & advocacy of GNU and the FSF.

Re: OpenBSD was right to disable hyperthreading [video]

#7
post #5
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The BSD wars of '92.

The BSD troubles rather than wars: it wasn't a spat between BSD distros, it was BSDi and UC (Berkeley) getting sued by USL. It cast a long shadow over the viability of Berkeley at the height of the UNIX wars, and just as Linux was appearing as a completely independent and unencumbered UNIX supported by the maturation & advocacy of GNU and the FSF.

In retrospect, it's probably a good thing. BSD splinters have largely become incompatible with each other, whereas Linux distro splinters have (largely) remained compatible due to licensing and cultural differences.

We probably would have had BSD wars for real not long after, if it had become popular. To some extent, this is by design, as there's no culture or ethos that pushes people back together.

Re: OpenBSD was right to disable hyperthreading [video]

#9
History will show that Theo was right in a manner similar to how Stalman was right: technically correct analysis and eerily accurate predictions, but lacking in sufficient charisma to create more than a small following.

To some extent, you might say they are like Cassandra; speaking the truth but not believed or listened to.

Re: OpenBSD was right to disable hyperthreading [video]

#10
Perhaps someone might know better than me: why is hyperthreading necessarily bad? Can't you just keep it on and give your tenants cores with affinity? For example, some tenant wants two cores, you give them two vcores on the same core; some tenant wants four cores, you give them two vcores over two, etc.
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