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OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

marc.info

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Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#391

Post by keithpeter »

chrissnell wrote: post #114
olouv wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That bothers me too, what if they are mining bitcoins with the energy/funds? That wouldn't seem too far-fetched for unaudited tech-savy people.

I'm sorry, but that is just absurd. Some of the servers in question are coming up on 20 years of age. We didn't have the power-conserving hardware back then that we have now. Those old SPARCstations put out heat like a hair dryer. That stuff uses a lot of power and remember that ever watt of power you put into a server needs to be cooled. So, basically double the electricity costs for any given piece of gear. This ra…

Just an idea: those who have reservations about donating to OpenBSD could just buy a CD-ROM set. You pay for a product part of the cost of which supports the project. And if OpenBSD dies, you can keep it on the shelf and say 'I helped'.

My understanding is that 1000 CD-ROM sets will bring in the CA$20K needed

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#392

Post by nzp »

romland wrote: post #94
gommm wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks, just donated, I use openssh every day so it just makes sense.

Wow. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I had no idea OpenSSH fell under the OpenBSD umbrella! It certainly makes very good sense for me to donate now!

Most FOSS projects with the name pattern OpenXYZ fall under the OpenBSD umbrella in one way or the other.

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#393

Post by fulafel »

nzp wrote: post #392
romland wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I had no idea OpenSSH fell under the OpenBSD umbrella! It certainly makes very good sense for me to donate now!

Most FOSS projects with the name pattern OpenXYZ fall under the OpenBSD umbrella in one way or the other.

Doubtful, it's a really common pattern (opencv, opencollada,OpenOffice, opensolaris etc etc)

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#394

Post by nzp »

sliverstorm wrote: post #80
d_theorist wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The answer is in the second line of your post. We don't know the details of their situation. But somebody who does know says that there are good reasons not to move. Doesn't seem that implausible that he might be right.

I don't think any of us truly have a problem with OpenBSD being unwilling to move their machines. We have a problem with OpenBSD being unwilling to move their machines, offering practically zero explanation why , while simultaneously asking for strangely large sums of money "because they can't move their machines". If it wasn't for those three elements coming together, we wouldn't give a damn.

> while simultaneously asking for strangely large sums of money

It's not a strangely large sum for what they need it for.

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#395

Post by buster »

msbarnett wrote: post #368
pjmlp wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is the wonders of the BSD license and others that follow the same principles, profit for free from the work of others without giving anything back.

> That is the wonders of the BSD license and others that follow the same principles, profit for free from the work of others without giving anything back. Does any Open Source license require monetary donations from companies using the code? Sony and Apple and a lot of other companies using BSD licensed software DO give back -- in the form of code and employing developers to work the projects.

I'd be interested in a list of software that Apple and Sony contributed back to FreeBSD and that is in the ports, do you have such a list? It looks like that this is a very asymmetric relationship.

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#396

Post by nzp »

spinchange wrote: post #226
diestl wrote: post #147

I wonder if this is a case of OS Darwinism. The fact that it seems to be hanging on by a thread shows most companies are using and contributing to Linux. I have never used OpenBSD so not sure what it overs over Linux as a Unix implementation?

I am also new to OpenBSD but had intended build a server with it per the advice in the top comment on this HN post from Zed Shaw https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7036661 My understanding is it has a reputation for being very secure, having thoroughly audited source code, and runs on lots of old and legacy hardware. It's also renown for having super thorough documentation. (see Zed's comment) Judging by comments o…

> I believe HN also runs on OpenBSD too, if I'm not mistaken.

On FreeBSD.

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#398

Post by Karunamon »

anthonyb wrote: post #283
vezzy-fnord wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't associate the entire project and foundation with the actions of their figurehead. Honestly, Theo can be an asshole, but often his temper is warranted when he's faced with idiocy, like when RMS was unapologetically trying to persuade the removal of all mentions of non-free packages in OpenBSD. ( http://article.gmane.org/gmane.os.openbsd.misc/134850 ) I know this is what RMS does, and actually I'm sympathetic wit…

I don't think Theo's reaction is really warranted. I mean, really? "slimy hypocritical asshole"?! And the follow up later on when someone calls him on this is pretty telling: http://article.gmane.org/gmane.os.openbsd.misc/134896 I don't know the full history of that thread, but it's not mentions of non-free packages that RMS was talking about - it was ports in OpenBSD that allowed people to easily install non-free pa…

If you read through some of the OpenBSD pages, you can detect a lot of dislike for RMS. Example: http://www.openbsd.org/lyrics.html#43

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#399

Post by Karunamon »

incision wrote: post #98
cpprototypes wrote: post #18

A little bit off topic, but this reminds me again of how much the web needs an easy payment system (as easy as in-app purchases in mobile). EFF, wikipedia, I often see notices or news of things they're doing and think to myself that I should donate. But I'm usually in the middle of something and stopping everything to take out my wallet, get the CC, fill out a form, etc. is just too disruptive. So I try to remind mys…

EFF and Wikipedia both have prominent options to donate via Paypal. Wikipedia offers an Amazon option as well. Either of those are two clicks (choice and confirmation) plus authentication which is identical to my in-app experience. The biggest difference isn't about the process, but at what level a user has bought in to it - a payment shim from a particular provider or an ecosystem (Google / Apple). I wonder how folk…

You should probably add "not run by an intolerable company" when speccing out a universal payment system. There are a number of people who absolutely refuse to touch paypal due to bad experiences or the bad experiences of someone else.

Amazon less so, but in my experience, almost nobody takes them.

Re: OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on

#400

Post by rjsw »

xradionut wrote: post #365
rjsw wrote: post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want to support MIPS for embedded applications then loongson is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to run stuff right now.

How's availability outside of China? I'm not finding many of these systems in the US.

I don't know about the US but there is a place in the Netherlands that says they have netbooks and small systems in stock.
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