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OpenBSD Is Now My Workstation

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91–100 of 197 posts

Re: OpenBSD Is Now My Workstation

#91

> Update: The core dumps are due to buggy programs. OpenBSD malloc is not as forgiving to blatant programming errors as other implementations of malloc available on other Operating Systems. What is the difference/error?

OpenBSD's malloc is much more strict for security reasons. A crash sucks, but it's infinitely preferable to an undetected bug that leaks data.

Heartbleed was famously possible even when using OpenSSL on OpenBSD because OpenSSL (if I understand right) used its own custom allocator instead of the system malloc, thus bypassing the various attack mitigations OpenBSD's malloc provides (and that would have prevented Heartbleed from affecting OpenBSD systems). This (among other instances of similar behavior) is what prompted the OpenBSD folks to fork OpenSSL into libressl.

Re: OpenBSD Is Now My Workstation

#92
post #60
post #2

I like openbsd. I like their attitude (even if many don’t) I like what they’ve given to the UNIX-likes, and what they strip away due to complexity (removal of Bluetooth) or lack of decent UX (wpa_supplicant), or just potential issues (removal of Hyperthreading) I know it’s probably controversial to mention it; but I’m also glad they didn’t buy into the code of conduct saga that waved over FreeBSD and eventually Linux…

Projects without a code of conduct are either immature or led by reactionaries, and in either case have a much higher risk of toxicity. If you want to get something done in a communitarian fashion, implementing, clearly stating, and enforcing rules of conduct is an absolute must.

Please don't take HN threads further into flamewar. Name-calling ("immature...reactionaries") is against the site guidelines in its own right, and certainly counts as flamebait here.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: OpenBSD Is Now My Workstation

#93
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not OP, but: > Harassment includes but is not limited to: Comments that reinforce systemic oppression related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, [...]. -- FreeBSD CoC Why even bring in the "systemic oppression" part? I can only assume that they'll be more lenient on disparaging comments that don't reinforce "systemic oppression", i.e. they'll apply "positive discrimination"…

Because 'systemic oppression' is a made up concept, just like 'Jesus'. And just like Jesus, it's a guilt-exploiting profit- and power-seeking concept.

We've banned this account for repeatedly breaking the site guidelines and ignoring our requests to stop.

If you don't want to be banned, you're welcome to email hn@ycombinator.com and give us reason to believe that you'll follow the rules in the future.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: OpenBSD Is Now My Workstation

#94
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish I knew more about the specifics of the hardware differences. Thinkpads are new to me. I just discovered the Thinkpad subreddit several days ago, so accidental sub-community of old Thinkpad folks, but haven't dove into the details of hardware upgrades (like IPS screen!). I was looking for a cheap replacement to my Samsung R580, and found that T420 laptop online on eBay. It had good specs and was priced well (I…

These thinkpads are pretty good, and very easy to upgrade. I already changed my wifi card to support ac and I’m planning to flash coreboot bios. Last item in my checklist is to upgrade the display to full hd.

Oh cool! I didn't know you could flash a coreboot bios and I would love to have an upgraded display! Though mostly I run apps full screen so it isn't terribly important, it would just be nice.

Re: OpenBSD Is Now My Workstation

#95
post #11

OpenBSD will download your wifi firmware during first boot (post-install) if there is a configured internet connection (i.e. ethernet).

A lot of Linux distros just ship a lot of this firmware, not expecting to be litigated against for it; and it seems to work out.

c.f. Debian, which has a policy to exclude non-free firmware from its installation media.

The onus is on the user to themselves supply the firmware.

https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/ch06s04.html.en

Re: OpenBSD Is Now My Workstation

#96

This article is what is wrong with bsd/linux. You have to write an article about all the things you did to get your desktop to just work like any normal desktop works out of the box. In a normal world, the article should read "I installed bsd, and just used my computer to do something useful."

There's more to it. It isn't a "Use OpenBSD, everything else sucks", it was simply "I used OpenBSD on a Thinkpad T420 and let me tell you about it". I also posted about that I tried Linux (Ubuntu), FreeBSD, and OpenBSD on the laptop before deciding on OpenBSD. It wasn't made out of stubbornness. It was simply the right choice for me for that laptop. And I shared my experience getting it up to a state I was used to wi…

But given the amount of steps I do think repeatedly stating how simple and easy things were makes me think your bar is quite low. Compare installation to macOS, it’s a million time so more complicated. If you need a FAQ to configure your system and get wifi working, you’re doing it wrong.

(I also have installed OpenBSD before and found the whole process actually quite complicated and documentation insufficient. YMMV)

Re: OpenBSD Is Now My Workstation

#97

I hate the fact that Thinkpads are the laptops with the best OpenBSD support. I dislike Thinkpads for two reasons: - They're made by Lenovo. A couple of years ago, Lenovo bundled malware in the BIOS of their laptops [superfish incident]. For that reason, I won't ever again buy a single product from them, since I can't trust them. - They're ugly. I find most current laptops ugly, so this may be my fault, and by itself…

I’m not at my computer to find a link, but I think dell and hp had similar, but less severe, scandals. Windows-based laptops are a wasteland, I’m not sure who to buy my next machine from (I run Ubuntu)

Re: OpenBSD Is Now My Workstation

#98
post #2

I like openbsd. I like their attitude (even if many don’t) I like what they’ve given to the UNIX-likes, and what they strip away due to complexity (removal of Bluetooth) or lack of decent UX (wpa_supplicant), or just potential issues (removal of Hyperthreading) I know it’s probably controversial to mention it; but I’m also glad they didn’t buy into the code of conduct saga that waved over FreeBSD and eventually Linux…

I don't think there are many who send €50/mo, kudos to you! Few of their corporate users give much back at all. I used OpenBSD as my workstation a decade ago and also ran it on a firewall box. However, upgrading the system every six months is tedious: basically, you manually download the files, overwrite the kernel and userland core, and then do a three way merge of /etc. Plus there's a bit of manual work required to…

Is it easier or harder to just do a full reinstall and reconfigure it with a script (chef or something custom), while preserving your data directory?

Re: OpenBSD Is Now My Workstation

#99
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an extreme position and an unsurprising sign of the times. Rule-of-law for social interactions in a collaborative work environment are perhaps useful or a preference, but they are not an "absolute" requirement, that is ridiculous. Moral codes were once the primary enemy for people seeking progress and freedom from unrecognized but forced moral authorities (the Church in the west). The same people almost immed…

“Asking people to treat each other with respect” is “leftist oppression” now?

>Telling people to be nice in a git repository is fine

Did you miss that line?

Carefully enforced codes of conduct as an absolute must is not asking for respect. A vast ocean lies between them.

Normalizing life governed so in ever expanding circumstances is – really it is difficult to find a different word for this – fascist.

Leftist fascism is something new, and unfortunately something very many people want, at this point mostly unaware or only in-effect. Many people find values, actions, and ideas different from their own as dangerous, ugly, or wrong. Diversity is turning into dichotomy (you're in or your out).

Promoting and normalizing enforcement of social rules under the guise of helping people is exactly how fascism grew, and it was always promoted as something good, helpful, and necessary.

You don't need rules to manage a community. That doesn't mean you can't manage it, kick out somebody who isn't boing nice, or tell someone they are being inappropriate.

Rules are the enemy of good judgement, each one you enact is an admission of inadequacy. Nobody is perfectly adequate. Rules have a place, a purpose, a need. Put them where they are unavoidable and rebel against them where they aren't. The world isn't fixed by legislation, rules should be safety nets not train rails.

Rules are dangerous and wanting them everywhere so the world will act like you want is the root of evil which has happened many times before, small starts like insisting codebases are inadequate, unprofessional, and "other" if their rules aren't up to your standards isn't the last step towards something awful, but it paves the way towards the next one.

My issue isn't with some places having rules, variety is good. My issue is with the absolute and the othering.

Re: OpenBSD Is Now My Workstation

#100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not overly familiar with OpenBSD (although I do want to try and play with it sometime soon) What filesystem does it use?

FFS (Fast File System) or FFS2 (Enhanced Fast File System) https://man.openbsd.org/newfs.8#O https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_File_System

The irony!
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