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OpenBSD Turns 10
Eh-Wire writes to tell us OpenBSD Journal is reporting that OpenBSD is officially ten-years-old today. After some confusion, it was decided that 10 years ago today marked the birth of OpenBSD when Theo de Raadt committed his makefile to CVS.
BSD is 10.
Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
Seriously, though, OpenBSD is simply amazing. Any reasonably experienced Unix user should be able to install it and know what every single running process on the default system does. There's nothing like logging into a multiuser system and seeing a "ps" listing maybe 15 lines long. Their devotion to doing things The Right Way is staggering -- who else bothered to randomize PIDs and TCP serial numbers and encrypt swap?
They treat every theoretical exploit as a practical matter, and the result is some of the most robust, elegant software to be found. I have my reasons for not running it on every system I admin, but that doesn't stop me from giving them my utmost respect. Kudos, Theo et al. Job well done.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
about his attitude or any of that. OpenBSD is a very good product, and it's leading-edge when it comes to security. They audit code, they take care of security issues, and they tackle even the so-called theoretical security issues. OpenBSD is the best example of how others should treat security. Happy Birthday OpenBSD!
SecureThe.Net - Practical Resources for Securing Systems
Yes thats right, I am forking the OpenBSD tree.
My first release will be MyBSD2010. Note the large quasi futuristic number on the name - clearly it is a better product. Sure the code may be the same, and I may have no intentions of patching or improving, but I DO intend to re-release it in several months as MyBSD2030.
Note the 20 increment in there - clearly BIG BIG things have happened.
With the release of MyBSD2050 I plan on addind a large graphic and a pleasing startup sound my daughter shall compose on the toy keyboard she has.
This will clearly be a superiour product!
And if I feel particularly good, I may start to release hundreds of service packs each release... some of which shall just randomly change about lines of source code. If enough people run this, one of them has to randomly produce a code improvement (Following the million monkey theory). That person shall be slightly better off for the microsecond before one of the many bad mutations crashes the system.
Whoops, just accidentally release MyBSD2010 SP1
And BAH to a simple CD you can buy that comes complete with a full set of installation instructions! No, my new and improved (signifying nothing) distrobution will come in a very large box - very brightly colored, with no instructions, but a large legal document (also signifying nothing) and a hefty price tag because that - more than anything - is what the market demands!
There are frequently comments regarding Theo's frankness with other developers and users. Even if he doesn't use the most friendly tone, at least he tends to back up his controversy with expertise and code. Compare that to the KOffice developer who recently insulted a longtime KDE and KOffice user. I've never seen something that low from Theo.
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
I don't think Theo really cares what you think, or whether or not you'll "purchase" OpenBSD. Chances are that, regardless of what you do, he will continue to provide excellent software, users will continue to use it, and they'll all have safer and more secure systems.
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
I have been using OBDS for 5 years and it gets better every year. Congrats to Theo and his team. Great OS for just about anything that needs to be done right and secure. No complaints here, just wish my linux boxes would run as well as OBSD.
To Hell with the Queen of England!
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? NO! Its Captain Obvious. And he is on crack as usual.
This seems a little rough. I think his reply was quite fitting, considering that some guy who dislikes Theo, is not going to buy Theo's wares, like it's going to make some sort of difference. Don't you think sometimes the obvious needs to be stated to the people who don't see it? That's how I took CyricZ's reply.
What's obvious to you, might be news to someone else. So many people come into misc@ or slashdot and try to equate OpenBSD with a business model for example and then argue the same lines which have been argued countless times over the past 10 years, for which I have beared witness to about 6 years of. Those people can be bludgeoned to a black and blue death with the OBVIOUS-STICK, still not "get it" and then come out forever stating that, "Theo is rude and they'll never buy his CD's". Nobody gives a fuck. Least of all Theo.
Unfortunately, those people cannot accept the obvious because their egos get in the way. However, poor chaps and lasses which mean well, try to explain what has already been explained to people who don't want to accept the reality.
Theo and the other OpenBSD developers make a really nice OS, along with some other nice software like OpenSSH. The personality of the project lead should not matter at all when you consider the excellent results they get.
War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
I've been using SuSe Linux for a few years but I've also taken an interest in OpenBSD for a while. Recently I decided to give it a go. The online documentation is very well thought out. To suppliment online documentation I opted for an excellent book which should help new and experienced *nix users alike in getting the best from OpenBSD for their requirements. Absolute OpenBSD by Michael W. Lucas ISBN 1-886411-99-9 http://www.nostarch.com/ http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-fo rm/103-8285097-8052630/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/188641199 9/qid%3D1129994895/026-1045610-3018009/
I like the way OpenBSD has been produced and the way in which it encourages good practice.
My hyperlinks aren't worth the paper they're printed on.