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OpenBSD Looking At Funding Shortfall In 2014

Posted by Unknown on from the netcraft-confirms-this-joke-will-appear dept.

Freshly Exhumed writes "Today the OpenBSD mailing list carried a plea from Theo de Raadt for much needed financial aid for the OpenBSD foundation: 'I am resending this request for funding our electricity bills because it is not yet resolved. We really need even more funding beyond that, because otherwise all of this is simply unsustainable. This request is the smallest we can make.' Bob Beck, of the OpenBSD Foundation, added: 'the fact is right now, OpenBSD will shut down if we do not have the funding to keep the lights on.'" The electricity bill in question is $20,000 a year for build servers located in Canada.

3 of 277 comments (clear)

  1. Too bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You know, it's really too bad. I was an avid OpenBSD fan until I interacted with Theo and he was extremely belligerent regarding pretty routine matters that required no hostility. Then his followers jumped on me as well, as if it was necessary to back up their fearless leader in what was perceived to be life or death combat.

    In the past I had donated regularly to the project, but after that incident I began to give to the FreeBSD community instead. Who by and large seem to be a much more friendly bunch and certainly don't seem to be sweating massive power bills.

    Seems to me that Theo's inability to conjure up the slightest bit of charisma in the face of utter defeat is symptomatic of why OpenBSD is dying. They needlessly humiliate and scorn their own followers over minor perceived philosophical or technical differences, thus the only path they can end up on is one with less and less support.

    They will probably fail in the long run as a result of this behavior and their inflexibility to re-locate or distribute their build servers. Theo has ranted about how they must be in what amounts to his garage, but I don't buy it. I'm pretty sure they could easily be re-located -- but don't mention that in his presence or he'll surely burn you, too.

    1. Re:Too bad by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Heinlein had it nailed:

      "Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. Often the very young, the untraveled, the naive, the unsophisticated deplore these formalities as âoeempty,â âoemeaningless,â or âoedishonest,â and scorn to use them. No matter how âoepureâ their motives, they thereby throw sand into machinery that does not work too well at best. "

  2. Re:very key reasons this is an issue. by Grishnakh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is simply nonsense. A single state laws can't make something legal in other countries.

    Wrong, US law trumps everyone else's laws. Just ask the US government.

    This is true because other countries go along with it. Just look at all the other countries that went along with the US when they were doing "extraordinary renditions".

    The US laws cannot stop the Canadian government from prosecuting the NSA agents performing acts illegal there.

    You mean like other countries prosecuted NSA agents for spying on their offices (outside the US)? Oh wait, they didn't, they just made complaints and nothing was done.

    US law isn't superior to other countries laws, sspecially in other countries land.

    Yes, it is. When other countries just go along with the US, and don't take any action when the US does something "illegal" in their countries, then effectively, US law is superior to other countries' laws.