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OpenBSD Drops Support For Loadable Kernel Modules

Posted by Soulskill on from the loadable-kernel-modules-have-had-it-too-good-for-too-long dept.

jones_supa writes: The OpenBSD developers have decided to remove support for loadable kernel modules from the BSD distribution's next release. Several commits earlier this month stripped out the loadable kernel modules support. Phoronix's Michael Larabel has not yet found an official reason for the decision to drop support. He wagers that it is due to security or code quality/openness ideals.

5 of 162 comments (clear)

  1. Re:SYSTEM-D SUCKS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "amazingly customizable kernel with"

    Clearly you've never used OpenBSD before. Kernel hacking is one thing they explicitly frown upon. Too easy to break important things and compromise security.

  2. Holy crap... by Andy+Dodd · · Score: 3, Interesting

    https://bitbucket.org/braindam...

    These are some of the worst and most uninformative commit messages I've ever seen...

    1) Why are there so many commits to achieve the same thing?
    2) Any commit message that is only a single line other than "fix typo" is a bad commit message

    Seriously, even some of the worst/most incompetent Android kangers have written better commit messages than the shitpile of LKM removals I'm seeing there.

    --
    retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
  3. Re:Phoronix, why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Presumably, AC meant Ted Unangst, the OpenBSD developer who authored the lkm removal commits.

  4. Re:Yet another bombshell. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Linux or OpenBSD?

    BSD seems to be strengthening (all BSDs). More and more serious businesses I know are considering FreeBSD. I used to run 6 BSD/OS servers and short of HW issues, never had an issue. In fact, we got to work about 9, went to lunch at 1130, hung out wherever until about 1330, came back smoked on the loading dock and left for home by 4. Rarely had issues. The Windows and Linux guys? Always something wrong.

  5. Re:If they're doing it, it's correct. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    They were vulnerable because openssl took specific measures to counteract the defense mechanisms present in openbsd. See this writeup.

    Even Coverity could not detect the problem.