An addictive fish
Below you’ll find several of my lists and brief tutorials concerning OpenBSD, available in the OpenBSD submenu of the main navigation.
Why OpenBSD, you might wonder?
Like many, my initial encounter with computing involved Windows – or more precisely, DOS. I refer specifically to PCs here, as my very first computing device was actually a ZX Spectrum 48K (later upgraded to 128K!). I’ve lost count of the hours spent loading programs via cassette tapes – the dreadful, cacophonous process that now evokes nostalgia when I view recordings of the procedure.
Despite these primitive beginnings, I managed to learn BASIC and some LOGO. This was entirely due to my father’s influence – an IBM employee who worked with wall-sized computers and punch cards, systems with such limited memory that after installing the compiler, one might have a mere 4K remaining.
Years later, my father deemed it prudent to purchase a proper PC for me. This machine came with DOS, later upgraded to Windows 3.11. While the graphical interface’s window management proved interesting, I always felt like a mere extension of the computer – constantly instructed to “Install this”, “Press enter”, “Accept conditions”. Paradoxically, I felt more liberated using the Spectrum than that i386 machine, and believe I learned more from the former despite its limitations.
Then I discovered Linux. Borrowing a laptop, I partitioned the drive and installed what I recall being Caldera Linux – no trivial feat in 1995, requiring manual creation of /dev and wrestling with cylinders and blocks during partitioning. The process was arduous – hours spent struggling, failing to properly remove Linux afterwards to return my friend’s Windows machine intact – yet I adored every moment!
Regrettably, since Ubuntu’s emergence (or should I say apparition?), Linux has become what Windows once was – everything “just works”, with all challenge evaporated. Moreover, proprietary applications like Skype and Flash now provide Linux binaries, while graphics companies offer drivers – the very antithesis of what initially attracted me.
In a moment of weakness, I even acquired a MacBook, which I returned after three months (personal preference, I acknowledge). The device made for a splendid Christmas decoration with its glowing lights, though I jest, of course. Without complete control, I couldn’t feel comfortable. I experimented with other pseudo-Unix derivatives like Arch Linux, but found them equally dissatisfying for the aforementioned reasons.
These binary blobs represent opaque code – unreadable, frequently buggy, potentially containing spyware as demonstrated by Skype’s recent Microsoft surveillance. Ubuntu similarly compromises privacy by transmitting personal data to questionable entities. Furthermore, 2016 revealed a nine-year-old Linux kernel vulnerability permitting unauthorized root access.
Discovering OpenBSD in 2004 felt like coming home. Here were dedicated programmers renowned for their meticulous coding standards and ethical integrity – intelligent individuals providing clear, concise responses to well-formulated questions.
While abandoning systems that “just work” proves difficult, my personal reasons for preferring OpenBSD (where feasible) include:
- Installation completes in approximately five minutes
- Exceptional security measures
- Immunity to the regression plaguing many OSes
- Superb documentation
- Transparent system operations
- Intellectually stimulating environment
- Minimal resource usage (typically 0.1% CPU for X in top)
Admittedly, this philosophy isolates one from certain “communities” – though given my mildly misanthropic (yet fundamentally philanthropic) tendencies, this suits me perfectly.
Below are some articles I’ve written about this operating system: