In 2019, I rediscovered OpenBSD.
Being a green Unix at the turn of the millennium, I tried everything that came to hand. Then Theo, represented by OpenBSD, explained to me that I should go play other toys. And now, almost 20 years later, in 2019, it surfaced again - the most secure OS and all that. Well, I think, I'll look - for sure it's still the same tin.
It was not there. What a beauty it is. CWM, TMUX and others. PLEDGE! If you don't know about the pledge yet, drop everything and read it. Beauty is in simplicity, minimalism, in respect for human brains (meaning the belief that a person can not only press the βNextβ button). Unix friendliness at its finest: βUnix is ββfriendlyβ¦β - you remember). Beauty in focus. The focus here is on safety. In particular, I was hooked by the uncompromising attitude towards βoptional securityβ. If any element of the security system can be disabled for convenience, then this will definitely be done. SE Linux is great stuff, but what's the first thing admins with weak nerves do? π So optional security is unacceptable, just by definition - I agree.
For myself, I concluded that the adoption of OpenBSD as a research project puts everything in its place. System for engineers. We install, study, get insights, use, grow professionally. Very interesting technologies are born in the project, which take root in other systems. The approach to development itself, I apologize for the pathos, is honest and noble: Inventing -> Implementing -> Implementing in third-party software -> We hope that the technology will be adopted by other vendors (in parallel, we will quickly patch bugs, especially in security, and do not forget to send whiners in the lists mailings to the FAK).
Naturally, due to resource limitations, there will never be support for a wide range of devices, modern laptops, of course, there will be a performance drawdown (and even then this is a βquestionβ, there are many use cases - you wonβt take everything into account). By the way, I'm wondering - is OpenBSD used in commercial systems? Nobody knows? Judging by various, mostly foreign forums, yes, it is used, but how large-scale I did not find out.
In general, this was one of the first pleasant surprises a year ago, in OpenBSD you can quite well live fully - almost everything your heart desires has already been ported.
The purpose of this text was to interest. If someone after that sets himself, drives, imbues, then the world will become a little better.
Source: habr.com