💾 Archived View for bbs.geminispace.org › s › OpenBSD › 316 captured on 2023-11-04 at 14:18:23. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2023-09-28)
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So, I guess the first thing to ask is who if any of you lovely people are using OpenBSD? What are you using it for?
Personally I've been daily driving it on an x270 since OBSD 7.2 and am loving it. I have a more modern laptop with Linux on it but I honestly find myself more drawn to the x270. It's secure, lightweight and I'm learning new skills :)
2023-05-16 · 6 months ago · 👍 ecliptik, satch
I am running OpenBSD on the little box that acts as my router and local DNS. It started out with me wanting a way to have the same names going to different IP addresses depending on if I were on my LAN or somewhere else, and all of a sudden I had dug up a dual port motherboard from my collection, installed and set up OpenBSD for the first time according to the basic guide and put my Decos in hotspot mode... Performance and stability is great and unbound also runs with a blacklist, so I don't need pihole. The only issue I have so far is that apps like AnyDesk and Parsec fail to do their NAT thing.
@johan sounds good. I've been on the lookout for a dual nic motherboard so I can make my home network a bit more "pro grade". Need to read up a bit more on pf and stuff first though. I think my next project is going to be an openbsd based mail server over at openbsd.amsterdam. Running a mailserver can be a PITA but I have admin experience with Exchange and I really want to get away from GMail and Outlook.com.
@drh3xx interesting! I ran my own webserver a while some 10 years ago when it was easy. I would not really try it again now but it would be cool to hear from your experiences. Maybe I'll try hosting misfin on OpenBSD though :)
I was running OpenBSD on my X240 for a while and had a few VPSes going but they are no longer existent. I also learned a lot in the process. Overall, working with the system is a joy. I don't have a lot of time for tinkering nowadays, though.
2023-05-17 · 6 months ago
@mieum it's a shame you're pushed for time nowadays but I know what you mean. I have loads of projects I'd like to do but with work and kids there're only so many hours in the day. I don't know how @skyjake is so productive. Sounds like your time with OpenBSD was a positive one though :)
Currently I only have my OpenBSD server at OpenBSD.ams hosting my web and gemini sites, and I’ve had various OpenBSD VPS’es for 10+ years, and have used it as my workstation OS on/off for about a decade. I think my first exposure to OpenBSD was 2.7, so it’s been a while. 😊 Still the most comfortable OS for me, it feels like $HOME.
@liebach you've got a fair bit of experience with it then. So far it's looking like most folks are using it on a server or VPS. How have you found OpenBSD.Amsterdam as a host if you don't mind me asking? I've only really seen some Youtube videos presenting at a conference about how it was setup. vmd was still really young and there were issues with networking and clock skew that had various hacks in place. I've not really found anything on how it's developed since then.
@drh3xx I have no complaints about obsd.ams, it just works. Have had the server for about 18 months now, and it’s been as solid as any “normal” VPS host.
I only host simple static pages, and keep everything deliberately super simple, so my needs are pretty minimal.
I’ve tried emailing them about a reverse dns update in the evening, and have Mischa fixing it within an hour, which is better than any commercial host I’ve tried.
@liebach thanks for the info :)
I'm running OpenBSD 7.3 on this old MacBook Air and absolutely love it. Used to run OpenBSD on systems in the early aughts (even have some of the original physical media disc sets with stickers) and have been running it on a RaspberryPi with dnscrypt-proxy for ad blocking.
2023-05-20 · 6 months ago
@ecliptik, always nice to see old hardware put to use. Sounds like you were getting into OpenBSD around the time I was getting into Linux. Great that you still have some of the disc sets and stickers.
I just bought a $90 think pad on eBay. I’ve planning on installing Linux, but I guess I might consider OpenBSD. All I really know about it is that it is easier to install as the kernel and core utilities come together, and it’s super secure.
would any of you encourage me to try OpenBSD? my only Linux experience is with Debian on my VPS. Posting this in the comments to avoid the front page.
— I read this and it gave me the idea
@satch ultimately it's your call on which OS to install and will depend on what you want to do with the laptop. As it was a $90 thinkpad it should be pretty well supported and I'm assuming you wont be trying to play AAA Steam titles or stream 4K DRM content. OpenBSD is small, light and as with all BSDs developed as one coherent environment. I'd say give it a try, you'll learn new skills and discover new things. I would definately recommend installing obsdfreqd as one of your first tasks to keep things cool and extend battery life. If it doesn't work out you've lost nothing and can still blat a Linux distro on it.
I'm going to use it on a Thinkcentre tiny, the ultra small form factor ones. I think it is the cheapest you can get without wasting too much space at home. I guess some of your capusles run on open bsd?
2023-08-14 · 3 months ago
@betatube. My only OBSD system at the mo is my x270 but I am hoping to get into some selfhosting in the near future and have been toying with the idea of signing up for an OpenBSD VPS with openbsd.amsterdam.