RE: https://mastodon.sdf.org/@netbsd/117455748417638482
During episode 132 of Linux After Dark from @latenightlinux, the hosts talked about how they could recapture the passion they once had for computers and technology. This episode got me thinking quite a lot. I've been a Linux user for more than 30 years and, admittedly, my excitement for tech was dying. Actually, it had been dying for a few years. Shitty comments from Torvalds, many projects embracing AI, and maybe even the fact that I had been using Linux for so many years, contributed to my, well, less that excited feelings about all of it. I know that I needed a change.
I may have found something that has rekindled my love and excitement. And that something is BSD. After a few months of struggling to get a BSD installed on my hardware (laptop and desktop), with the help of many here in the Fediverse over the past month or so, I finally got NetBSD installed on my laptop and desktop. It was exciting! I'm actually feeling the way I did when I first started using Linux all those years ago. I have to work a bit to get some hardware working, I have to do a lot of reading and research, and I've even joined some IRC channels and forums. Forums. Remember those?
I'm leaving Linux behind and moving on after more than 30 years. This isn't a decision that I take lightly. Quite the contrary. It's one of the hardest decisions that I've ever had to make. I spent those 30+ years preaching about how great Linux was and even moved a lot of people away from Windows to Linux and Open Source software over the years. And for a lack of a better description, I feel betrayed by the Linux kernel project and all of the open source projects who have decided to embrace AI, even with all of terrible ethical issues.
Well, anyway, I didn't write this to bash on Linux. I wrote this because I'm starting to feel excited about tech again. I may even start writing about my move from Linux BSD and how it's all going. The good things. The struggles. And everything in between.
Okay, I've put enough people to sleep with this post. I have a long road ahead of me before I feel as comfortable with BSD as I do with Linux, but I think that is where all the excitement is.
Some #NetBSD questions that keep coming up.
We don't use modules for HW drivers in the default install. All baked into the kernel. If you're curious about desktop hardware, for x86 there are lists https://wiki.netbsd.org/laptops/ https://wiki.netbsd.org/gpus/ (and the pci/usb manual pages)
x86 virtual machines. https://www.netbsd.org/docs/guide/en/chap-virt.html#chap-virt-guest
For disk encryption there's different options, such as creating a small root with the installer, then adding encrypted partitions later (see man cgdconfig). Also: cgdroot.
@chadmccullough glad you’re enjoying it again Chad @latenightlinux