Want to speak at EuroBSDcon 2025? You have one week to submit via https://events.eurobsdcon.org/2025/ (until 2025-06-21)

Main conferfence site: https://2025.eurobsdcon.org/, Sponsoring: https://2025.eurobsdcon.org/sponsorship.html

See you in Zagreb!

#eurobsdcon #bsd #conference #freebsd #openbsd #netbsd #unix #development #devops #freesoftware #libresoftware @eurobsdcon

Next up at #bsdcan plenary room, "Why (and how) we're migrating many of our servers from Linux to the BSDs" by Stefano Marinelli https://www.bsdcan.org/2025/timetable/timetable-Why-and-how.html #conference #bsd #freebsd #openbsd #netbsd #freesoftware #libresoftware

Ready for the conference!

#BSDCan #FreeBSD #NetBSD #OpenBSD #RunBSD

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Photo of a BSDCan 2025 speaker badge for Stefano Marinelli placed on a black tote bag. The badge includes a small cartoon BSD daemon holding a Canadian flag. The tote bag features a larger version of the same BSD mascot holding a trident with the Canadian flag attached. The mascot is red, with green sneakers and a friendly expression. The event location is Ottawa, Canada.

There are some things around the edges as yet not implemented or tested. I haven't tested the uhid or ugen realizers yet. But #NetBSD looks the same as #FreeBSD in this regard, and I'm expecting that to be fairly trivial to fix if it just doesn't in fact work straightaway.

And there is still that known gap in the ifconfig command.

Nonetheless, this is a large part done of the porting of #nosh, #djbwares, and #redo not only to NetBSD but to a non-amd64 processor architecture too.

It doesn't look quite right on a 16:9 HDMI display with a 16 by 16 font. It lacks the pixellation and CRT blurring. And the cursor is wrong. So @ColinHaynes still has the better. (-:

But it's not bad for a non-X11 framebuffer Unicode-capable terminal emulator on a #RaspberryPi running #NetBSD with the #CommodorePET and BBC character sets.

#nosh #uservt #unscii

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A black on white screen running the Z shell, about to run the combination of the setterm and printf that will produce the next screen.

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A green on black screen pretending to be the power-on display of a Commodore PET.

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A white on black screen showing Viznut's unscii test file, which has all sorts of graphics and unusual characters in it. The top half of the test is vanilla Unicode. The bottom half tests the earlier Private Use Area versions of the same characters that unscii originally had.

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A (mostly) white on black screen displaying the rendered Docbook XML version of the manual page for httpd.

(That was the BBC font. This is the #CommodorePET font.)

The various tools from #djbwares are operational and run happily as managed services, including local DNS service, some publicfile services, and synchronizing the #RaspberryPi's clock using Bernstein's sntpclock fed into clockadd.

#nosh #uservt #NetBSD

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A black on white screen showing a Z shell session running a sequence of commands: the output of svstat on various ttylogin@ services, a DNS lookup of the NS resource record set for the ee domain, a query of a clock using sntpclock and clockview, and system-control showing the status of the ftp4d service and the robots from the Internet attempting to crawl it. Various bits and pieces are in colour, or use italics and underlines.

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A black on white screen showing a Z shell session running the ps command through unvis to show the PID, PPID, UID, and COMMAND columns of the process table, along with an indented TREE column. The process table has a lot of processes, mostly running cyclog but also several servers and a login session, all below a service manager. The tree line drawing characters are being pulled from a combination of retrocomputing fonts, and do not quite align.

A #nosh user-space virtual terminal being realized onto the HDMI display of a #RaspberryPi running #NetBSD.

The realizer is console-kvt-realizer, and the framebuffer was dumped to PPM format with framebuffer-dump (to be converted to JFIF using netpbm tools). The login screen is a ttylogin@vc3-tty service, managed by service-manager, and using login-envuidgid.

Yes, it is being multiplexed with two others, and has an input method layered on top.

http://jdebp.info/Softwares/nosh/guide/services/head0.html

#uservt

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A black on white screen showing a login dialogue box titled "Orac's key (activator.kerravons-pocket.example)", with a status bar showing a digital clock, F1=help, netbsd6 as the terminal type, and vc3/tty as the terminal device name.

Do you want to be a #eurobsdcon speaker?

Submit by 2025-06-21 at https://events.eurobsdcon.org/2025/cfp

Do you want to sponsor #eurobsdcon? Go to https://2025.eurobsdcon.org/sponsorship.html

#conference #netbsd #freebsd #openbsd #unixlike #freesoftware #libresoftware

Today's top tip:

There are only 8 KVTs under E in #NetBSD, numbered from zero. No matter how hard one tries, no matter how much debugging there is, configuring things for /dev/ttyE8 simply is not going to work.

(-:

Happy #BSDCan 2025!

#freebsd #openbsd #netbsd #runbsd @ #boxybsd #bsdcafe

📢 Calling all BSD enthusiasts! 😈⛳️🐡

Have fun at at @bsdcan !!

The call for papers for EuroBSDCon 2025 in Zagreb is still open, and we're looking for your ideas! 🌟

Got a groundbreaking discovery in BSD applications, architecture, or implementation? Or maybe you've cracked the code on performance and security? We want to hear from you!

Don't miss this chance to share your insights on:
- Applications: Show us how BSD-based systems are solving real-world problems!
- Architecture: Dive deep into the inner workings of BSD.
- Implementation: Share your tips and tricks for making BSD systems purr like a kitten.
- Performance: Help us squeeze every last drop of speed out of BSD.
- Security: Show off your fortress-building skills in the world of BSD.
- Economic or organizational aspects: How BSD is making a difference in the real world.

https://events.eurobsdcon.org/2025/cfp

Let's make EuroBSDCon 2025 the best one yet! See you in Zagreb! 🌟

EuroBSDCon 2025 in Zagreb, Croatia 🇭🇷
September 25-28, 2025

#RUNBSD #FreeBSD #NetBSD #OpenBSD #EuroBSDCon #EuroBSDCon2025 #BSD #CFP #Conference

Today's top #NetBSD tip:

Don't try to use a tc capability in login.conf. It isn't just ignored. It breaks PAM and no-one will be able to log on.

Secondary tip: Use the -v option to cap_mkdb and check that the record count is as expected.

You're welcome. I cottoned on when there was a very brief flicker of a character at one point, and went looking.

#TianoCore doing that self-recursion for backspace and #NetBSD calling OutputString twice makes enough of a window that the character not being erased yet, can synchronize with the display refresh on rare occasion.

So I expect that some sort of putchar_twiddle() that calls OutputString then SetCursorPosition would likely also cut down twiddling overhead.

#FreeBSD #DragonFlyBSD

A destructive back space, to go alongside a destructive forward space, is an exceedingly unusual but valid choice. There are terminals in the termcap database that did this.

If you want actual madness, however, look to u-boot, where BS is non-destructive *unless* the user is using TrueType fonts, when this code kicks in.

https://github.com/u-boot/u-boot/blob/master/drivers/video/console_truetype.c#L480

Just say no to using the BS character for text effects effects in boot loaders, kids! (-:

#uboot #termcap #NetBSD #FreeBSD #EFI

Dear #NetBSD people:

The reason that the spinners do not work in your boot loader when booted on TianoCore firmware is that, very unusually, #TianoCore has made back space (BS) consistent with forward space (SPC). They are *both* destructive spaces.

https://github.com/tianocore/edk2/blob/master/MdeModulePkg/Universal/Console/GraphicsConsoleDxe/GraphicsConsole.c#L1013

You need to print the BS before printing the spinner character. And do an initial SPC and a final BS.

https://github.com/NetBSD/src/blob/trunk/sys/lib/libsa/twiddle.c#L58

Or drop BS and save and restore the cursor position.

https://uefi.org/specs/UEFI/2.10/12_Protocols_Console_Support.html#efi-simple-text-output-protocol

#EFI #UEFI

@Dendrobatus_Azureus @NebulaTide

I think there's a lot of decision fatigue when moving to a new system. Particularly if someone's used to a user-friendly system like Ubuntu and boots into a system that requires them to get a configuration just to get a GUI.

Not hating on #FreeBSD*, but one of the things I love about #OpenBSD and #NetBSD is that X11 (for better or for worse, hahaha) is included in the base install, so you get a usable, if adorably archaic-looking GUI upon first boot.

I really waffle back and forth on this kind of thing. There are days that I'm disgusted by the corporatism in the Linux world and feel like running BSD on everything, and there are days when I'm just tired of learning and want to use Kubuntu/Fedora, or at least Debian. XD

** Very serious when I'm saying I'm "not hating." FreeBSD has a TON going for it.

@NebulaTide

Avoidance of monoculture.

Whilst everyone else is being hit by the latest script kiddie fad, some malicious script writer is still scratching xyr head at the subset of target machines that reject the Bashisms, don't have lsof, put some stuff in /usr/local or /usr/pkg, have ftp or fetch rather than wget, and need this weird ifconfig command.

The malevolent have relied upon monoculture for efficient scaling for over 4 decades. Ironically, when BSD was mainstream, the shoe was on the other foot.

Example: In my HTTP servers's logs today, bad actors are assuming that a server accepts its own IP address as a virtual host, and has a /cgi-bin directory or a /.well-known directory. And they're sending HTTP/1.1 GET requests to GOPHER ports. Because they assume a monoculture of HTTP service, even on non-HTTP ports. There are some very obvious *other* attacks, outwith the monoculture, that they could try. But they don't.

#FreeBSD #NetBSD

Latest 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 - 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱/𝟬𝟲/𝟬𝟵 (Valuable News - 2025/06/09) available.

https://vermaden.wordpress.com/2025/06/09/valuable-news-2025-06-09/

Past releases: https://vermaden.wordpress.com/news/

#verblog #vernews #news #bsd #freebsd #openbsd #netbsd #linux #unix #zfs #opnsense #ghostbsd #solaris #vermadenday

Latest 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 - 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱/𝟬𝟲/𝟬𝟵 (Valuable News - 2025/06/09) available.

https://vermaden.wordpress.com/2025/06/09/valuable-news-2025-06-09/

Past releases: https://vermaden.wordpress.com/news/

#verblog #vernews #news #bsd #freebsd #openbsd #netbsd #linux #unix #zfs #opnsense #ghostbsd #solaris #vermadenday

@mccd #NetBSD is awesome NetBSD>>>>CentOS>>> Linux

Getting ready for #BSDCan

#RunBSD #FreeBSD #NetBSD #OpenBSD #DragonflyBSD

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A printed presentation slide featuring the BSD Daemon mascot holding a Canadian flag with a pitchfork. The title reads, "Why (and how) we're migrating many of our servers from Linux to the BSDs." The presenter is Stefano Marinelli, and the event is BSDCan in Ottawa on 13 June 2025.

See anything interesting on the #bsdcan schedule https://www.bsdcan.org/2025/timetable/timetable-all.html ?

You can still register for the conference (tutorials June 11-12, 2025, talks June 13-14, 2025) https://www.bsdcan.org/2025/registration.html

#bsdcan #conference #bsd #unix #development #freebsd #netbsd #openbsd #sysadmin #devops

The final schedule for @bsdcan has been published: https://www.bsdcan.org/2025/timetable/timetable-all.html

#BSDCan #RunBSD #FreeBSD #NetBSD #OpenBSD #DragonflyBSD #HardenedBSD

Make Your Own Internet Presence with #NetBSD and a 1 euro VPS – Part 1: Your Blog

｢ it's particularly efficient on low-power devices, like embedded systems or cheap VMs. Therefore, it's one of the best solutions for a small personal setup that can still deliver excellent results and simple management ｣

https://it-notes.dragas.net/2025/04/22/make-your-own-internet-presence-with-netbsd-and-a-1-euro-vps-part-1-your-blog/

#NetBSD On The State & Future Of #XOrg #X11 • Phoronix

｢ Nia Alarie with the NetBSD project published a status re on the #XOrg graphics support. NetBSD maintains theirOrg stack as a somewhat fork of the X.Org codebases including with their own BSD makefile build system use, their "xsrc" repository that is a regularly-updated fork of the upstream X.Org code, and various X.Org DDX driver differences ｣

https://www.phoronix.com/news/NetBSD-State-Of-X11-2024

Final-ish schedule for #bsdcan dropped: https://www.bsdcan.org/2025/timetable/timetable-all.html

You can stil register, see https://www.bsdcan.org/2025/registration.html

#conference #bsd #unix #development #freebsd #netbsd #openbsd #sysadmin #devops #freesoftware #libresoftware

Alex Haydock Saves a Nintendo #Wii From the Scrapheap — and Turns It Into a #NetBSD Web Server

｢ Inside the compact housing was an IBM Broadway, a PowerPC G3-based processor running at 729MHz, plus 24MB of high-speed 1T static RAM (SRAM) and 64MB of GDDR4 memory for a total of 88MB ｣

https://www.hackster.io/news/alex-haydock-saves-a-nintendo-wii-from-the-scrapheap-and-turns-it-into-a-netbsd-web-server-aebbf2c6492e

Unveiling the EndBOX https://lobste.rs/s/kvhjf8 #netbsd
https://www.endbasic.dev/2025/06/unveiling-the-endbox.html

@jmmv 's Unveiling the EndBOX #NetBSD

https://www.endbasic.dev/2025/06/unveiling-the-endbox.html

Interesting #NetBSD/#FreeBSD difference:

They both have the hotkeys for switching KVTs that SCO Multiscreen had, but only FreeBSD remembers that Control+PrtScrn cycled through the screens on SCO Multiscreen.

#SCOUnix #SCOMultiscreen