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I remember how NetBSD promoted itself as running on many more toasters than Linux once. Then some NetBSD dev wrote on their mailing list that this is no longer

I remember how NetBSD promoted itself as running on many more toasters than Linux once. Then some NetBSD dev wrote on their mailing list that this is no longer true. Linux runs on more toasters now. (And also top 500 supercomputers, but toasters are the real metal to the petal test.) These fights always remind me of: https://www.jwz.org/doc/worse-is-better.html https://www.jwz.org/doc/worse-is-better.html It's an interesting piece of history too. I kind of evaluate it a bit differently, e. g. my summary is "momentum beats academic perfection". Which is not completely what it is about, but it is my own imperfect TL;DR summary.

bee_rider 3mo ago
This basically fits my stereotype of BSD being a little bit more hardcore while Linux is a little more accessible… when the question was “can you install an OS on a toaster,” BSD had an advantage. Now that normal engineers have to make IOT toasters (for some reason) Linux should have the advantage, right?
- sublinear 3mo ago
  Normal engineers don't do that either.
Levitating 3mo ago
why did that url point me to a scrotum in an egg cup
- UnlockedSecrets 3mo ago
  Seems like at a glance that website if it sees a referral from ycombinator, it redirects to that image.... In a private window it loads the 'intended' page.....
- m0llusk 3mo ago
  HN has disappointed JWZ
  - saghm 3mo ago
    Just blackholing the request would be kinder than taking it out on the person following the link, given that their gripe seems to be more with the one who posted it (and that as a deterrent, it doesn't seem to be particularly effective given that it's been years since the first time I've seen this conversation play out in comments)
Someone 3mo ago
> but toasters are the real metal to the petal test. Or is that a new tongue in cheek idiom? AFAIK, it’s peDal, not peTal, and the other way around: pedal to the metal. The literal meaning is to push your accelerator pedal down to the floor of your car, which is made of metal.
- goodmythical 3mo ago
  "metal to the petal" gives me more of a "gilding the lily" flavor, especially in cnotrast to the original construction. Still not sure if it was on purpose, but I read it as a reference to a "but can it run DOOM?" benchmark.

bee_rider 3mo ago

This basically fits my stereotype of BSD being a little bit more hardcore while Linux is a little more accessible… when the question was “can you install an OS on a toaster,” BSD had an advantage. Now that normal engineers have to make IOT toasters (for some reason) Linux should have the advantage, right?

sublinear 3mo ago
Normal engineers don't do that either.

Levitating 3mo ago

why did that url point me to a scrotum in an egg cup

UnlockedSecrets 3mo ago
Seems like at a glance that website if it sees a referral from ycombinator, it redirects to that image.... In a private window it loads the 'intended' page.....
m0llusk 3mo ago
HN has disappointed JWZ
- saghm 3mo ago
  Just blackholing the request would be kinder than taking it out on the person following the link, given that their gripe seems to be more with the one who posted it (and that as a deterrent, it doesn't seem to be particularly effective given that it's been years since the first time I've seen this conversation play out in comments)

Someone 3mo ago

> but toasters are the real metal to the petal test. Or is that a new tongue in cheek idiom? AFAIK, it’s peDal, not peTal, and the other way around: pedal to the metal. The literal meaning is to push your accelerator pedal down to the floor of your car, which is made of metal.

goodmythical 3mo ago
"metal to the petal" gives me more of a "gilding the lily" flavor, especially in cnotrast to the original construction. Still not sure if it was on purpose, but I read it as a reference to a "but can it run DOOM?" benchmark.