5 ms·

I've said this before, but kudos to the OpenBSD Project for shouldering a disproportionate share of the burden of maintaining core bits of our libre/open infras

I've said this before, but kudos to the OpenBSD Project for shouldering a disproportionate share of the burden of maintaining core bits of our libre/open infrastructure. I can't think of anyone in tech who has not benefited mightily from OpenSSH and who will not benefit mightily from LibreSSL. This article is a good reminder for me to get off my arse and cut my meager grad-student checks to the EFF and OpenBSD project.

riffraff 12y ago
> disproportionate share Disproportionate based on/compared to what? (I agree that the openbsd folks do a ton of good, I am just trying to understand your references here)
- spindritf 12y ago
  Market share, funding... Pretty much any metric.
- xnull2guest 12y ago
  Well, they take on responsibility as stewards, which means they will be the target of criticisms and backdoor attempts, and will need to meet the demands of downstream demand for fixes, requests and help. They also need to (have already) spend time on understanding the code, development and integration. They need to communicate the problems with OpenSSL and what they've done to other people within the ecosystem.
- peatmoss 12y ago
  What spindritf said. OpenBSD has an extraordinarily high impact-to-X ratio, for many values of X (funding, notoriety, number of contributors, unnecessary problematization, glamor, etc.). Even though I'm more likely to use OS X or Linux these days than OpenBSD, OpenBSD would fare better in the absence of most Linux distros, than most Linux distros would fare without OpenBSD.
  - dobbsbob 12y ago
    You're probably using plenty of OpenBSD software anyways like pf in OSX
    - peatmoss 12y ago
      Wow, I'd forgotten that one. I guess that really proves the point about OpenBSD being everywhere.
- throwaway2048 12y ago
  A lot of the work they do on their packages and in base stuff is pushed upstream to properly support security features OpenBSD supports. Everyone benefits from this because then such features can be enabled everywhere with less pain.
pyvpx 12y ago
if you can get five people to buy CDs, and maybe two of them get another two or three to buy CDs, you'll have done much more good for the project than cutting a check.
- peatmoss 12y ago
  How so? I don't have a computer with optical media anymore, and am most likely to install OpenBSD via network. Is there something about CD sales in particular that helps the project more than a straight up check? I'm happy to cut the check directly to the project even though that isn't tax deductible (though I think there's a foundation that is--though they're restricted on how they can spend those funds).
  - ams6110 12y ago
    You can make a direct donation. http://www.openbsd.org/donations.html http://www.openbsd.org/donations.html I agree that the CDs are becoming an anachronism, but they still provide an easy way to contribute to the project. Buy the CD, throw it away if you don't need it.
    - jacobgreenleaf 12y ago
      Are you seriously saying that buying something and throwing it away is better than donating the same amount of money?
      - keithpeter 12y ago
        Slackware: I donated the cost of the DVDs plus postage. Seemed silly to shift atoms across an ocean when the bits can trickle down the phone line from a mirror server about 60 miles away. Are there any strange tax or accounting advantages for the organisation I'm supporting if I buy actual stuff rather than donating?
        cdcarter 12y ago

riffraff 12y ago

> disproportionate share Disproportionate based on/compared to what? (I agree that the openbsd folks do a ton of good, I am just trying to understand your references here)

spindritf 12y ago
Market share, funding... Pretty much any metric.
xnull2guest 12y ago
Well, they take on responsibility as stewards, which means they will be the target of criticisms and backdoor attempts, and will need to meet the demands of downstream demand for fixes, requests and help. They also need to (have already) spend time on understanding the code, development and integration. They need to communicate the problems with OpenSSL and what they've done to other people within the ecosystem.
peatmoss 12y ago
What spindritf said. OpenBSD has an extraordinarily high impact-to-X ratio, for many values of X (funding, notoriety, number of contributors, unnecessary problematization, glamor, etc.). Even though I'm more likely to use OS X or Linux these days than OpenBSD, OpenBSD would fare better in the absence of most Linux distros, than most Linux distros would fare without OpenBSD.
- dobbsbob 12y ago
  You're probably using plenty of OpenBSD software anyways like pf in OSX
  - peatmoss 12y ago
    Wow, I'd forgotten that one. I guess that really proves the point about OpenBSD being everywhere.
throwaway2048 12y ago
A lot of the work they do on their packages and in base stuff is pushed upstream to properly support security features OpenBSD supports. Everyone benefits from this because then such features can be enabled everywhere with less pain.

pyvpx 12y ago

if you can get five people to buy CDs, and maybe two of them get another two or three to buy CDs, you'll have done much more good for the project than cutting a check.

peatmoss 12y ago
How so? I don't have a computer with optical media anymore, and am most likely to install OpenBSD via network. Is there something about CD sales in particular that helps the project more than a straight up check? I'm happy to cut the check directly to the project even though that isn't tax deductible (though I think there's a foundation that is--though they're restricted on how they can spend those funds).
- ams6110 12y ago
  You can make a direct donation. http://www.openbsd.org/donations.html http://www.openbsd.org/donations.html I agree that the CDs are becoming an anachronism, but they still provide an easy way to contribute to the project. Buy the CD, throw it away if you don't need it.
  - jacobgreenleaf 12y ago
    Are you seriously saying that buying something and throwing it away is better than donating the same amount of money?
    - keithpeter 12y ago
      Slackware: I donated the cost of the DVDs plus postage. Seemed silly to shift atoms across an ocean when the bits can trickle down the phone line from a mirror server about 60 miles away. Are there any strange tax or accounting advantages for the organisation I'm supporting if I buy actual stuff rather than donating?
      - cdcarter 12y ago