Along those lines, there is an underappreciated overview of proper Free and Open Source online conferencing systems.

At the moment I'm running a Slackware64-current/OpenBSD 7.3 dual boot system so I have the best of both ecosystems. I've used OpenBSD since 5.0 (2011). I've also used FreeBSD since 5.x. I don't try to convince anyone to run a BSD system. For me OpenBSD is highly stable and secure. If you're curious about the BSDs perhaps try it in a VM.

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This is one of the reasons why people give up before they even try the BSDs. I've used the BSDs for years and I want to quit the community when I read negative comments like this.
Many people incorrectly assume that the BSD community is cold and unforgiving. The BSD community is very helpful *if* you're willing to read the ample, available documentation and do some of your own trouble shooting. The LQ member jggimi posts here and he's a seasoned OpenBSD systems administrator.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

I can see that. It's understandable.

Thanks for that link. There is the compatibility issue, and the majority windows/macos/mobile userbase choose the system they know everyone knows. So you (or in this case, I) get stuck with it.

What I observed was that they chose the first ones they were loudly presented with and jumped in with both feet without looking first. I have not even heard of any company or institution having read even the terms of service let alone the licensing.

True. But IT experts the general public are not. They are generally expert in another field. What do IT experts use? Betchya it's some closed source thing.

It depends on how one differentiates between the group IT expert and the group IT reseller. Generally there is little to no overlap. I have yet to meet any actual IT experts using "some closed source thing", aside from a period where OS X was a thing. :/ Though there is a strong correlation between posers, frauds, and charlatans and the presence of "some closed source thing" on their hardware. Non-IT experts can often be found running the default systems which came with the off the shelf laptops from a big box store, in part because they don't look past the few applications which they need or want for their domain of expertise. However, as for IT, if someone knows about IT it is because they care to know, and if they care they're going to run GNU/Linux (or another Linux) or one of the BSDs.

From what I read of OpenBSD's goals, they have changed somewhat over time. Last, I read it is now more or less a research system and living laboratory where cutting edge ideas and practices can be put into use. That is because of the long-running priority that OpenBSD is for the developers of OpenBSD and that is the direction which the developers have decided to move. The rest of us can come along for the ride or not.

I ran NetBSD for some years, but that was only because it was the only thing I could run on that old DEC-System (Well, I could have installed VAX; the original OS for it but I know nothing about that). And my firewall runs Opnsense which is based on FreeBSD.

But other than that? Nope. Can't see why I should. I'll just stick to Linux.

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I also ran NetBSD for a time. Nice system. Going forward I'm sticking with Linux, it meets my needs. My decade long BSD adventure was interesting.

Would love to run BSD on a second computer but driver support is lacking unfortunately.

You've done this before - i.e. "quit the community", as you call it - several times in fact.

Not a clue why someone would let the attitude/comments of some random person on the web influence their choice of OS. I was only telling it like is: that LQ is of course mostly Linux users, they dabble in a 'BSD briefly and then "quit", usually due to the requirement of being more hands on, or any of the other reasons I mentioned, and quite predictably go back to Linux, as you have done. Most of the comments in this thread support this, as do your actions.

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Try fuguita dd'd to a usb. Loads-to/runs-in ram so operationally it runs as quick if not quicker than Linux. But otherwise chrome is chrome, libreoffice is libreoffice, whether you run on Linux or OpenBSD. So primarily its a question of whether your hardware is supported (more chance of that under Linux), and whether you prefer the Linux thousands of breakaways/alternatives (differences) or a central lean OS.

Or maybe other factors such as https://sysdig.com/blog/cve-2023-4911/
My main desktop boot is fuguita, boots to the exact same pristine/clean configured desktop, I don't save any changes, save all data separately and is one of the fastest operationally compared to Linux/other choices. Slower to boot though, as it sync's from USB to ram, power on, make a cup of tea type delay, but for the rest of the day ... lighting quick. Or for a laptop, just close the lid rather than powering down, so instantly available when you open the lid.

I have a laptop where the wifi isn't supported, but I just usb tether that to my phone for wifi. Handily charges the phone at the same time, and easier to connect to public wifi's via the phone than the desktop. Other than that and driver support is good for me. nvidia is a no-go however (not open code, as demanded by OpenBSD).

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