Version: 6.5
Rating: 10
Date: 2019-05-23
Votes: 1
|
OpenBSD's documentation is beyond reproach, by far one of the finest and most polished operating systems available.
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Version: 6.5
Rating: 5
Date: 2019-05-19
Votes: 0
|
Pros: Works good and is secure.
Cons: Firefox tabs keep crashing in OpenBSD snapshots. It did not do that in the stable release. Not all printers and wireless cards are supported.
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Version: 6.5
Rating: 10
Date: 2019-04-27
Votes: 29
|
I have been working on different Unix versions since the beginning of the 80's, GNU+Linux since 94-95, first Slackware, then Debian until the forced introduction of systemd(isaster). I did try GNU+Linux Devuan for a while and it was OK. But when Linus T. squeezed SIMON and SPECK into the Linux kernel last summer, I decided that 'Linux' was not for me any more. When strategic decision makers are capable of such a lack of lucidity, it is the end...
I switched to OpenBSD, which I had tried out for a while in the 90's. This time it was a revelation! Everything worked 'out of the box' and even better than my GNU+Linux experiences on a Thinkpad x200 with Libreboot (unblobbed Coreboot). I have probably found the OS for the rest of my life (I am 70 in a few months...).
OpenBSD installs easily, updates are flawless, security and documentation is very good, the system is fast and responsive even on my 2008 machine. I am still using XFCE and the desktop has the same look and feel as I am used to, so there is no peculiar change on the surface. Behind the interface there is a lot of differences, of course. This is a very fine operating system that does exactly what you want. Try it out!
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 7
Date: 2019-04-25
Votes: 0
|
Firefox tabs crash often. YouTube videos are choppy.
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 1
Date: 2019-04-20
Votes: 0
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Takes too long to boot into a desktop. Not for home computing. For people who have too much free time to do coding to make things work.
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 9
Date: 2019-04-16
Votes: 6
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After many years' on Linux (various distros, mostly Debian and Arch) I switched to OpenBSD 4 years ago. This happened gradually; at first I just tried it out of curiosity but the more I used it the better I liked it. I use nothing else now (desktop, 2 laptops).
Pros:
Renowned for its security. It's extremely stable; even though I've been on the -current flavour (similar to Arch or Debian Sid) for 3 years I've had no major problems. I like the philosophy and the separation between base system and packages. Fast and easy to install; X and sound both work out of the box.
Cons:
Smaller range of applications than e.g. Debian but I haven't found this a problem in practice (I compiled a couple of things myself locally). But you can't run Skype or Flash (the latter fortunately hardly needed these days). Some hardware limitations (doesn't work with Nvidia). You need to be happy using the command line, which I prefer.
Differences from Linux:
These can be deceptive at the beginning; the names of things may be similar but they often work differently. You have to acquire a subtly different way of thinking.
Getting help:
Excellent documentation. There is a mailing list but it's more technical than most Linux mailing lists and not really the place for beginners to ask questions. Google isn't much help either and is unreliable. The best place to go for help is probably daemonforums.org, where people are knowledgeable and patient with newbies. If you get serious about OpenBSD you will want to buy Absolute OpenBSD, by Michael W, Lucas. Problems with individual packages can often be resolved by emailing the maintainer.
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 3
Date: 2019-04-09
Votes: 0
|
The only thing good I found about OpenBSD is it's security. I can't figure out how to get my printer to print, can't figure out how to copy files to a cdrom, can't figure out how to copy files to a thumb drive. I tried every code that I could find. Tried xcdroast and cdrecord and nothing worked. Not being able to do any of that, I find OpenBSD unusable for home computing. Reading the man pages or the faq's does not help. If you do man cdio they show you the -f -d -s and so on but not a complete working code.
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 10
Date: 2019-03-09
Votes: 4
|
running -current here, better impossible... it's the only usable OS I know
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 10
Date: 2019-03-09
Votes: 3
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I just downloaded the latest 6.5 Beta, now available on their site. Hadn't used xBSD in a few years, so it's like visiting an old friend. Typical text-based (console) installation, quick & easy.
It's running very nicely on an older 2 core (bare metal) Dell Inspiron 530s. XFCE desktop.
I highly suggest burning the .iso file to a CD/DVD... if you are not familiar with the BSD ".iso" format standards, these are -not- hybrid ISO images, so the .iso files will typically only write correctly to -optical- media, not a USB stick. You need the specific ".img" file for USB sticks.
If you're new to BSD, be sure to make use of the extensive documentation available for it.
A clear step-by-step newcomer's guide for installing a desktop environment can be found at:
https://medium.com/@005/openbsd-6-4-installing-a-seriously-underrated-os-in-a-virtual-machine-f5848ee5a25a
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 9
Date: 2019-01-29
Votes: 0
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Used this system since version 3.7 on a laptop and sporadically on servers.
in short, here's my list of pros vs cons:
+ minimalistic design. Less code means less bugs;
+ documentation effort. Each executable binary, each library function has its own man page;
+ clean and readable source code;
+ security comes first;
+ feels robust and stable;
+ fixed release cycle;
+ works on small SoC as well.
- well, some concepts seems outdated, like disc slicing
- it needs time to adjust desktop to impress people, if you want it to
- performance. Remember, devs prefers security over performance
- not a good choice if you rely on proprietary software like that piece of, well, skype
- sometimes it needs an extra effort to compile software due to one-side changes to library functions (notable was, of course, strcmp(3) which produces warnings on openbsd)
...to sum it up, I'm very satisfied with the system, it's a good choice for profies, but maybe bad for an average user.
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 10
Date: 2019-01-24
Votes: 1
|
Easy to install and extremely stable. Base software makes a great server or firewall. I was able to install additional software with package management system (simple to use) and setup a rocking desktop. Performance was great for all my use cases.
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 8
Date: 2019-01-12
Votes: 2
|
Cons:
– partition manager difficult to understand
– hard to configure
– old packages
– weird and unneded dependencies
– not everything works as well as it should (e.g. audio playback)
– not as fast as Linux
Pros:
– very stable
– very secure (by default!)
– amazing documentation
– simplicity
It's not the best OS for the desktop, but it is very robust and should be a great choice for a server.
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 9
Date: 2018-12-23
Votes: 4
|
OpenBSD has come a long way. If you're on a thinkpad or a similar intel laptop/desktop, you're almost guaranteed to be covered. The package count is small but growing every day, and oBSD is perfectly usable as a desktop/workstation. You can even play games (0 A.D. , Minecraft, Runescape, Stardew Valley...) on it!
All in all, give it a shot. It's getting better every day.
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Version: 5.6
Rating: 9
Date: 2018-12-12
Votes: 1
|
Appreciate the simplicity, minimalism and empahis on security.
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-12-02
Votes: 0
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Ran various GNU/Linux distros and used FreeBSD (all on the desktop). Tried OpenBSD 6.1 and finally found the perseverance to understand it. Now I love it, it is stable, very well documented and it feels solid. I use cwm and it is just so unobtrusive and fast.
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 1
Date: 2018-12-02
Votes: 0
|
Desktop crashes when installing apps from pkg-mgr.
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 9
Date: 2018-11-30
Votes: 0
|
I've run GNU/Linux at home since 2002. Over the years I've run Debian, Mint, Ubuntu, and Arch, and more recently Gentoo, Void, Devuan, and MX in an effort to avoid systemd.
I've tested OpenBSD for the past year (on a Thinkpad X220 and on a custom-built workstation) and have fallen head over heels in love with it. It is a sane, stable, secure-by-default OS which adheres to the classic UNIX principle of having each application do one thing and do it well. One of the biggest challenges for me has been to read the man pages before searching the internet for answers to questions on how to do something.
Pros:
1) Man pages. OpenBSD developers are fanatical about documentation. Errors in the man pages are treated as seriously as software bugs.
2) Installation is relatively easy and fast.
3) Uses minimal resources. Default install using xenodm and cwm uses ~70 MB of RAM.
4) Ports. Check OpenPorts.se if there is a "must have" application that you require. If not in the default installation, or available as a port, then you can always try building from source.
5) Secure by default.
6) Stable.
Con:
Hardware compatibility. Driver development is geared to the hardware which the developers themselves run so your best bet for success is to follow their example (I used the "NYC*BSD Users Group dmesgd" website for hardware compatibility checks). If you use wifi I'd still recommend using an Ethernet connection for the initial install and for the subsequent first boot whereby the installation of firmware will occur. Version 6.4 now offers auto-joining of wifi networks.
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-11-13
Votes: 4
|
With Intel graphics or AMD AMD RADEON HD 6990, use XFCE / MATE!
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 8
Date: 2018-10-24
Votes: 4
|
First I was a bit skeptical, but I found OpenBSD fairly functional. I started to use it since 6.2 and I'm using it ever since. Documentation and support is good. The 6 month release cycle is used for introducing rather small, but well tested functionalities involving the users.
pro:
* smooth installation and upgrade process
* good docs
* binary packages are quite recent
* user feedback and testing is integral part of the development process
con:
* driver support lacks behind a bit, in my case the wi-fi is not yet supported, but I solved it with a supported USB module
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Version: 6.4
Rating: 9
Date: 2018-10-18
Votes: 0
|
beautifool OS .. very good distribution..but i don't know how to enable SMT ...
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-09-24
Votes: 22
|
Although the BSD family is focused towards servers, OpenBSD is superb for the average user! I run it on a old Thinkpad and it's certainly faster than even lightweight Linux distributions. The RAM usage is also way lower; having this computer with only 1,5GB RAM (!), I can have a few tabs open on Chromium running a music player and the performance is very acceptable (except for Youtube, but hey - this machine is almost 20 years old!).
The installer is pretty simple and straightforward. The OpenBSD website has great documentation on how to install it. They also have a great guide on how to install to a encrypted partition (and it's WAY simpler compared to LUKS/LVM). Please note that I have *not* tried to dual boot this BSD distro with any other system, so I don't know how good it goes along with the Windows bootloader or GRUB, for example. Please research thoroughly before you decide to make this your secondary (or even primary) OS on a multi-boot context.
The first thing you'll notice that is different from Linux is the package manager. If you install OpenBSD through a CD, you'll need to set up the repository links manually (like you would edit /etc/apt/sources.list or /etc/pacman.conf). Look up info regarding the file "installurl", and read the man pages for pkg_add/pkg_delete/pkg_info.
In my case, everything runs out of the box. Running fw_update (after having set up pkg) will most likely solve GPU or Wifi issues that you might have (but it will install non-free drivers!). Remember to read the manuals! The documentation is exemplary and is easy to understand if you're a novice-to-intermediate user.
There are certain downsides, of course. Do not expect to do any gaming on it, for obvious reasons (remember, it's generally aimed at servers). And do understand that its repos are limited, some software you might find available even on Linux might not be available here. It's definitely worth a shot though if you're looking for a new system to learn! :)
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-09-22
Votes: 3
|
I managed to start a desktop in less than 10 minutes. It is a pleasure to configure and everything just works. The Auto partitioning scheme is good enough and helps people who have very little knowledge of partitioning. I use xfce as my desktop and a simple pkg_add -v xfce with an addition of exec startxfce4 in the .xsessions file was good enough to start a gui desktop.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-09-20
Votes: 1
|
I love everything about it. I'm not an advanced user, but coming from Linux (Ubuntu, Debian) I'm impressed by the excellent documentation, the leanness of the system and the powerful software in base, such as cwm, tmux and mg.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-09-07
Votes: 2
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This is very stable, veru secure OS. Thank you so mutch!!:)
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 9
Date: 2018-09-01
Votes: 1
|
Its stable and fast I am using current version and no problem.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-08-30
Votes: 9
|
I have been using OpenBSD for about 6 months now. Short and quick base OS installation process. Only ~5min to install. You have to read the documentation which is complete and accurate. I am using it on a Thinkpad SL510 laptop. Works great!! I came from arch linux and like the extra security out of the box that OBSD provides.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 5
Date: 2018-08-17
Votes: 0
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Not as stable as they say it is. I had to reinstall Open-BSD four times already.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-08-04
Votes: 7
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I did a test install on a modern laptop and had no issues with performing all of my daily tasks, both personal and work.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 1
Date: 2018-07-19
Votes: 0
|
After a fresh install, I got nothing but a black screen on my laptop and my desktop. Not usable on my hardware.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-07-18
Votes: 2
|
Wonderful for server, but for desktop or laptops the system need more drivers. I understand that desktop and laptop are not the focus of this OS, but i would love to use OpenBSD for everything.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-07-14
Votes: 0
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I like the amount of effort that is put into the man pages and the centralization of configuration options. I have not fully explored the ports system, but it seems to have even more to offer. I've been a GNU/ Linux user since 1998, and this is possibly the best user experience I have had with Open Software.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 5
Date: 2018-06-30
Votes: 0
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The OpenBSD developers have not finished developing it yet. Nothing works out of the box. You have to spend hours and days finding out how to configure things, like printing or how to view files on a usb stick. Good by BSD, I'm going back to Linux Mint.
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-06-29
Votes: 9
|
I have been using Linux for many years, Debian, Slackware, Void, etc etc and was looking for something different, on a whim I decided to go for it and install OpenBSD 6.2 as I want to learn how to upgrade to 6.3 (its a different process compared to Linux).
Install is very quick and painless. During install I would recommend installing the package sets from HTTP and not from the CD/DVD as it saves some time later on.
The default window manager fvwm is very light and looks quite old when compared to the 'typical' DE's and WM's we have seen on Linux, but atm I actually quite like it.
OpenBSD is very minimalistic, currently I have a few things installed like nano, seamonkey, htop and mc which equates to about 60 packages, on a fresh install of a 'light' Linux distribution you could have about 800-ish.
OpenBSD is still new to me but I can honestly see why its so highly rated, It is lean, secure, very minimalist / modular, the commands are very sane / clear, the documentation is unlike anything I have seen before - VERY helpful and in-depth. Also there is no 'elitism' in the BSD community, everyone wants to help everyone and are very welcoming.
OpenBSD has ended my distro hopping, and if you are willing to put in the time and effort then I would highly recommend OpenBSD to anyone.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-06-27
Votes: 5
|
AMD FX9590
AMD Radeon HD 7750
32GB RAM
250 GB SSD / 1TB HDD
As a general purpose desktop.
If you want something stable, reliable and sane, use OpenBSD.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-05-16
Votes: 5
|
My Desktop-OS of choice since 6.1-release (a year ago).
I'm using it on a Dell laptop, and all hardware works out of the box.
Two release-updates since then: All went flawlessly.
The newest Firefox between the regular 1/2-year-releases has to be/can be compiled from the ports tree. This is fully reliable and easily done.
Inter-release security updates and bug fixes on OpenBSD are the easiest and fastest you will ever see.
The installation and the release-upgrades are miracles of clarity and simplicity.
Has to be seen with your own eyes. Unbelievably nice solution!
No headaches, no bad surprises. No bloat. 10 Points.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-04-14
Votes: 5
|
A clean command line server workhorse for intermediate level users, or beginners who are willing to read and learn. My router of choice. The included daemons can do most things securely with very minimal tweaking of settings. The footprint is very low, everything is logically laid out, the default settings are secure and sane. Simple, clean, understandable, logical, trustworthy, boring. Exactly what a server should be. It's the only OS I really trust to run my network.
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Version: 6.3
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-04-13
Votes: 1
|
I am using version 6.3 right now and it is very clean, stable and secure system. I previously two years ago tried other BSD system then went back to linux. But since last two months i was checking what's unique in OpenBSD so on the release date of 6.3 I installed it and found nicely built system with very informative man pages.
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-03-15
Votes: 5
|
Works good as a firewall/router, using the complete and simple example outlined in the FAQ documentation as a guide, I am surprised that all other BSD and Linux systems don't also have a complete example in their documentation as well, it would seam like a common application for a Unix like OS.
anyway, I first used a Tenda PCI LAN card ( model TEL9901G, chipset Realtek 8169) as my LAN and the motherboard Intel (em0) card as my WAN, but ISP speed was cut in half, so I swapped configuration (/rc.conf.local, pf.conf and hostname. files) and made the re0 card my WAN input and motherboard em0 my LAN output and speed was at my ISP provided level. Then I tried a few wireless N cards, but was getting wireless B speed levels. Of the handful of Atheros cards I tried, I noticed the ones that used ath drivers only worked in OpenBSD and the ones that used athn only worked in FreeBSD forks.
The models that did work in OpenBSD were a TP-LINK PCI adaptor model TL-WN881ND (Atheros AR9287) and a TP-LINK USB adaptor model TL-WN722N (Atheros AR9271).
Cards that didn't work in were a Trendnet TEW-726EC (AR9300), Feb Smart FS-N600 (AR9300 shown in OpenBSD, AR938x shown in OPNsense and DragonFlyBSD) and a Atheros AR5B125 laptop card (AR9485) installed in a Fenvi FV101 PCI adaptor
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Version: 6.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2018-03-13
Votes: 6
|
Began using this OS with version 3.6. Most current running regularly is 6.0 (I am a little behind) I ran my web hosting business for 13 years on OpenBSD. I shut down the business, but this OS remains by far, my favorite. OpenBSD has powered every network and has provided flawless services over the years for: Apache, (httpd) many, many custom Firewalls (PF), DHCP, Wi-Fi control, (PF and others) Network data storage, SAMBA for Windows based storage. The list goes on and on.
Stability is awesome. Ran web servers multiple times up to 18 months without so much as a reboot. Yup, uptime exceeding 500 days straight. In fact the only time you really need to reboot this OS is when applying security patches. Earthquake-proof kind of rock solid. Plus they introduce new and very cool features regularly when phased in with a new release. Sometimes its updates to the programs you regularly use, (improvements usually) Sometimes its an entirely new program plugged in to replace the old one. This usually results in forced learning curve, bit it is usually worth it. And almost always you can resort to using the tried and true for a bit longer by adding the old package back in.
Finally this is probably one of the very best UNIX-like OS to learn on because of the documentation that is built-in. The Man pages are the finest of any OS out there. And they are updated regularly. Master the Man pages by knowing how to use them well, and you will be well on the road to being an above-average UNIX Sys Admin, on any UNIX-like OS.
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-03-07
Votes: 1
|
Started using this OS and found how much simple and small it is. Very stable and well developed system. Most of the popular packages already available. Everything is ready by default to use in production in safe environment.
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-03-02
Votes: 6
|
Maybe the most rigorously developed OS out there. Everything just works, it is clean, it is easy to patch if
you want to set up new hardware with it. It is incredibly safe with plenty of mitigations, it is very very likely the most secure OS available thanks to all the design choices and said mitigations. It is easy to setup PF, the firewall that is btw used in most Apple devices for its quality. No systemd/locale/utf-8 problems to cope with. Package management is straightforward with simple utilities that set them up and remove them perfectly, user software is separate from system utilities as on other
BSDs. I have used or tested for 15 years the main linux distros, FreeBSD, Solaris and OpenIndiana, even HaikuOS out of curiosity. OpenBSD is by far the easiest to use as a developer as my main development station. Laptop support on thinkpads is great, my clevo computer works fine too. Mandoc is the best way to get information, documentation
is top quality (it's done by the devs). You can also google for answers to your questions, or read the
mailing lists. In last resort you can ask for help on said mailing lists or IRC, but do your homework
first. The community is helping but will not waste time on a case that is already documented/answered for somewhere.
Simply try it. It's easy to try, since defaults are sane.
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-02-16
Votes: 2
|
REAL UNIX inside!! It is very minimal base system with clean code feels real unix intended since back. Very simple and ultra secure OS you will not find elsewhere. I am using it for years and have ot tried any other OS since then as OpenBSD is best suited.,
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-02-11
Votes: 1
|
OpenBSD lives up to the moto
"Free, Functional & Secure"
The Functional is very important, meaning everything works.
No "hacks" needed (or encouraged) to get things working.
A professional grade OS
The FAQ is keep updated, simple and to the point.
To get the system installed, and up and running is quick with binary packages.
"default X environment is fully functional"
Fvwm which is part of the base system is more than adequate, there is a workspace switcher in the bottom right to switch between 9 different workspaces, so you can have a terminal open in one, another root terminal open in another, maybe Firefox open in another and maybe vlc open in another (you get the point)
xdm can be configured for startup during install.
all this and a free and secure system
what more can you ask for (that you really need)
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-01-19
Votes: 2
|
What can I say about OpenBSD... Its just works. Just simple and easy system with top quality code and documentations. It is always like once setup and forget as it never go out itself.
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 10
Date: 2018-01-10
Votes: 8
|
Laptop suspend works, wifi works, touchpad tap works, can read & write my FAT32 external hard drive, can read write pen drive and format it, take screenshots after installing xfce-extras pkg, audio performance is better than manjaro. In OpenBSD everything works easily. Only you must switchon all hardware switches like touchpad and wifi etc.
For touchpad tap to work refer to https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=150153498920367&w=2 because now ws is default driver rather than synaptics and all google searches are filled with suggestions about synaptics driver that's why RTFM (Read The Fantastic Manuals) is the policy in OpenBSD. But touchpad tap still needs some improvement as the driver is so recently implemented.
Also in OpenBSD using single quotes ' is better than using double quotes " for example if you have a funky wifi password
$ export PAGER=/usr/local/bin/most for colored man pages
$ nano /etc/resolv.conf
#to change the default DNS type in this file:
nameserver 208.67.222.222
nameserver 208.67.220.220
to avoid resolv.conf file being overwritten on reboot type:
$ chattr +i /etc/resolv.conf
to remove
$ chattr -i /etc/resolv.conf
Access my external FAT32 hard disk
$ mount_msdos /dev/sd0i /mnt/exhard
even though the disklabel command for my external hard drive sd0 showed /dev/rsd0c
for unmounting:
umount /mnt/exhard
Format a pen drive:
In terminal i typed dmesg
which gave me the sd0
$ newfs_msdos -F 32 -L hpu sd0c #where hpu is a name i wanted to give my usb drive
For wifi:
$ fw_update
then create a file /etc/hostname.wpi0 if wifi interface is wpi0 and type in it:
nwid 'ZTE' #ZTE is name of wifi access point
wpakey 'yo_momma' #wifi password
dhcp
then in terminal:
$ dhclient wpi0
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 8
Date: 2017-12-02
Votes: 9
|
OpenBSD is an excellent secure UNIX-like OS with simplicity and stability. We can install the base OS within 15 minutes! We can build a simple and nice desktop by adding additional software by single command pkg_add. The packages are installed and configured automatically with all required dependencies. If you do not get your favourite software package in repository, you can check in ports and install.
Pros:
1. simplicity, security, consistency and stability of the OS. Excellent man pages.
2. There is only one "correct" way of doing things, i.e. OpenBSD way!
3. No GUI tools to hide inner workings of the system. We can learn a lot about the system because of command line.
Cons:
1. Many version of the same software is installed(e.g. Python) to satisfy dependencies. This does not happen in systems like Manjaro Linux.
2. File System 4.2BSD may not be very robust comared to Linux EXT4. I was dropped to a shell to fsck file systems manually.
3. Less documentation on the Internet. I could not find much information on rescue mode on the OpenBSD website nor on the Web.
4. Less hardware support.
Overall, it is nice experience to use OpenBSD. In short, OpenBSD is:
No Fun BSD for beginners or people who are into clicking business and love mice!
Oh! Fun BSD for intermediate users and people who love simplicity and command line and hate rats!
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-11-12
Votes: 15
|
OpenBSD is the finest example of what BSD should be. The man pages are a work of art. The documentation is extremely helpful. Finally a BSD is so well documented, that if you can read, you can master it. I have come from the Linux world where man pages are hit or miss and documentation is only really well done on the Gentoo and Archlinux wikis. I am still learning some BSD commands and configuration, but with this level of documentation I've not had to seek any assistance. Give it a try.
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 7
Date: 2017-10-19
Votes: 5
|
I'm a huge fan of OpenBSD as my router OS, and would normally give full marks. However, there's a problem with the inteldrm Intel video driver in the 6.2 release, which locks up the screen half way through the boot process. I had to jump through some hoops to get v6.2 to install properly (whereas all previous versions have installed on the same hardware without a hitch). Hopefully this gets resolved soon. OpenBSD is a great command line unix OS, once you get past the installation.
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 9
Date: 2017-10-18
Votes: 0
|
With the new Intel DRM code, my 2 year old Toshiba laptop can now be used for OpenBSD. It runs perfectly and packages include a current version of GNOME.
Still there is some issue with the Intel DRM code when using hibernate. And shutdown/halt gives a debug screen, after shutting down daemons and making sure the discs are unmounted.
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Version: 6.2
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-10-16
Votes: 2
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Advanced but simple Unix-like OS built for security and bullet-proof servers but could be used for everyday desktop nicely. Consistrancy, simplicity, security-orieanted and MAnual pages all makes this the best Unix-like OS out there.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-09-24
Votes: 2
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Just started using OpenBSD and found simple clean secure andv functional system. It is for tecnical and UNIX advanced users so beginner might find it hard but it is not system's fault because it is design in this way for advanced people in computers.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-09-15
Votes: 12
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Home user previosly Windows users then went to Linux for few years and tried various distros like First Ubuntu then Mint then Fedora and finally Debian. But all those years I was search9ing for complete distro or operating system from single unified team so that it gives me confidence that everything just works according to what it should be. So I regularly come to distrowatch and checked which new Linux distro i explore.
And then here in Distrowatch, I found BSD. First tried with FreeBSD but immidiatly went to OpenBSD and guess what? I found what I was looking for all those years snce I started using computers. OpenBSD has everything I was looking for such as:
1) Top quality code with well thought design.
2) Unified approach towards operating system as complete system is developed by single central organisation.
3) Free and opern source project behind it.
4) Security is top on the list.
5) Lots of child projects under OpenBSD project that are developed to work for OpenBSD's purpose.
6)Base Kernel and Libraries all develop together so it always work.
7) No propritery software included in the system.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-09-14
Votes: 3
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Fun to manage OpenBSD operating system as it is very fine tuned and extreamly secure and stable around here.LibreSSL and OpenSSH are its subprojects that makes admins work easy. Transfered our majority of servers to OpenBSD and till now have no complain.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-09-11
Votes: 3
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Super clean UNIX system. Simple and fast installer. Everyhing just works in accordance with manual pages. Using since version 4.2 and since then have a feeling of greatest UNIX system, available.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 9
Date: 2017-08-30
Votes: 2
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Hi i want to use OpenBSD and have been reading up for days. I find it has a nice philosophy - Being correctly coded, is the goal!
So i'm writing a very easy tutorial to install and upgrade the latest Open BSD versions.
1. INSTALL: Simply choose a snapshot version of OpenBSD from https://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/snapshots/ Just keep in mind if you live outside of US then use a non US mirror to download the snapshot, otherwise you wont get the OpenBSD crypto security stuff.
From here you only need the file cd62.iso which is 10MB and youll get the OpenBSD from it. Installing it is very easy for that i watched a youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEnI-swbSto
Follow the steps and you're done!
2. UPGRADE: Supposedly after some days you want to upgrade your OpenBSD to the latest version. So just again choose the latest snapshot version from https://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/snapshots/ From here you only need bsd.rd file which again is only 10MB and just go over the steps as above but only difference is that when it prompts for install or upgrade, then choose upgrade.
Reboot your system. And then in a terminal type pkg_add -u This will upgrade all your packages.
Thats it!
If you are an average Joe this method should work most of the time but if you're upgrading from version 6.2 snapshot to 6.3 snapshot then you might want to look at the official Upgrade procedure FAQ pages because they talk about deleting old man pages and new configuration of bind keys, etc.
But if you're upgrading from 6.2 snapshot of today version to 6.2 snapshot version of say next month then the easy method i described above should work seamlessly.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 5
Date: 2017-08-30
Votes: 4
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Pros: Very secure system.
Cons: HP printers do not support OpenBSD systems . Unable to get any printer to work.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-08-26
Votes: 3
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System that is trusted by security oriented organisations. Document is its strong point along with system itself. If you know computing and willing to spend time learning UNIX, OpenBSD is the way to go.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 2
Date: 2017-08-26
Votes: 16
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Printers do not work. Not suitable for home computer use.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 7
Date: 2017-07-14
Votes: 2
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Very secure operating system. But, not for those who don't have much time to learn an operating system or those who use Adobe flash. Best for running servers.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-07-12
Votes: 0
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great, i just spend so little time to install it as my vps operating systems :)
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-07-05
Votes: 3
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Really neat and clean operating system without blobs or unwanted packages inside the default base system. Critical sytem's must required operating system where quality and security is important than features. No match documentation, but for technical people. Using if for few years and found unmatched quality operating system.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-07-02
Votes: 2
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Excellent clean base, well-documented, ultra-secure operating system for everything in computing. Developers made the OS for themselves, so they know how to do it correctly leaving what companies like it inside the OS.
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Version: 5.9
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-06-16
Votes: 3
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Absolutely superb system, in love with it from 3.3. The only pity starting from 4.7 not included bridge util. The only system able to defend my small localnet. The ONLY ONE!!!
Not understand why rate 9.9, think rate 10+++. May be I am L..ser?
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Version: 6.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-06-06
Votes: 1
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Fully agree with this opinion:
Very stable OS and obviously ultra-secure. It's also particularly light on hardware resources, so it runs beautifully on old PCs with 1GB RAM - makes perfect firewalls.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-05-28
Votes: 1
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Very stable OS and obviously ultra-secure. It's also particularly light on hardware resources, so it runs beautifully on old PCs with 1GB RAM - makes perfect firewalls.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-05-25
Votes: 2
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Strongly focused on security and correctness, easy text based installation, superb man pages, consistent configuration and very reliable.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-05-22
Votes: 6
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OpenBSD has provided the stablest and smoothest experience I've come across thus far in my trawl of GNU/Linux distros and BSDs. From the simple setup to the incredibly detailed documentation, I have found setting up and maintaining this OS to be a breeze and a pleasure. While perhaps not for the faint of heart or the inexperienced, it is an excellent OS which - with a bit of patience and reading - can become one's best friend.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-05-20
Votes: 6
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The best Unix-Like operating system available today with focus on security and correctness of the code. Best documentation and man pages.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-05-15
Votes: 6
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The only OS I would trust to run my home server / router functions, far more so than any Linux distribution. High security out of the box. Proper default settings. Proactive security and bug fixes. Excellent in house daemons for core services. With latest version, simply put syspatch command into /etc/daily.local and you turn on automatic updates (slick).
Not for the beginner. Steep learning curve at first, but afterwards you realize services can be configured and controlled rather trivially via command line utilities like rcctl, pfctl, etc. You must be willing to read, and be happy with the command line. I know some like it for a desktop, but I prefer to use OpenBSD strictly as a clean lean mean server OS. In that role, there's nothing better.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-30
Votes: 0
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It does what it needs to do.
without gotchas
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 8
Date: 2017-04-29
Votes: 2
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A clean, stable, professional, and secure Unix OS that avoids fads and sticks to principles. But it's not for everybody: those looking for a more performant Linux alternative should also consider TrueOS or possibly DragonFly BSD on the server.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-28
Votes: 1
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I've been using OpenBSD as my primary OS (desktop, servers, everywhere) since ~2003 or so and it just keeps getting better and better. It's the only OS I've found that gets less complex and actually runs better on the hardware you *already* have with each release.
Pros:
- A relatively simple Unix like OS
- Consistency. Changes seem to be well thought out, and iterative rather than constantly changing to include the latest and the greatest.
- The Installer is consistent and easy to use, fast as well.
- No bloat. The base OS has very few processes running and takes up very little resources.
Cons:
- Not as much hardware support as other OSs
- Not generally as performant as other OSs
- SMP limitations
The cons are always improving though.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-27
Votes: 2
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I have been using OpenBSD since version 5.6 and currently running a server on 6.1 and a laptop on -current. This is my system of preference and choice.
The stable releases provide a solid base system for servers including packages which are available in much newer versions than Linux distributions often picked for server farms. On the other hand -current is similarly bleeding edge as a typical rolling Linux distribution without the frequent instabilities during upgrades.
The whole system is cohesive, amazingly documented - the man pages are actually a faster way to solve problems than searching online. Code reviewed development model, open and accessible to everyone - transparent development encouraging contribution. All of this adds to great code quality and overall security.
OpenBSD is not afraid to ship with exploit mitigation on by default. Having a knob to dial down a security feature is equivalent of not having that feature at all.
The system is a joy to configure. Sane & secure default, readable configuration files are a common sight.
There are a lot of innovations that originate from OpenBSD (https://www.openbsd.org/innovations.html). I can't imagine going back to iptables after being exposed to pf.
I trust OpenBSD to run on my server. I know I won't have unpleasant surprises and it won't wake me up in the middle of the night. It also works great for laptops since OpenBSD is dog food-ed by developers running it on their own machines.
The first amazing feature most people encounter is the system installer. It's so simple, intuitive and fast to go through that you just have to see it for yourself. So what are you waiting for?
Start that ISO download, put the 6.1 release song on loudspeakers and get ready to hack.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-27
Votes: 2
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Pros: a classic Unix-like OS, super simple
Cons: a little bit slow on disk operations, less hardware support than linux
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-26
Votes: 12
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OpenBSD has been my preferred system and default choice (as in, there needs to be a specific unavoidable reason to choose anything else) for all projects since fairly early this century.
The main motivation is that it's a sane Unix, developed with an emphasis on security and correctness while keeping usability (read sysadmin friendliness) high.
I've ranted and rambled on this topic at length elsewhere, one of the more compact presentations I've given on the subject is a recent user group talk called "OpenBSD and you - How to have fun with the world’s most important free software project", slides available at https://home.nuug.no/~peter/openbsd_and_you/.
If you can stand more of the same go to my blog linked from within the presentation) and links from there.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-26
Votes: 3
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I have been using OpenBSD since 2009. It has always been a simple to install and simple to use OS. My main use has always been as a firewall with occasional other uses such as VPN or Web Server, I have never had any issues with it and find it extremely reliable, I have some systems that have been regularly updated since 4.6 to each subsequent new release. The upgrade process is easy and flawless. While I have never used the OS as a desktop system I have used some desktop applications with X11 Forwarding and found this to work quite well. All in all this system has always fulfilled my needs. 6.1 has once again been an easy upgrade and provided a very usable firewall and server OS.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-26
Votes: 5
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OpenBSD is very simple and has great manual pages. I use it as a firewall / webserver for many years and it just works. Lots of great software (dns/dhcp/email/webserver/ntp/...) is in the base system and has a high level of security. It requires very little maintenance and doesn't need a lot of resources. I actually learned how Linux/Unix works by starting to use OpenBSD, the documentation and correctness is superior.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-26
Votes: 1
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Best server os out there with security driven focus and features. It makes Linux look like disorganized confusing mess when it comes to administration and documentation.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-26
Votes: 1
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Highly logical and accessible configuration, yet plenty of options and power. Default installation is quick and streamlined. Superb for network devices (firewalls, IPSes, routers) in particular.
Audited code and highly secure default setup major pluses. I can see few reasons to use anything else for networking equipment.
Documentation via man pages and FAQ's is also very good.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-26
Votes: 1
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Using OpenBSD since more than 15 years since 2.9. At home I run almost everything with this exciting OS. The simplicity, security and stability makes it to my preferred OS.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-26
Votes: 0
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OpenBSD continues to rock! It's my absolute favorite OS!
6.1 includes many new things including a brand new secure hypervisor that allows to run VMs on OpenBSD - even Linux. I like the idea of running (crappy) Vms on a trustworthy and secure host
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-26
Votes: 0
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Started using OpenBSD as a main system from 5.9. It is simple, lean, and clean!
Not as user friendly to non-tech users (ie. GUIs for knobs on the system, hand holding), but the emphasis is on simplicity with what you need. I found the man pages for OpenBSD to be unmatched in completeness, and easy to read, this means the system is actually very easy to work with, and learn. Another big plus for me is that the developers do not compromise on security, and are big proponents of correct design! This is a great system to help foster those ideals into everyday coding and development.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-26
Votes: 1
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I use it as my primary OS on both my laptop and my servers. It's simple, correct, elegant and secure by design. Love every bit of it!
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-26
Votes: 1
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OpenBSD is a great operating system even for a desktop point of view, from internet browsing and other light tasks to video games. As a developer, the code base is pretty neat, not mentioning the man pages very helpful and well written. At last, the community behind is always very happy to help as long you have made your homework.
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-26
Votes: 1
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Easy and fast to deploy
Small and basic default setup
Fast to upgrade
Very good doc
Community support on relevant questions
Very good for networking / firewalling and basic or more complicated setups
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-20
Votes: 0
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best in security since years.
I use Open BSD since 2006 for server and personal use and it is great!
Little different from Linux, but solid, straight edge, and secure.
Best choice for me.
(IBM HW)
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-16
Votes: 3
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I installed in VBox without a hitch.
The documentation is excellent. There's an introductory email (root and initial user, both) to help get started. This email emphasizes the use of the man pages. Follow their advice and you'll be up and running in no time.
I'm grateful to systemd (my distaste for it, that is) for finding OpenBSD. I'm running PCLinuxOS without systemd now (with OpenBSD in VBox, as I noted) but I can see where the day may come when I leave Linux behind.
No cons that I've discovered so far.
What a solid, pleasant, and secure distribution! Thank you!
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Version: 6.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-14
Votes: 0
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OpenBSD has always been my go-to distribution.
Making good progress on the ARM architectures nowadays, too.
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Version: 6.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-12
Votes: 1
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Pros: fast installation, works perfectly, easy configuration, excellent documentation, easy package addition. I use it on laptop and desktop for several years
Cons: not found yet
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Version: 6.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-04-12
Votes: 0
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OpenBSD has always been the pillar of safeness.
Shame only that contributions through CDs are considered business,
subjected to taxes + import fees, instead as donations with retribution.
(Only reason for stopping getting them, after a dozen in contribution.)
A Donation should be stated as a donation it is. NOT as business activity.
Retribution with a CD is quite natural... as it would be a miss, to donors.
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Version: 6.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2017-02-18
Votes: 24
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I've been using OpenBSD on desktops and laptops since 4.8. It is consistently excellent. It has a reputation of being difficult to learn to use in some quarters, but that is undeserved. Installation is a breeze, documentation is unparalleled in the Un*x world, and adding packages is very easy once configured. Best of all, the devs rarely deprecate stuff, and then only with lots of advance warning and documentation. It's true that there's no handholding if you can't read FAQs and man pages, but once you learn it, you won't have to relearn it every release. Rock solid and simple OS with the most competent developers in open source. (They're hilariously honest, too!)
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