An Ode To OpenBSD!

Here's a "mandatory" piece of art work from the OpenBSD website! All credit goes to the OpenBSD folks for creating this original artwork.

Why Do I like It?

OpenBSD is a very uncomplicated system that feels like a holistic UNIX-Like operating system. What I really like about it is the lack of systemd which I find frustrating at times (Arch GNU/Linux I'm looking at you, lol) where things have become so systematized and complicated for no reason. As a cyber security professional myself, I think the security focus of the developers gives me some comfort when deploying it for Internet facing services or running web applications in my homelab. The final reason I enjoy using OpenBSD is the simplicity of the PF (Packet Filter) firewall (yes, I know it isn't exclusive to OpenBSD).

Note: I don't plan on using any of the other BSDs unless I find a killer application on one that I can't live without.

Why Should You Use It?

I would recommend OpenBSD to someone who wants to experience the historical significance of using a holistic UNIX-Like operating system. I think it's really cool to use something with a more direct lineage to the UNIXs of the past. It's well adapted for a headless programming environment especially if you want to test application compatibility as OpenBSD is well-known for being a hostile environment for your code. I would say that it's a simpler administrative experience once you get the hang of it. If you are a "bloatware" conscious user, there's a decent argument for giving OpenBSD or any of the BSDs a try as the Linux kernel continues to expand with more drivers and features turned on by default (who needs the Bluetooth driver available on a server?).

Final Thoughts.

Overall, I think OpenBSD is a great option for a variety of people and it definitely has an appeal for a technical audience! I probably wouldn't want to daily drive OpenBSD as a primary desktop, but it does serve me well for web applications and practicing my programming skills.