This Isn't a Battle

[stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

This Isn't a Battle

After reading a post describing the FreeBSD community as 'toxic', I share a different perspective. This isn't a battle. It's a reflection on coexistence, the original Open Source spirit, and the quiet richness of taking a different path.

https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/11/14/this-isnt-a-battle/

#MyNotes #IT #SysAdmin #FreeBSD #NetBSD #OpenBSD #Linux #OpenSource

[nuintari@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@stefano The BSDs change, but never just for change's sake itself. New ideas are carefully vetted before consideration for inclusion. A new idea has to pass a test that goes beyond, "this shit stuck to the wall," before it has any chance at acceptance.

[Guest]

@stefano

Reading your article, I was able to identify the type of character depicted in the other article you cited.

Unfortunately, for some time now, a segment of the Linux community—let's call it the "mainstream"—has been increasingly espousing this "if it's new and shiny, it's good; if it's old, it's therefore bad and no longer efficient" sentiment (I won't mention which community; those who want to know will understand).

"They don't want to accept the new" is now used by these individuals as a synonym for "you're forced to accept this new software because we've decided it's better, and that's it." It's no longer a question of being able to decide whether or not to use this or that software; you're forced to accept it, the communities of these "old software" or those who merely fork it are being denigrated and censored.

Right below your article, I was offered this other article from this summer that connects well with this one and sums up the current situation nicely.

https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/06/19/from-collaborators-to-consumers-have-we-killed-the-soul-of-open-source/

[pki@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@stefano My personal reflection on the [Free]BSD community is that it is mature, friendly and not very "noisy". I guess it's in the eye of the .... and so on. 😍

[raven@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@stefano Great article Stefano!

[contaminase@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@stefano The mere fact that recurrently it's necessary to state that the OS/tech is not a religion is somehow boggling.

Though, 10 years ago I'd loved schooling my peers that you are a brainlet unless you run Linux.

[angel@triptico.com]

I totally agree with you: I've found the BSD community welcoming and peaceful, and I also don't consider it adverse to innovation and change (or maybe the "level of desire to change" matches mine).

[stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@raven thank you!

[vermaden@mastodon.social]

@stefano

My part from Quare FreeBSD about FreeBSD Community below.

[peteorrall@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@stefano Great post! I've been using #Linux #FreeBSD for about two decades and want to share my experiences. For context, Linux became my daily driver and I dabbled in FreeBSD on the side.

As a newcomer to both the #technology and #culture of #Linux and the BSDs, *back then* there was more toxicity. And by toxicity I mean abrasive and unhelpful responses ("RTFM!") or some kind of "l337" attitudes in various mailing lists and forums. This, of course, was before YouTube and Reddit, where the former mediums were more prevalent.

Some Linux distros were friendlier than others. In those days, the #Debian mailing lists and forums were a rough place for newcomers and it drove a lot of people away. I left the forums because of that. I rarely post to the mailing lists but for other reasons.

At some point, there was considerable effort to improve the etiquette in said mediums, particularly the mailing lists. Sure, some fiery disagreements can take place but overall people are friendly and welcoming.

FreeBSD, on the other hand, has been a more positive experience. Yes, there are people who are vocal about their contempt for Linux, but they aren't disrespectful to other people.

Having witnessed both communities grow and change over the years, there's definitely less toxicity and FreeBSD is still a more welcoming community.

[tgeusch@social.vivaldi.net]

@stefano thanks for your post.

I had read the post you're referencing yesterday, and had come away with a certain sense of unease. Thanks for putting some words to the unease, because after further reflection it really is the "battle" aspect where the unease came from. That, and the unnecessary and gratuitous side swipes like the "boomer" references.

Part of this may have come from the fact that I've got a bit of PTSD from an ex-manager who liked to make development tooling decisions based on what tool was "winning" in the marketplace, with only scant consideration if we already had working and suitable tooling...

At the end of the day, the ecosystem grows richer and stronger if we have alternatives large and small instead of the system to rule them all that would eventually need to be tossed into a volcano.

I say this as someone who uses Windows, macOS, several flavours of Linux, FreeBSD and OpenBSD at this time and would probably run an old Solaris box somewhere if he could find a use for it.

[stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@tgeusch This is the uneasy feeling I had yesterday evening. I started writing the post this morning because I wanted to sleep on it. The original author did not write a bad or offensive post, and it reflects their experience so I respect that. Still, it feels more like a rant against a couple of people who behaved poorly or were unwilling to change FreeBSD because they believed there was a better way to do things.
Anyway, I am glad when people write these posts if they feel the need to. This way we get to see different points of view, and that helps all of us.

[tgeusch@social.vivaldi.net]

@stefano Very good point that the original post wasn’t bad or offensive, and in a sense I wished the author had had a better experience.

[stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@tgeusch Exactly.

[ricardo@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@stefano I really wonder *where* Yorick interacted with those alleged BSD users ... Twitter?, Reddit? 🙈

[stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@ricardo I think discord.

[pinkopanterata@techhub.social]

@stefano
Stefano, this person is maybe a the bigger FreeBSD hater from many years...
https://vez.mrsk.me/freebsd-defaults

[stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@pinkopanterata yes, I've encountered this page in the past

[pauamma@mstdn.social]

@stefano I'm glad for you that you haven't had damaging encounters with toxic people in the FreeBSD community or their enablers.

[josephholsten@mstdn.social]

@stefano I had a great conversation the other day with some FreeBSD folks about how to position it competitively when the user believes they need k8s instead.
Sure, plenty of k8s flame was thrown, but at the end we agreed that for the user’s particular needs (some workloads were Linux only codebases, multi-cloud deployment not cost-optimized) k8s was really a better choice than nomad+jails or a custom orchestration setup.