Piero Bosio Social Web Site Personale

@stefano Another #Friday #SEV1 that affects large portions of the #internet. Woohoo! 🤦

@stefano Oh, agreed. Even as a tech pro it's not easy. Earlier this year I started the process to de-Google. Not easy by any stretch of the imagination. It isn't so much dealing with Google's walled garden but the fact it's tech is integrated into so many other providers.

While I've moved my mail to a new and more ethical provider, I still have 566GB of stuff sitting in my Google Drive. While my new provider offers encrypted cloud storage, it is still *someone else's* data center. Though, it does inspire some confidence knowing they aren't a part of the NSA's PRISM Program.

There are other products I use which, upon registration, I used my Google account...which is also tied to my Android phone and TV.

Oh, and there's also Google Voice which I use for a variety of things including voicemail across my devices.

Given how tightly integrated companies are to Google (and/or other #bigtech players), it seems the only way to not be tangled in their thorn bushes is to never enter that garden. Ever.

RE: https://mastodon.bsd.cafe/@stefano/115661537334146553

Freedom versus convenience. This right here. Owning your own data is so important. But....it's also easier said than done.

I had this recent exchange with my wife:

Wife: What is FreeBSD?

Me: It's Unix, an operating system, and it's awesome!

Wife: Oh OK. The only reason I asked is because I am finding these FreeBSD CDs around the house. FreeBSD 12.0, 13.3, 14.0.

Me: Yeah, I use the old versions as coasters for my tea mugs.

Wife: *pauses, laughs* I can see that.

#FreeBSD #homelab #tech #fun #unix #computers #freebsd15 #operatingsystem #awesome

@stefano Woohoo!

@stefano I'd still want to read the RCA.

@stefano Did Hetzner state the root cause?

@stefano Running Leap 16 in VirtualBox 7.1 on my Debian laptop. Leap 16 has some problems.

First, it only successfully boots every *other* time it powers on. The other times, after the boot loader, it shuts down automatically with no warning.

Secondly, there are strange network issues though this may be a Virtual Box thing. I just tried installing Debian 13 and the network config during the installer is continuously failing at DHCP. I'm on public wifi at a hospital, but that shouldn't matter because the laptop itself and my phone connect to the wifi no problems. I suspect I have some troubleshooting to do there.

...but only being able to successfully power up every other time? Yeah, that is strange.

#opensuse Leap 16.0 is out! I have some free time today so I'd figure I'd try it out in a VM.

Initial impressions:

New, streamlined installer just requires a few clicks with minimal input required. In a few minutes the installer finished. Rebooted and BAM! The OS boots straight into this mess!

This is not XFCE with Wayland. Time to troubleshoot.

...sigh...

#linux #homelab

@stefano I have very little experience with #BTRFS but from what I've read it's buggy and has issues. After reading this, it doesn't sound like it's for anything but a home lab and maybe a desktop.

My confidence is not inspired.

@stefano I am certain they are. So far, #tech companies are pouring billions into #AI but there is little to no #roi.

For AI to be used correctly it needs to serve some otherwise mundane function, not replace staff with decades of institutional #knowledge.

So far, we've seen AI churn out glitchy #pictures and #erroneous #text #generation.

Call me a #Luddite, but this is definitely an instance where going back to the olden days is necessary, i.e. a decentralized #internet run by #humanbeings.

@stefano I think if we are going to be analyzing RAM usage across OSes, then usage needs to be recorded every X minutes over a specific workload, with idle being baseline or control group. Just showing 270MB RAM at idle and then another single snapshot at 10GB of some kind of workload still doesn't tell much. It's difficult to infer anything else.

@stefano @christopher I am not sure if I'd say #Linux is becoming like #Windows. I do recall similar statements made on the Debian-User mailing list on a previous release when xorg introduced autoconfiguration. A lot of people were pissed that it was making choices for you instead of manually configuring the xorg.conf file.

Honestly, that was a good thing. Painful doesn't begin to describe it but users were unaware they could still hand-configure the file.

There has been, however, more stuff added to Linux over the last several years. Call it bloat, call it whatever you want. OSes change. But it has been gradually moving away from simplicity.

I miss the simplicity.

However, to reply to your original post, coming from COTS solutions, sometimes the vast amount of choice can be overwhelming. For instance, when it comes to #FreeBSD #jails it used to just be jails. Now, it's thin, thick, classic, networking. I understand they have their places but it would be helpful to provide more detailed explanations, tutorials, or best practices for each. The FreeBSD Handbook is good but just scratches the surface but often leaves more questions. It would help with learning and in part...marketing.

On a side note: The FreeBSD Handbook is a great resource but there are opportunities to improve it, like tailoring it to new users (better empathy), best practices, architectural examples, and links to additional resources and info.

@stefano This is indeed a great post. Refreshing to read - the author didn't distro-bash but instead highlighted how needs were met.

I have been leaning toward #FreeBSD after 20 years on #Debian, which has a special place in my heart. However, FreeBSD's *consistency*, elegant design, and better documentation are driving factors and I just can't look away.

Over these two decades, Linux has definitely changed. It's no longer what it once was: a #Unix clone. It's evolved into its own thing. Software does that and that's OK. But a lot of the changes or "improvements" have been needlessly reinventing the wheel with a worsening user experience and convoluted results. The audio subsystems (ALSA -> PulseAudio -> Pipewire and of course the mess that is/was JACK) and #SystemD are two big examples.

On SystemD, I don't disagree that Linux needed a modern init system. SystemD is faster, but from a human perspective it's worse. I am now typing *more* characters to manage services. Is there a reason why it couldn't be designed to manage services like:

> $SERVICE start/stop/restart

Instead, we are left with:

> systemctl $SERVICE start/stop/restart

But I digress.

#TBT I fell in love with FreeBSD when I first started my Linux journey in the mid-2000s, but only dabbled in it as it was never in any production environment I managed.

I have a FreeBSD VM sitting in my lab somewhere but due to other factors rarely do I get to it. I'm thinking it's time I grab a spare laptop, load it up, and use it as a daily driver to really force myself to learn it.

@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.

@stefano With the sheer volume of #ai generated garbage online these days it's hard to imagine the #Internet was the place for #academia and #research.

@stefano That's a very different autumn than here in #massachusetts. The air dries out and the temps drop. The smell of fallen leaves saturates the air. Though, with cooler temps, when it does rain, the air is raw and it permeates your bones. 50*F can feel very cold.

@stefano Just curious what is autumn like in your area? Why is it not ideal?

Just wild. While cleaning out a university basement, staff found a tape of what's believed to be the only remaining copy of Bell Labs #Unix v4 from 1973.

https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/07/unix_fourth_edition_tape_rediscovered/

#history #belllabs #computing #tech

@stefano The people who demand moar powerrrr really need to drop their current workstation for a 266MHz Pentium 2 with 32MB RAM and a 5400 RPM hard drive.

That will force them to design better code. Or pick a different career field altogether. 🤣