OpenBSD 3.6

With all the talk in the press about Linux, you'd almost forget that there are other open source nix operating systems out there. The BSDs simply don't get as much attention as they deserve, so I was hoping to have the time to dig into OpenBSD 3.6 and see what's new and improved. Since the release came out at the end of October, I've just barely had time to pick up the CDs and whip 3.6 on my UltraSPARC 10 where it's been waiting patiently for my attention.

In the meantime, Jem Matzan has found time to install OpenBSD and has found it to be good:

...what strikes me most about OpenBSD in general is the professional manner in which it is developed and released. By professional I don't mean "corporate," as in meaningless meetings, bad design strategies, incompetent bosses, unreasonable deadlines, etc. I mean it's released on time with few problems and it does exactly what it claims to do.

That strikes me as a very apt description of OpenBSD — it's a no-frills OS that lives up to its reputation. Though I haven't yet had time to put 3.6 through the wringer, I have used OpenBSD enough to know that it's a solid OS with a lot to offer, particularly for the security-conscious.