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Old 14th July 2014
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jggimi jggimi is offline
More noise than signal
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 7,977
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cravuhaw2C View Post
Does OpenBSD aim to be the most popular *nix OS?
No. Unlike every Linux you have ever used, or any commercial OS, the Project is very, very different. It has absolutely no interest in being the OS-for-everyone. None. If you don't like what they offer, you are welcome to go away. If you read through the rough-and-tumble archives of the Project's misc@ mailing list, you can see many examples of this latter suggestion.

The "market" for users of interest to the Project, such as it is, does not include non-technical, casual computer users.

And that is why the openbsd-newbies mailing list and this forum are both unofficial.
Quote:
OpenBSD developers have lofty ideals but putting food on the table is the overarching primary concern.
Nope. This is a non-commercial endeavor. Project funding covers infrastructure, select travel, and a single salary.

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I read on the internet that last year OpenBSD threatened to stop development of its project because it was running out of funds. Subsequently it received about $150,000, only for this year, I think? What about next year and the years following it?
You are correct. Infrastructure operating expenses had skyrocketed. But that does not mean the Project is considering broadening its focus to include non-technical users.
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I was a bit shocked by the advisory in the official FAQ in which first time users are discouraged from installing OpenBSD in a multi-boot environment.
Even if you do the math right, the bootloader is dependent on BIOS services initially. I referred you to FAQ 14.8, and now do so again. You may be able to install OpenBSD anywhere on a drive. But your BIOS may prevent its being able to boot, depending on the BIOS and where on that drive its second stage bootloader is located. Can this be circumvented, if this happens? Only by relocating the OS.
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If OpenBSD is to gain a wider acceptance among the public, it has to find ways to make the installation routine more user-friendly, or should I say, more novice user-friendly.
As mentioned, these users are welcome to become less novice and more self-supporting, or they are welcome to hire a commercial service to provide the end-user support the Project cannot provide and is not interested in providing. The Project's website lists commercial service providers for this reason.