SKIRMISHER

Linux is hot! Linux is the most popular free and open source operating system today, no doubt about it. But in the less than two-decade history of this OS, the advent of multiple distributions to thwart off monopoly and monotony is starting to show the cracks. The multiplicity of Linux distributions makes multiple UNIX implementation of the ’70s and ’80s pale in comparison.

Where or when does OpenBSD come into the picture? The mention of OpenBSD in the old DNS HOWTO from the old linuxdoc.org (now www.tldp.org) piqued my interest. It says OpenBSD is secure and stable, probably the most secure OS in existence, and I asked myself- How come they can say such thing almost blatantly in a documentation about Linux? Back then, I thought, as most believe now, that Linux is the one and only true free and open source OS, with all the bells and whistles, the platform to liberation from proprietary platform (Microsoft and the gang) monopoly.

When I got my hands on a DSL access, the answer came to me: OpenBSD is more secure and stable, and consequently better, compared to Linux if deployed on the same hardware platform.

What are the hallmarks of OpenBSD worth considering? Despite the spartan installation of OpenBSD (it’s an all text, non-GUI installation platform), it’s probably the only operating system with very high regard for security throughout it’s design, implementation and maintenance. Unlike other systems I encountered with regards to security, it has good balance between security and usability; other systems are so secure that you almost can’t use them. Another is that the OpenBSD development group is not only competent as programmers but also as system designers that they considered building a small OS core footprint, leaving enough room for things like your applications. As a positive side effect of being small, it’s relatively fast. The OpenBSD development team has the reputation in the IT industry to be the leader in finding and resolving UNIX security problems and holes.

I won’t advocate OpenBSD the way I did with Linux back then. More often than not, those used to Linux User Groups spoon-feeding the newbies will feel frustrated and unwelcome. It’s not that the OpenBSD community is anti-social, it’s just that they require that you do your homework or research across the Internet (“Google around” is the most polite answer one can get if the question is already answered somewhere on the net). Only when there’s no definitive information on the Internet should you really ask the community. The positive thing about this is that the OpenBSD mailing list is not flooded with questions already asked or very basic questions, and newbies also exert effort to maximize Internet access by actively learning, unlike in other free open source platforms where usually newbies depend on experts or experienced users to answer even elementary questions, and this can be at the expense of the experienced user. Another minus for OpenBSD s the dearth of popular applications, but that’s fast changing with increasing and continuing development of OpenBSD.

There’s an old maxim: In the world without walls, who needs windows? In the world without fences, who needs gates? Where does OpenBSD belong as a platform, when Linux is probably the most popular free and open-source operating system? Speaking from experience, when you want to deploy a server platform with the high regard for security, performance and reliability, OpenBSD is the one you need. That is, if you can get past the hurdle of being “un-Linux-like”.

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