The recent departure of a prominent OpenBSD team member has ignited a broader discussion about filesystem reliability and modern operating system requirements in the tech community. The conversation centers around critical issues faced by users trying to run OpenBSD as a daily driver, particularly focusing on filesystem stability and virtualization capabilities.
Filesystem Reliability Concerns
A significant point of contention emerging from the community discussion is OpenBSD's approach to filesystem management. The removal of soft updates in July 2023 and the lack of modern journaling capabilities have left the system vulnerable to data loss during crashes. Multiple users report experiencing file corruption and data loss during system crashes, with one community member noting that even improper VM shutdowns could result in complete system reinstallation.
Would you like to keep using an operating system that daily eat your data? Maybe I am doing something weirds, I don't know, I have never been able to pinpoint why I got so many crashes although everyone else seem to have a stable experience with OpenBSD.
Key Issues Identified by Community:
- Filesystem reliability issues after crashes
- Removal of soft updates in July 2023
- Limited virtualization capabilities
- Single-core VM support
- Poor battery life and power management
- Limited hardware compatibility (Bluetooth, gamepads)
- Lack of modern filesystem features like journaling
Modern Computing Requirements
The community highlights a growing gap between OpenBSD's capabilities and contemporary computing needs. Virtualization limitations, particularly single-core VM support and poor performance, have become increasingly problematic as containerization and virtual machines become standard development tools. Users emphasize that while OpenBSD excels in specific use cases like network firewalls, it struggles to meet the demands of modern desktop and development environments.
Security vs. Practicality Trade-offs
An interesting pattern emerging from the discussion is the acknowledgment that security-focused systems like OpenBSD face unique challenges in balancing security with usability. While some users have migrated to alternatives like Qubes OS for enhanced security through virtualization, others point out that even security-oriented features like SELinux and audit capabilities are missing from OpenBSD, despite being requirements in many secure environments.
Hardware Compatibility Challenges
The community discussion reveals ongoing challenges with hardware support, particularly affecting modern computing requirements. Issues range from limited Bluetooth support to poor battery life and heat management. These limitations, combined with filesystem reliability concerns, have led some users to seek alternatives that better balance security with modern hardware compatibility.
The broader conversation suggests that while OpenBSD maintains its reputation for security and simplicity, its approach to filesystem management and modern computing requirements may need reevaluation to remain relevant for broader use cases beyond specialized server deployments.
Source Citations: Why I stopped using OpenBSD