OpenBSD 5.0 reveals MAD-themed release

The OpenBSD Foundation has released version 5.0 of the popular operating system and has made it available for download – or for purchase via CD if you want the bonus party pack. The latest release includes better memory-control systems across a variety of architectures, new drivers for SCSI and 10GB Ethernet systems, and …

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd like to rise a glass of beer

in honor of the OpenBSD team. They keep doing a fantastic job in producing and maintaining a high quality very secure operating system nobody seems to know about while we all work hard patching security holes, fighting viruses root-kits and all strains of malware.

We use to bitch here about Windows versus Mac versus Linux security but we are blissfully ignorant to what a really secure OS looks like.

[Rich 2]

...chink...

I have been using OBSD for some years now and quite frankly wouldn't think of using anything else! Apart from all the security aspects (which some people seem to think is all it has to offer), it is, without a doubt, the easiest, most logical, simple to work with, and well behaved OS I have ever used. It makes Linux, and (obviously) Windows look like the excessively complex, illogical, and difficult systems that they really are. And for anyone that has no idea what I am referring to, or just like to disagree for the sake of it, then I can only imagine that you have never used OBSD.

By the way, I LOVE the fact that your post got modded down - I mean, on what possible grounds??? Hilarious!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Except for BSD's partitioning/disklabel scheme, which for some reason is filled with special cases and needless layered complexity. Strikes me that the entire block device being called sda, with the partitions at sda1, sda2, etc. is far more logical and simple to work with than ad0s1a, or perhaps ad1s2e, but definitely not ad0s1c cos that's the entire disk, maybe, and not d either, cos that used to be used for something important decades ago...

[Grease Monkey]

"We use to bitch here about Windows versus Mac versus Linux security but we are blissfully ignorant to what a really secure OS looks like."

If you want to rely on security by obscurity then go right ahead, but please note that they are only talking about holes in the default install. They don't mention holes in the optional components and like any OS they have no control over holes in the stuff you choose to install on top of their OS.

So you can sit there all smug about your security until a hole in one of your chosen apps blows you wide open.

But remember even those two holes in the default install are holes that have been found. Nobody is trying to break OBSD so nobody has found the vulnerabilities. Yet.

[Wilhelm Lindt]

Yeah, me worry

Theo de Raadt wants us all to say, "What, me worry?"

Yeah, me worry. OpenBSD not so secure. Count me out.

[Michael H.F. Wilkinson]

Ah, finally!!!

An OS suitable for mad scientists!!!!

IGOR, DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL IT!!!!!

I can feel an extra exclamation mark coming on!!!!!!

[Nick Galloway]

Apple Mac?

Isn't OS X largely built on the back of BSD. THat might throw a cat among the pigeons. Perhaps that is why they have chosen the Mad theme as perhaps that is what Apple will become following this release!?

[Armando 123]

Apple runs a variation on the Mach microkernel (which can't really be called a microkernel at this point) with a BSD userland wrapper/layer/coating/etc around it.

And yes, this is not entirely accurate, but good enough for Punch.

[Yossarian]

Another beer from me

Superb system, makes my life so much easier.

I've never seen a firewall that beats pf, don't doubt there is one, but it's probably not free.

Keep up the good work!

Wilhelm Lindt, would you care to enlighten us?

It's not 100% secure, nothing is, but two exploitable issues in ~16 years does speak for itself...

I would love to know which secure operating system counts you in.

[Wilhelm Lindt]

Re: Another beer from me

I object to this "What, Me Worry?" nonsense, which says we should take OpenBSD's security as a given. Think it's just supposed to be cute? Someone recently asked Theo de Raadt for the results of the inquiry into the alleged IPsec backdoor, and he responded, "We don't need to publish anything. OpenBSD is the most secure OS in the world." Guess what? Security is based on either evidence or malarkey. Theo is choosing to cultivate an audience for the latter. Counting two exploitable issues in 16 years is easy when you're only counting the base system with no services or applications running.

I think "What, Me Worry?" would also be a good slogan for Lehman Brothers, Fukushima Daiichi, and BP Deepwater Horizon.

[Rich 2]

"I've never seen a firewall that beats pf, don't doubt there is one..."

I do! :-) pf is the nuts. Nothing else to touch it.

[Andy Farley]

I use it for our Web server OS.

Zero security threats, zero downtime in 5 years (not that the business recognises this as unusual).

A beer from me too.

[Babai]

Secure (unless the Backdoor installed by FBI is removed)

[/dev/null]

Hmmm...

So OpenBSD 5.0 follows 4.9, 4.0 followed 3.9, and 3.0 followed 2.9. It's either a heck of a coincidence that each major release followed exactly 10 minor releases, or Theo doesn't really get version numbering, and the "." is both redundant and confusing...