Native hypervisor coming to OpenBSD OpenBSD kernel developer Mike Larkin has let it be known he's working on a native hypervisor for the operating system, with the OpenBSD Foundation's support. Larkin's posted news of the effort, writing that it's needed because “choosing to port an existing vmm just didn't make a whole lot of sense.” “For example, I've been …
'x86 virtualization is about basically placing another nearly full kernel, full of new bugs, on top of a nasty x86 architecture which barely has correct page protection. Then running your operating system on the other side of this brand new pile of shit.
You are absolutely deluded, if not stupid, if you think that a worldwide collection of software engineers who can't write operating systems or applications without security holes, can then turn around and suddenly write virtualization layers without security holes.' -Theo de Raadt
I use FreeBSD every day at work but I find OpenBSD much more pleasant to use. It was doing a fine job of running my personal x201 until we 'upgraded' to an idiotic Silverlight payroll system. Here's hoping I will soon be able to run Windows on my preferred desktop OS. Also, here's hoping Theo doesn't hunt me down and punch me in the face for saying that.
Theo De Raadt's quote, I really can't disagree with it. Honestly the x86 design is not that great, it was not designed for virtualization, the pre-virtualization-extension hacks pull some pretty nasty tricks to work at all, and virtualization extension is still quite a hack.
That said, virtualization serves a practical purpose, runs on x86 even though it's a hack, and people have x86 systems whether it's good for virtualization or not. So... have at it.
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