From 608e9c61c4ae501ee7e038e85eb9027dedb0aa27 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Ngô Ngọc Đức Huy Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2022 21:46:11 +0700 Subject: Update post --- content/posts/2022-06-19-announce-ipwhl.md | 5 +- content/posts/2022-07-31-trying-openbsd.md | 123 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 127 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) create mode 100644 content/posts/2022-07-31-trying-openbsd.md (limited to 'content/posts') diff --git a/content/posts/2022-06-19-announce-ipwhl.md b/content/posts/2022-06-19-announce-ipwhl.md index 7559eea..412f7bd 100644 --- a/content/posts/2022-06-19-announce-ipwhl.md +++ b/content/posts/2022-06-19-announce-ipwhl.md @@ -1,13 +1,16 @@ --- title: "Introducing IPWHL: an alternative Python packaging" date: 2022-06-19 -draft: true lang: en categories: [ announcement ] tags: [] translationKey: "announce-ipwhl" --- +This post was excerpted from [discuss.python.org][discuss] + +[discuss]: https://discuss.python.org/t/introducing-ipwhl-an-alternative-python-package-repository + ## What is IPWHL? The [interplanetary wheels][IPWHL] are platform-unique, singly-versioned Python diff --git a/content/posts/2022-07-31-trying-openbsd.md b/content/posts/2022-07-31-trying-openbsd.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..69c83e7 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/posts/2022-07-31-trying-openbsd.md @@ -0,0 +1,123 @@ +--- +title: "Friendship ended with GNU/Linux, OpenBSD is my new best friend" +date: 2022-07-31 +lang: en +categories: [ blog ] +tags: [] +translationKey: "2022-07-31-trying-openbsd" +--- + +## Previous experience with openBSD + +I tried to revive my old machine a while ago with various Linux +distros---Debian, Alpine, Void, but none quite sticks. Graphics wasn't its +strong suit. I don't know how it came to be, I was sure 8 years ago it could +render stuff just fine. Now even typing on tty feels sluggish. I even +remember being able to play Skyrim on it. I decided to turn it to be a server +instead. + +I don't find Void to be fitting for server, nor any other rolling distros. So +I'd install something else on it. I could install NixOS, but installed openBSD +instead, since it has [honk][honk], a fedi software I was thinking of +hosting[^1]. To my surprise, it was quite neat: typing feels much more +responsive than any on other Linux distros I tried before, and startx works out +of the box with the pre-installed FVWM (not a big fan of the WM, but it's quite +easy to get used to). The OS is said to be friendly to old machines, after +all. + +Another thing I like about openBSD is the installation process. While not 100% +non-tech friendly like Debian, installation is quite straightforwards with a +series of questions. After installing NixOS on my laptop twice, I really +appreciate not having to partition disks and configure boot manually. + +[honk]: https://humungus.tedunangst.com/r/honk + +## New computer, new troubles + +Yes, I bought myself a new computer. I'd rather have my laptop reserved for +carrying around and my old machine as server only. The price for the set was +acceptable, but I was a bit annoyed that they stole from me the joy of +assembling it and tainted it with Windows *cries*. + +Anyways, I digress. I planned to keep on NixOS: with a configuration file, +replicating the settings and packages would be quite simple. Except when it +doesn't. I don't know why, but the boot stucked at loading initrd. I guessed +it might be some bug of systemd-boot (which [NixOS manual][nixos-manual] states +that I *must* use for UEFI, and [legacy boot is not available][no-legacy] as I +don't have a dedicated graphic card). + +[nixos-manual]: https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/stable/index.html#sec-installation-installing +[no-legacy]: https://lr.vern.cc/r/ASUS/comments/s68b25/psa_enabling_legacy_boot_aka_compatibility/ + +I tried booting into its cousin [GNU Guix][guix]. It can boot nicely without +any trouble. What it couldn't is loading graphical interface properly: unlike +NixOS, Guix doesn't provide an option to use `startx` for starting X, but +rather push me to use gdm instead, which just shows a black screen for me. I +tried several off-manual guides from mailing lists to forums---someone else +surely had the same problems as me. None of them worked. Looking into the +log, it says something along the line `cannot load module fbdev... cannot load +module vesa`, even though I installed those xorg modules. Does that sound like +a driver issue? I thought integrated GPUs are supposed to work out of the box. + +Anyways, I forgot to dump or screenshot the logs in both case so no post-mortem +for y'all. + +[guix]: https://guix.gnu.org/ + +I also tried Gentoo (why?) and that seems a bit too much. It's not as +intimidating as some people might make it out to be, but it still takes to much +time for me. I guess I'm just lazy now and install something straightforwards +like OpenBSD. + +## The good + +Aside from everything just works, here are some extras I like about it: + +- Accidentally closing tabs will trying to `^W` some words is no more: + Ctrl+W behaves the same way as in terminal. But then, so does + Ctrl+A: it moves the cursor to the beginning instead of + selecting all. +- SSHD enabled by default. I don't use this much but it can be handy. +- Packages have its own README to let users know something not detailed in the + manual +- Bug reporting is builtin (`sendbug(1)`), so I don't have to lookup some + mailing list or creating yet another account in a bug tracker. + +## The bad + +Admittedly, I find more annoying stuff than I liked: + +- UTF-8 is available, but not enabled by default. If some characters are not + displayed properly in your terminal, try setting `LC_CTYPE="en_US.UTF-8"` + in your `.profile`. I couldn't import GPG at first because of this and + mistakenly thought it was because `vi_VN.UTF-8` was missing. +- Sound control is via `sndioctl(1)`, which is supposed to be available to + non-root users, but instead it `default: can't open control device`'d me. + [daemon forums][forum] says I'd have to add `staff` and `operator`, but it + doesn't work either. Also, [polybar doesn't support it][polybar], but it's + not their fault. +- Limited file access. This I can understand for security reason, but + sometimes it's just annoying not being able to open some folders. + KeepassXC integration also doesn't seem to work because of this, even + though I followed the README and added to the unveil. +- Limited file descryptors. This breaks syncthing and anything that watches + files, like a development web server or static site generator in + live-rendering mode. +- Default shell is Korn (ksh), which doesn't have much completion, particularly + git completion. Typing the whole commands out can be tiring. +- Some packages are not available. In particular, nheko, the best native + matrix client I've found so far, and dictd, the dictionary server. The + former is just added and probably will be available in the next release, + but the latter has been packaged for years and I have no idea why I can't + install it. + +Nonetheless, I am sticking with this for a while and gonna update some more. + +(Despite the title, I'm still using GNU and Linux. Linux is on other machines, +and bash and dico on this machines are also GNU.) + +[forum]: https://daemonforums.org/showthread.php?t=11402 +[polybar]: https://github.com/polybar/polybar/discussions/2753 + +[^1]: Couldn't, though, since my ISP block HTTP(S) ports. There are some + workarounds but I haven't got time to do yet. -- cgit 1.4.1