Let's Help NetBSD Cross the Finish Line Before 2025 Ends
54 comments
·October 26, 2025jrmg
p_ing
It would be awesome to see a cost breakdown/environmental impact of continuing to run a P4 or G5 today vs. the metals/materials/recycling process/disposal process cost and environmental impact.
I always had the same question about cleaning recycling as it went through a recycling plant -- is the water usage environmentally "friendly" versus what is ultimately recycled (which is often not much, sadly).
dijit
You know, I wonder about that.
The cost of creating new computers has got to be pretty high to the environment (I've heard 85% of lifetime carbon emissions from new computers are from manufacturing process), and I strongly suspect that we don't take that into consideration since we greenwash ourselves by forcing China to do our dirty work, chastising them for it, and then patting ourselves on the back for buying "more energy efficient chips".
nolist_policy
Also I bet >50% of personal computer e waste is bog standard x86-64 by now. No need to support a vast array of hardware.
xyproto
Does NetBSD really help reduce e-waste any more than Linux already does?
unleaded
Maybe not yet but I can see Linux's place as the shitbox saviour start slipping a bit in the next few years. Debian dropping x86, distros getting fatter in general.. I can't really see those trends reversing. Meanwhile NetBSD goes against them.
However it goes, the main issue is one no operating system can solve which is modern life relying on the Web and beefier browsers. Unless you want to rebel against that you're probably better off getting a laptop from the past 10 years for < £100 on eBay.
p_ing
The argument for NetBSD is that it runs on almost anything that was ever produced. That isn't the case for Linux, even older x86 is no longer supported in the mainline.
xhkkffbf
Some of the Linux distros are getting pretty fat and don't work so well on older hardware. Of course some are lean too. But NetBSD has a goal.
atomic_princess
[flagged]
rfrey
I think they were talking about physical computers ending up in landfills.
Edit: nvmd, I see this account was created 20 minutes ago and has only low-effort comments attacking BSD. I've never understood how people can develop such negative feelings about technologies.
jamesnorden
That's not what e-waste means.
jorgemendes
Donated. I hope NetBSD becomes a stronger option for my old PCs. So many good old machines that could benefit from it.
jmclnx
Same here. But one other thing to add for new responses about "Why NetBSD", the rump kernel.
Years ago I had to get a very old document off of a DOS diskette. So I tried:
* On Linux: accessing the diskette would cause a panic or a reboot or massive read failures.
* FreeBSD: panics all the time
* NetBSD: panics. But then I remembered it had rump. So I said, why not try that. Started up rump, got a few code dumps, but after a some tries I got a bit over 90% of the document off of the diskette. The main system had no issues with the rump kernel crashing.
So that alone is worth the "price of admission" :)
atomic_princess
[flagged]
mythz
It's really in the best interest of everyone using it to chip in and keep the project relevant. Unfortunately the amount of donations is going to be contingent on the size of its user base which will need to grow to ensure its longevity.
atomic_princess
Unfortunately there is nothing justifying keeping this project alive. Linux supports much more hardware and has a license that forces corporations to contribute back, not the case of NetBSD
dijit
eh, I don't use it, I chucked $150 their way.
Having NetBSD around is a net win, and the cost of doing business for them is extremely low for the product they provide.
dainiusse
Donated. I an thankful to NetBSD - I built some routers back in 2000. Long live NetBSD!
wcchandler
Do they offer a swag store like OpenBSD or FreeBSD? I realize they only get pennies from those sales but that’s typically my approach, buy a shirt for $30 and make an extra $20 donation.
bfkwlfkjf
OT what's with the email addresses with percent signs in them?
layer8
See http://www.faqs.org/docs/linux_network/x-087-2-mail.address.... (next to last paragraph)
berikv
“Then there is the % address operator: user %domainB@domainA is first sent to domainA, which expands the rightmost (in this case, the only) percent sign to an @ sign. The address is now user@domainB, and the mailer happily forwards your message to domainB, which delivers it to user. This type of address is sometimes referred to as “Ye Olde ARPAnet Kludge,” and its use is discouraged“
MontyCarloHall
>Ye Olde ARPAnet Kludge
Seems fitting that NetBSD's internal mailing lists still use ossified address syntax from a time before DNS.
nobodyandproud
For as long as I can remember, there was NetBSD and FreeBSD (OpenBSD and DragonFly came later).
I suppose after 30+ years, any chance of consolidation is hopeless and undesirable?
E39M5S62
Code aside, the goals for each project are vastly different. There's nothing to be gained by consolidation.
nobodyandproud
Every Linux distro has different goals. But a unified kernel (more or less).
For hardware, can a single device driver be made for all variants of BSD? If so, then I agree.
irusensei
This year I've seen some retro tech YouTube videos about people putting modern NetBSD in their expensive PDPs and Vax machines. Dave Plumber comes to mind.
sammy2255
What is NetBSD?
torstenvl
It's a BSD variant dedicated to running on a wide variety of hardware.
One of the running jokes is that you can "run it on a toaster" — see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45712368
munchlax
It's the amount of BSD you have from gross BSD after paying all the technical debts.
atomic_princess
[flagged]
jmclnx
Such an underfunded project. Even with such low resources they can get a lot done.
motorest
It surprised me that a project such as NetBSD only managed to raise ~$10k throughout the year. What's going on with the project?
jmclnx
The last few years or so, its activity seemed to have increased quite a bit, or maybe they are getting more press then they have had in many years :)
FWIW, this is the first time I have ever seen any mention of donations on any major tech WEB site.
atomic_princess
[flagged]
NetBSD is a powerful force for sustainability. Foundation's commitment to running on a vast array of hardware—new and old—helps reduce e-waste. Old laptops and single-board computers that would otherwise be in a landfill are given new life as robust firewalls, file servers, or even retro-gaming machines, all thanks to NetBSD.
Emotionally I like this - but thinking more dispassionately, these systems use, by modern standards, a huge amount of power. I wonder if, for many (most?) of them, it whould not be more environmentally responsible to replace them with modern, less power-hungry devices.