FreeBSD Desktop on the T400

The ThinkPad T Series is one of the most popular ever, which has led to consistent hardware design and broad support for it. Although the T400 was introduced in 2008 and produced up until 2010, it is very much suited to run the latest and greatest FreeBSD–10.1 in the current case. Here are the steps that led to a viable desktop installation using the i3 window manager, background info and a few security tips sprinkled on top.

FreeBSD Desktop on the T400 with xdm(1)

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Development Workflow in OPNsense

It’s pretty hard for me to approach a larger repository I have never worked with. The biggest issue is that few projects have defined development (as in actual coding) workflow laid out for new contributors, so one is just going to be stabbing in the dark for a few days or weeks until things start making sense. Speaking of sense, let’s explain how we’ve designed the development experience for OPNsense and how you can start contributing code in no time.

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About the Great Teaching

To that which is born, death is certain; to that which is dead, birth is certain: be not afflicted by the unavoidable. As a noble whose duty is to protect the law, refusing to fight this righteous war you will forfeit both virtue and honour. Your proper concern is alone the action of duty, not the fruits of the action. Cast then away all desire and fear for the fruits, and perform your duty.

Joseph Campbell – Myths to Live By (1961)

OPNsense: Because Open Makes Sense

Cheers to the project!
I have to say that’s not my statement, but it’s very much true. Today we released OPNsense 15.1 including all of its source code. It has been the accumulation of work of the better half of a year for most of us and I think it is the right step at the right time. The lovely BSD community (FreeBSD in particular) deserves a project that listens to its users and adapts no matter the cost, no matter the hardship. Hard choices will have to be made along the road, but for now all that matters is that we are finally on this road together. I feel privileged to be a part of it. That’s all I have to say. :)

Mach’s gut 2014

Das war also 2014. Was sagen dir da? Na, ja, das üben wir gleich noch mal! Nachdem das Jahr 2013 als “bestes Jahr bis jetzt” betitelt wurde, hatte es 2014 wirklich schwer. Voller Pläne begann das Jahr, aber ehrlich gesagt lief nichts wie geplant. Im guten und im schlechten Sinne.

Als erstes hatte pfSense sich von ihrer glatten BSD-Lizensierung getrennt, was vielen Nutzern übel aufgestoßen hat und auch die ein oder andere Firma gezwungen hat ihre Strategie zu überdenken. Letztlich aber war es eine Entwicklung die passieren musste und auch zu besseren Endresultaten führte. Behalten wir das mal im Hinterkopf…

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Setting Up a Package Mirror on FreeBSD

Welcome back! Today we’ll look briefly into how to setup a pkg(8) mirror on FreeBSD. Essentially, we’ll only need a bunch of binary packages for the mirror, pkg-create(8), a running HTTP server and a configuration file for the new mirror on your target system. You must know how to build packages for your target system — if that is the case you are ready to dive in.

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