FreeBSD Foundation Buying Newer Laptops To Help Improve Hardware Support

[kylew77]

It would be nice to see FUSE support in FreeBSD improve too. EXfat support is in very poor shape compared to the Linux support. Like so poor I couldn't read from an external drive and it created a .core file bad.

[kylew77]

I think this is good news for FreeBSD. I hope they support more laptops. For years the advice I have been hearing is if you want a BSD for a laptop buy a used thinkpad and put OpenBSD on it because it is the best supported BSD on laptops. Also agree with the user who mentioned the Pinebook, would be great to see OpenBSD or FreeBSD working on it.

[willbprog177]

You might want to consider stock piling your 2018 mac for later.

Thanks for the advice

A little OT, but I want to get rid of the mini because I don't relish the fact that a nearly $2,000 USD computer is sitting idle. I'm aware of the array of things it can do, but I no longer have any use for it. It can't run FreeBSD 12.1 or Linux properly and I have another (older, cheaper, slower) mini I can do Mac-specific stuff on. This 2018 mini has outstayed its welcome and has to go. I need to recover the money I spent on it so I can do something more meaningful with it.

[kpedersen]

If the FreeBSD foundation wants to buy my 2018 Mac mini, (totally serious) then they'll be able to work on support for that, too.

You might want to consider stock piling your 2018 mac for later. Basically the annoying fact is that as soon as an FOSS operating system starts supporting a bit of hardware really well, it is generally quite difficult to actually get hold of that hardware again. It is a crazy fact that even in 2019 hardware only starts being well supported once it goes out of production / warranty! haha.

FreeBSD on the desktop seems to be well-suited for BSDs enthusiasts like me, though not a super first choice for others that would be better served by systemd/Linux, Windows, macOS, etc.

I notice with systemd/Linux you actually get some diminishing return and a shortish window. What I mean by that is after Windows, systemd/Linux often gets support before FreeBSD but then breaks it again much sooner than FreeBSD drops support.
I am quite a fan of older hardware, and a fan of FreeBSD, so this actually suits me quite well

[willbprog177]

I had to buy a five-year-old HP desktop machine in order for FreeBSD to work well. That's not ideal. If the FreeBSD foundation wants to buy my 2018 Mac mini, (totally serious) then they'll be able to work on support for that, too.

FreeBSD on the desktop seems to be well-suited for BSDs enthusiasts like me, though not a super first choice for others that would be better served by systemd/Linux, Windows, macOS, etc.

[k1e0x]

Maybe because Linux is Open Source just like BSD? However, if you mean BSD supports proprietary software then we really should put it in the same box as Windows.

Supports a funny word..

That being said there is plenty of commercial software for Linux and FreeBSD both. There is also commercial drivers for both (nvidia comes to mind), and in FreeBSD's case hybrid commercial forks. (Juniper / NetApp / MacOS) All of that is OK. Nobody really uses windows for anything other than a desktop anyhow.

[k1e0x]

FreeBSD already supports more laptops than macOS. Buying a bunch of laptops and giving them to developers is nothing really that new, many mailing lists are full of "this doesn't work, send it to me and I will fix it". I say keep going


With that logic... why Linux? why not let Windows do that?

Well that is true. Apple only supports what they make.

As for windows.. come on now. We don't want to be that cruel to users..

[Volta]

With that logic... why Linux? why not let Windows do that?

Maybe because Linux is Open Source just like BSD? However, if you mean BSD supports proprietary software then we really should put it in the same box as Windows.

[wikinevick]

Why the hell thinkpads? Thinkpads are the best laptops for freebsd since ever. Why the hel the dont buy an Asus, Dell, HP, Acer?

Feel free to donate.

[kpedersen]

I also agree that macOS is already BSD on the desktop. (albeit a bit of a bastard, so I get why ppl don't want to do this).

FreeBSD already supports more laptops than macOS. Buying a bunch of laptops and giving them to developers is nothing really that new, many mailing lists are full of "this doesn't work, send it to me and I will fix it". I say keep going

but really it's kind of a trap to try to support every wierd touchpad and wifi card.. let Linux do that..

With that logic... why Linux? why not let Windows do that?