{"slug": "netbsd", "name": "NetBSD", "category": "os", "category_name": "Operating systems and desktop", "description": "Portable, open-source Unix-like operating system from the BSD family.", "recommenders": 8, "commenters": 11, "warners": 0, "score": 8.288, "rising": 1.36, "first": "2025-12-23", "latest": "2026-10-29", "why": "Liked for a clean, well-documented design that even beginners can learn from, for running consistently across a wide range of hardware, and as a workable daily driver with pkgsrc packages.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 10, "neutral": 2, "compare": 1, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1], "listed": true, "loved": ["Clean design", "Portability"], "caveat": "UTF-8 support", "short_quote": "NetBSD is IMHO the most beginner friendly nix out there. It's small, lean, and well documented.", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://www.netbsd.org/", "pricing": "open source", "aliases": ["NetBSD"], "verdict": [{"text": "Liked for a clean, well-documented design that even beginners can learn from,", "cites": [{"id": 804689632, "item_id": 50293102, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50293102", "by": "helterskelter2", "date": "2026-10-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NetBSD is IMHO the most beginner friendly nix out there. It's small, lean, and well documented.", "excerpt": "NetBSD is IMHO the most beginner friendly nix out there. It's small, lean, and well documented. You could know almost nothing about nix, read their handbook, and come the other side half competent. Linux (my daily driver) by comparison is a constantly moving target with no single source for coherent documentation and where anything goes. FreeBSD is better, but when I last used the handbook it had plenty of outdated c", "context": "Linux daily driver", "use_case": "beginner-friendly Unix", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD adds a new text editor called atto"}, {"id": 786256992, "item_id": 49141062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49141062", "by": "helterskelter", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Definitely my desert island OS.", "excerpt": "NetBSD is the only nix I've ever been able to use for novel (for me) tasks without consulting the internet for help; the design is so clean and the documentation complete that I never felt the need for outside help. I love the package management system. Definitely my desert island OS.", "context": "", "use_case": "general OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD 11.0 Released"}]}, {"text": " for running consistently across a wide range of hardware,", "cites": [{"id": 786240145, "item_id": 49140009, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49140009", "by": "ninefathom", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it runs on d**ed near everything. And more importantly, it's a pretty consistent experience across the supported platforms.", "excerpt": "Presently in my home you'll find Debian, Alpine, and Manjaro Linux installations running almost constantly (plus Android if you wish to be pedantic), each for their various niches. You'll also find more esoteric stuff like OpenVMS/VAX 7.3 (on actual VAX hardware), Mac OS 7.5.5 and 9.2.2 and 10.4.11 (each on their native hardware as well), and occasionally 9front or Haiku or QNX or OpenIndiana for various purposes. Th", "context": "runs many OSes at home", "use_case": "diverse hardware", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD 11.0 Released"}, {"id": 783350720, "item_id": 48959420, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48959420", "by": "1vuio0pswjnm7", "date": "2026-07-18", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I used NetBSD as the OS.", "excerpt": "\"These 2008-2010 era netbooks are impossible to use as a desktop.\" I used one as a replacement for a \"desktop computer\" for 7+ years Here, \"desktop\" means the form factor not the interface I used NetBSD as the OS. I never tried to use Windows. It was during this time that I stopped using X11 entirely, i.e., no \"desktop\" metaphor, no terminal emulator programs, and began staying in VGA textmode 100% of the time If I n", "context": "used a netbook as desktop for 7+ years", "use_case": "netbook as desktop replacement", "switched_from": "", "story": "Reviving a 15-year-old netbook with Arch Linux"}]}, {"text": " and as a workable daily driver with pkgsrc packages.", "cites": [{"id": 793428752, "item_id": 49589297, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49589297", "by": "__patchbit__", "date": "2026-09-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NetBSD 11 with Firefox 151 from pkgsrc on a custom CTWM is a usable daily driver", "excerpt": "NetBSD 11 with Firefox 151 from pkgsrc on a custom CTWM is a usable daily driver for Emacs daemon mode GUI/TUI and console tmux simultaneous use. Remote in from a Windows or macOS desktop.", "context": "", "use_case": "daily driver OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Research carried out using NetBSD"}, {"id": 786256992, "item_id": 49141062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49141062", "by": "helterskelter", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Definitely my desert island OS.", "excerpt": "NetBSD is the only nix I've ever been able to use for novel (for me) tasks without consulting the internet for help; the design is so clean and the documentation complete that I never felt the need for outside help. I love the package management system. Definitely my desert island OS.", "context": "", "use_case": "general OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD 11.0 Released"}]}, {"text": " The main caveat raised is poor UTF-8 support in core tools like wscons and vi, though that report dates from the NetBSD 5 era.", "cites": [{"id": 804717776, "item_id": 50294861, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50294861", "by": "fodkodrasz", "date": "2026-10-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "My only gripe with NetBSD was its lacking UTF-8 support for many core tools", "excerpt": "I guess it has poor (or nonexistent) unicode support in 48kb. My only gripe with NetBSD was its lacking UTF-8 support for many core tools (eg. wscons, vi) when I used it as daily driver beck in the days (NetBSD 5 RC2 times :P)", "context": "former daily driver user", "use_case": "daily driver OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD adds a new text editor called atto"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "Clean design", "summary": "Commenters find the system small, lean and easy to understand and customize.", "quotes": [{"id": 804689632, "item_id": 50293102, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50293102", "by": "helterskelter2", "date": "2026-10-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NetBSD is IMHO the most beginner friendly nix out there. It's small, lean, and well documented.", "excerpt": "NetBSD is IMHO the most beginner friendly nix out there. It's small, lean, and well documented. You could know almost nothing about nix, read their handbook, and come the other side half competent. Linux (my daily driver) by comparison is a constantly moving target with no single source for coherent documentation and where anything goes. FreeBSD is better, but when I last used the handbook it had plenty of outdated c", "context": "Linux daily driver", "use_case": "beginner-friendly Unix", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD adds a new text editor called atto"}, {"id": 786256992, "item_id": 49141062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49141062", "by": "helterskelter", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Definitely my desert island OS.", "excerpt": "NetBSD is the only nix I've ever been able to use for novel (for me) tasks without consulting the internet for help; the design is so clean and the documentation complete that I never felt the need for outside help. I love the package management system. Definitely my desert island OS.", "context": "", "use_case": "general OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD 11.0 Released"}, {"id": 786214608, "item_id": 49138413, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49138413", "by": "classichasclass", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I find it easier to understand and customize", "excerpt": "I use NetBSD on several systems as a small server platform. I find it easier to understand and customize, and it keeps a lot of this stuff out of the landfill.", "context": "", "use_case": "small server platform", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD 11.0 Released"}]}, {"label": "Portability", "summary": "It runs on nearly any hardware, including old netbooks, with a consistent experience.", "quotes": [{"id": 786240145, "item_id": 49140009, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49140009", "by": "ninefathom", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it runs on d**ed near everything. And more importantly, it's a pretty consistent experience across the supported platforms.", "excerpt": "Presently in my home you'll find Debian, Alpine, and Manjaro Linux installations running almost constantly (plus Android if you wish to be pedantic), each for their various niches. You'll also find more esoteric stuff like OpenVMS/VAX 7.3 (on actual VAX hardware), Mac OS 7.5.5 and 9.2.2 and 10.4.11 (each on their native hardware as well), and occasionally 9front or Haiku or QNX or OpenIndiana for various purposes. Th", "context": "runs many OSes at home", "use_case": "diverse hardware", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD 11.0 Released"}, {"id": 783350720, "item_id": 48959420, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48959420", "by": "1vuio0pswjnm7", "date": "2026-07-18", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I used NetBSD as the OS.", "excerpt": "\"These 2008-2010 era netbooks are impossible to use as a desktop.\" I used one as a replacement for a \"desktop computer\" for 7+ years Here, \"desktop\" means the form factor not the interface I used NetBSD as the OS. I never tried to use Windows. It was during this time that I stopped using X11 entirely, i.e., no \"desktop\" metaphor, no terminal emulator programs, and began staying in VGA textmode 100% of the time If I n", "context": "used a netbook as desktop for 7+ years", "use_case": "netbook as desktop replacement", "switched_from": "", "story": "Reviving a 15-year-old netbook with Arch Linux"}, {"id": 786214608, "item_id": 49138413, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49138413", "by": "classichasclass", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I find it easier to understand and customize", "excerpt": "I use NetBSD on several systems as a small server platform. I find it easier to understand and customize, and it keeps a lot of this stuff out of the landfill.", "context": "", "use_case": "small server platform", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD 11.0 Released"}]}, {"label": "Daily driver", "summary": "Some use it as their everyday OS, including people who switched from Windows.", "quotes": [{"id": 793428752, "item_id": 49589297, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49589297", "by": "__patchbit__", "date": "2026-09-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NetBSD 11 with Firefox 151 from pkgsrc on a custom CTWM is a usable daily driver", "excerpt": "NetBSD 11 with Firefox 151 from pkgsrc on a custom CTWM is a usable daily driver for Emacs daemon mode GUI/TUI and console tmux simultaneous use. Remote in from a Windows or macOS desktop.", "context": "", "use_case": "daily driver OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Research carried out using NetBSD"}, {"id": 783350720, "item_id": 48959420, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48959420", "by": "1vuio0pswjnm7", "date": "2026-07-18", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I used NetBSD as the OS.", "excerpt": "\"These 2008-2010 era netbooks are impossible to use as a desktop.\" I used one as a replacement for a \"desktop computer\" for 7+ years Here, \"desktop\" means the form factor not the interface I used NetBSD as the OS. I never tried to use Windows. It was during this time that I stopped using X11 entirely, i.e., no \"desktop\" metaphor, no terminal emulator programs, and began staying in VGA textmode 100% of the time If I n", "context": "used a netbook as desktop for 7+ years", "use_case": "netbook as desktop replacement", "switched_from": "", "story": "Reviving a 15-year-old netbook with Arch Linux"}, {"id": 779618864, "item_id": 48726179, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48726179", "by": "1vuio0pswjnm7", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched from Windows back to NetBSD many years ago and I got what I wanted.", "excerpt": "\"I don't get why people bother making these wish fulfillment posts regarding Windows.\" They do it for other companies, too The companies do read these comments and sometimes, surprisingly, I see them take action. But it's never what people really want, it's usually some temporary retraction of something people don't want The wish fulfillment posts are simply pathetic. They reek of helplessness. It's not an efficient ", "context": "", "use_case": "UNIX-like OS for experimentation", "switched_from": "Windows", "story": "Microsoft Needs Windows Lite"}]}, {"label": "Documentation", "summary": "The handbook and docs are described as complete enough to need no outside help.", "quotes": [{"id": 804689632, "item_id": 50293102, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50293102", "by": "helterskelter2", "date": "2026-10-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NetBSD is IMHO the most beginner friendly nix out there. It's small, lean, and well documented.", "excerpt": "NetBSD is IMHO the most beginner friendly nix out there. It's small, lean, and well documented. You could know almost nothing about nix, read their handbook, and come the other side half competent. Linux (my daily driver) by comparison is a constantly moving target with no single source for coherent documentation and where anything goes. FreeBSD is better, but when I last used the handbook it had plenty of outdated c", "context": "Linux daily driver", "use_case": "beginner-friendly Unix", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD adds a new text editor called atto"}, {"id": 786256992, "item_id": 49141062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49141062", "by": "helterskelter", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Definitely my desert island OS.", "excerpt": "NetBSD is the only nix I've ever been able to use for novel (for me) tasks without consulting the internet for help; the design is so clean and the documentation complete that I never felt the need for outside help. I love the package management system. Definitely my desert island OS.", "context": "", "use_case": "general OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD 11.0 Released"}]}, {"label": "Package management", "summary": "Users like the package system, with pkgsrc supplying apps like current Firefox.", "quotes": [{"id": 786256992, "item_id": 49141062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49141062", "by": "helterskelter", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Definitely my desert island OS.", "excerpt": "NetBSD is the only nix I've ever been able to use for novel (for me) tasks without consulting the internet for help; the design is so clean and the documentation complete that I never felt the need for outside help. I love the package management system. Definitely my desert island OS.", "context": "", "use_case": "general OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD 11.0 Released"}, {"id": 793428752, "item_id": 49589297, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49589297", "by": "__patchbit__", "date": "2026-09-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NetBSD 11 with Firefox 151 from pkgsrc on a custom CTWM is a usable daily driver", "excerpt": "NetBSD 11 with Firefox 151 from pkgsrc on a custom CTWM is a usable daily driver for Emacs daemon mode GUI/TUI and console tmux simultaneous use. Remote in from a Windows or macOS desktop.", "context": "", "use_case": "daily driver OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Research carried out using NetBSD"}]}, {"label": "Jails design", "summary": "One commenter says kauth-backed jails could surpass FreeBSD's jails.", "quotes": [{"id": 756181312, "item_id": 47261332, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47261332", "by": "0x2b9fd814feb0", "date": "2026-03-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Having jails backed by kauth puts NetBSD's well above FreeBSD's, if NetBSD can reach feature parity.", "excerpt": "Zones from Solaris is a nice name. NetBSD's jail feature is based on kauth, a decent designed capabilities system, informed by an Apple technical paper. Having jails backed by kauth puts NetBSD's well above FreeBSD's, if NetBSD can reach feature parity. The earlier implementation struggled with a networking feature that NetBSD did not have. Also, this work is made with AI: \"For context: this is my first serious work ", "context": "", "use_case": "kernel-enforced jails", "switched_from": "", "story": "Jails for NetBSD \u2013 Kernel Enforced Isolation and Native Resource Control"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "UTF-8 support", "summary": "A former daily-driver user found UTF-8 support lacking in core tools like wscons and vi back in the NetBSD 5 days.", "quotes": [{"id": 804717776, "item_id": 50294861, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50294861", "by": "fodkodrasz", "date": "2026-10-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "My only gripe with NetBSD was its lacking UTF-8 support for many core tools", "excerpt": "I guess it has poor (or nonexistent) unicode support in 48kb. My only gripe with NetBSD was its lacking UTF-8 support for many core tools (eg. wscons, vi) when I used it as daily driver beck in the days (NetBSD 5 RC2 times :P)", "context": "former daily driver user", "use_case": "daily driver OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD adds a new text editor called atto"}]}, {"label": "Immature jails", "summary": "The jails work has not yet reached feature parity, and an earlier implementation struggled with missing networking features.", "quotes": [{"id": 756181312, "item_id": 47261332, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47261332", "by": "0x2b9fd814feb0", "date": "2026-03-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Having jails backed by kauth puts NetBSD's well above FreeBSD's, if NetBSD can reach feature parity.", "excerpt": "Zones from Solaris is a nice name. NetBSD's jail feature is based on kauth, a decent designed capabilities system, informed by an Apple technical paper. Having jails backed by kauth puts NetBSD's well above FreeBSD's, if NetBSD can reach feature parity. The earlier implementation struggled with a networking feature that NetBSD did not have. Also, this work is made with AI: \"For context: this is my first serious work ", "context": "", "use_case": "kernel-enforced jails", "switched_from": "", "story": "Jails for NetBSD \u2013 Kernel Enforced Isolation and Native Resource Control"}]}, {"label": "Desktop app support", "summary": "One commenter questions how many Linux GUI applications work on the BSDs as a desktop.", "quotes": [{"id": 793426720, "item_id": 49589170, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49589170", "by": "3eb7988a1663", "date": "2026-09-06", "stance": "compare", "quote": "it seems prudent to switch to a NetBSD/OpenBSD/Qubes system for the next few years", "excerpt": "How usable are the BSDs as a GUI daily driver? Like 99% of Linux applications work out of the box or more like 50%? With new CVEs being discovered in ancient bedrock code on the daily, it seems prudent to switch to a NetBSD/OpenBSD/Qubes system for the next few years until some vulnerabilities might get smoothed over.", "context": "", "use_case": "security-minded daily driver", "switched_from": "", "story": "Research carried out using NetBSD"}]}], "who": [{"by": "fodkodrasz", "context": "former daily driver user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50294861", "date": "2026-10-29"}, {"by": "helterskelter2", "context": "Linux daily driver", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50293102", "date": "2026-10-29"}, {"by": "ninefathom", "context": "runs many OSes at home", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49140009", "date": "2026-08-01"}, {"by": "1vuio0pswjnm7", "context": "used a netbook as desktop for 7+ years", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48959420", "date": "2026-07-18"}, {"by": "INTPenis", "context": "open hardware enthusiast", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46366978", "date": "2025-12-23"}], "tags": ["for old hardware", "for small servers", "for learning Unix", "for terminal-centric users"], "use_cases": ["daily driver os", "beginner-friendly unix", "security-minded daily driver", "general os", "diverse hardware", "small server platform"], "compared": [{"slug": "freebsd", "name": "FreeBSD", "co": 7, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "linux", "name": "Linux", "co": 6, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "windows", "name": "Windows", "co": 2, "switched_from": 2, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "openbsd", "name": "OpenBSD", "co": 4, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "debian", "name": "Debian", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49136736", "title": "NetBSD 11.0 Released", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50287599", "title": "NetBSD adds a new text editor called atto", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49587903", "title": "Research carried out using NetBSD", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49402781", "title": "NetBSD and my life (2005)", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48907063", "title": "Reviving a 15-year-old netbook with Arch Linux", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48720591", "title": "Microsoft Needs Windows Lite", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 4}, "2026-09": {"compare": 1, "recommend": 1}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 804717776, "item_id": 50294861, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50294861", "by": "fodkodrasz", "date": "2026-10-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "My only gripe with NetBSD was its lacking UTF-8 support for many core tools", "excerpt": "I guess it has poor (or nonexistent) unicode support in 48kb. My only gripe with NetBSD was its lacking UTF-8 support for many core tools (eg. wscons, vi) when I used it as daily driver beck in the days (NetBSD 5 RC2 times :P)", "context": "former daily driver user", "use_case": "daily driver OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD adds a new text editor called atto"}, {"id": 804689632, "item_id": 50293102, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50293102", "by": "helterskelter2", "date": "2026-10-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NetBSD is IMHO the most beginner friendly nix out there. It's small, lean, and well documented.", "excerpt": "NetBSD is IMHO the most beginner friendly nix out there. It's small, lean, and well documented. You could know almost nothing about nix, read their handbook, and come the other side half competent. Linux (my daily driver) by comparison is a constantly moving target with no single source for coherent documentation and where anything goes. FreeBSD is better, but when I last used the handbook it had plenty of outdated c", "context": "Linux daily driver", "use_case": "beginner-friendly Unix", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD adds a new text editor called atto"}, {"id": 793428752, "item_id": 49589297, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49589297", "by": "__patchbit__", "date": "2026-09-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NetBSD 11 with Firefox 151 from pkgsrc on a custom CTWM is a usable daily driver", "excerpt": "NetBSD 11 with Firefox 151 from pkgsrc on a custom CTWM is a usable daily driver for Emacs daemon mode GUI/TUI and console tmux simultaneous use. Remote in from a Windows or macOS desktop.", "context": "", "use_case": "daily driver OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Research carried out using NetBSD"}, {"id": 793426720, "item_id": 49589170, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49589170", "by": "3eb7988a1663", "date": "2026-09-06", "stance": "compare", "quote": "it seems prudent to switch to a NetBSD/OpenBSD/Qubes system for the next few years", "excerpt": "How usable are the BSDs as a GUI daily driver? Like 99% of Linux applications work out of the box or more like 50%? With new CVEs being discovered in ancient bedrock code on the daily, it seems prudent to switch to a NetBSD/OpenBSD/Qubes system for the next few years until some vulnerabilities might get smoothed over.", "context": "", "use_case": "security-minded daily driver", "switched_from": "", "story": "Research carried out using NetBSD"}, {"id": 790494528, "item_id": 49405908, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49405908", "by": "bitwize", "date": "2026-08-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NetBSD is a lot like this, still even today. I love working with/in/on it.", "excerpt": "Linux was not quite that spare, but pretty spare when I first started using it (1995). I liked watching the text crawl while the kernel brought itself, init, and a few daemons up; and having to type \"startx\" to even get into a graphical environment (and even that was just fvwm). It was... cyberpunk. I can't think of any other way to describe the aesthetic, the feel, of early Linux. All these bits and bobs written by ", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD and my life (2005)"}, {"id": 786256992, "item_id": 49141062, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49141062", "by": "helterskelter", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Definitely my desert island OS.", "excerpt": "NetBSD is the only nix I've ever been able to use for novel (for me) tasks without consulting the internet for help; the design is so clean and the documentation complete that I never felt the need for outside help. I love the package management system. Definitely my desert island OS.", "context": "", "use_case": "general OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD 11.0 Released"}, {"id": 786240145, "item_id": 49140009, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49140009", "by": "ninefathom", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it runs on d**ed near everything. And more importantly, it's a pretty consistent experience across the supported platforms.", "excerpt": "Presently in my home you'll find Debian, Alpine, and Manjaro Linux installations running almost constantly (plus Android if you wish to be pedantic), each for their various niches. You'll also find more esoteric stuff like OpenVMS/VAX 7.3 (on actual VAX hardware), Mac OS 7.5.5 and 9.2.2 and 10.4.11 (each on their native hardware as well), and occasionally 9front or Haiku or QNX or OpenIndiana for various purposes. Th", "context": "runs many OSes at home", "use_case": "diverse hardware", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD 11.0 Released"}, {"id": 786214608, "item_id": 49138413, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49138413", "by": "classichasclass", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I find it easier to understand and customize", "excerpt": "I use NetBSD on several systems as a small server platform. I find it easier to understand and customize, and it keeps a lot of this stuff out of the landfill.", "context": "", "use_case": "small server platform", "switched_from": "", "story": "NetBSD 11.0 Released"}, {"id": 783350720, "item_id": 48959420, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48959420", "by": "1vuio0pswjnm7", "date": "2026-07-18", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I used NetBSD as the OS.", "excerpt": "\"These 2008-2010 era netbooks are impossible to use as a desktop.\" I used one as a replacement for a \"desktop computer\" for 7+ years Here, \"desktop\" means the form factor not the interface I used NetBSD as the OS. I never tried to use Windows. It was during this time that I stopped using X11 entirely, i.e., no \"desktop\" metaphor, no terminal emulator programs, and began staying in VGA textmode 100% of the time If I n", "context": "used a netbook as desktop for 7+ years", "use_case": "netbook as desktop replacement", "switched_from": "", "story": "Reviving a 15-year-old netbook with Arch Linux"}, {"id": 779618864, "item_id": 48726179, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48726179", "by": "1vuio0pswjnm7", "date": "2026-06-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched from Windows back to NetBSD many years ago and I got what I wanted.", "excerpt": "\"I don't get why people bother making these wish fulfillment posts regarding Windows.\" They do it for other companies, too The companies do read these comments and sometimes, surprisingly, I see them take action. But it's never what people really want, it's usually some temporary retraction of something people don't want The wish fulfillment posts are simply pathetic. They reek of helplessness. It's not an efficient ", "context": "", "use_case": "UNIX-like OS for experimentation", "switched_from": "Windows", "story": "Microsoft Needs Windows Lite"}, {"id": 756181312, "item_id": 47261332, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47261332", "by": "0x2b9fd814feb0", "date": "2026-03-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Having jails backed by kauth puts NetBSD's well above FreeBSD's, if NetBSD can reach feature parity.", "excerpt": "Zones from Solaris is a nice name. NetBSD's jail feature is based on kauth, a decent designed capabilities system, informed by an Apple technical paper. Having jails backed by kauth puts NetBSD's well above FreeBSD's, if NetBSD can reach feature parity. The earlier implementation struggled with a networking feature that NetBSD did not have. Also, this work is made with AI: \"For context: this is my first serious work ", "context": "", "use_case": "kernel-enforced jails", "switched_from": "", "story": "Jails for NetBSD \u2013 Kernel Enforced Isolation and Native Resource Control"}, {"id": 749052944, "item_id": 46815809, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46815809", "by": "1vuio0pswjnm7", "date": "2026-01-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "NetBSD is still favorite OS but I use Linux the most", "excerpt": "Many years ago before I stopped using Windows and switched back to NetBSD (I had originally used it on the VAX), I used Cygwin and later MSYS on Windows in the process of moving back to UNIX I was not interested in graphical programs, I only wanted a UNIX shell and standard UNIX utilities I recently received a used computer with pre-installed Windows 10 Home for personal use so I will be experimenting with it offline", "context": "long-time UNIX user", "use_case": "daily OS", "switched_from": "Windows", "story": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux"}, {"id": 741871649, "item_id": 46366978, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46366978", "by": "INTPenis", "date": "2025-12-23", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Also NetBSD.", "excerpt": "I briefly owned one of the first Loongson netbook laptops, the Lemote I believe it was nicknamed. I've always been very much into open hardware, so I picked one up as soon as I could. And I believe Debian was the only distro I was able to run on it back then too. Also NetBSD. I ended up giving it to someone at the local hacker space. It's fun to try but it's not a daily driver. Didn't Stallman use one as daily driver", "context": "open hardware enthusiast", "use_case": "OS on Loongson netbook", "switched_from": "", "story": "Debian adds LoongArch as officially supported architecture"}]}