On Tue, Oct 7, 2025 at 10:55 PM UDENIX <[email protected]> wrote: > > > many big names in the unix world that i used to respect (torvalds etc) > > have become limp-wristed pushovers as they age and society decays, but > > theo has remained hilarious and well-grounded. these kinds of threads > > actually improve his image i think. > > I agree, Theo de Raadt gives the project a special character, an > inexplicable aura that you feel when you enter the world of OpenBSD.
I've been told to fuck off by Theo on the mailing list after posting some idea he thought was pointless. I don't mind, maybe a lot of programmers appreciate the straightforward message. Reminds me of The Real Man's Compiler Collection[1] that only replies with a short "No." if your code doesn't work. The process of subscribing to this "advocacy" mailinglist had me take a closer look at the OpenBSD mailing list netiquette[2] which pointed me to one of the best "Code of Conduct" policies I've ever read: "Respect differences in opinion and philosophy. Intelligent people may look at the same set of facts and come to very different conclusions." I wish more projects had that policy instead of a long list of people you have to please. [1]: https://mpcomplete.org/proj/rmcc/ [2]: https://www.openbsd.org/mail.html
