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  Day 18 Upon login on the first console, I configured ~/.profile to auto-start an X session. Upon exit, the user is logged out of the console: if [ -z "$DISPLAY" ] && [ "$(tty)" = "/dev/constty" ]; then exec startx > "$HOME/.xlog" 2>&1 fi #X11 #40DaysOfNetBSD #NetBSD #RunBSD

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  Day 6 Getting acquainted with the 'vi' editor, which on NetBSD is the 'nvi' version. I created a '~/.exrc' file with a few options for more comfortable use: $ cat .exrc set showmode ruler set number set searchincr iclower set tabstop=4 set shiftwidth=4 set expandtab https://www.netbsd.org/docs/guide/en/chap-edit.html #40DaysOfNetBSD #NetBSD #RunBSD

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  Day 1 With the release of NetBSD 11.0, and reading about the neat things people are doing with it (particularly on minimal hardware such as @stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe and the #littlefedi project), I want to explore this BSD in more detail. Hence "40 Days of NetBSD", where the plan is to poke around the system a bit each day for the next 40 days to gain a deeper appreciation for the OS and Unix tools. NetBSD now installed on my Thinkpad T480s. Let's go! https://www.dwarmstrong.or...

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  I'm starting to not like the direction that (some parts of) Linux appear to be heading. The "some parts of" is important, I think. Ultimately the foundation is a kernel. If the kernel stays OK, and people care enough and are willing to learn, can't Linux be steered in any direction we care to go? 🤔 "Linux Is Becoming Android (And Almost No One Noticed)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnP1rdx-5So #Linux

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  New blog post! I've only used it for a few weeks, however I've quickly come to ❤️ Void Linux. I show the choices I make to create an encrypted Root-On-ZFS minimal Linux system with "just enough" to provide a solid foundation to build upon further: whether that be setting up a desktop, laptop, or server. https://www.dwarmstrong.org/void-linux-install-zfs/ #VoidLinux #ZFS #ZFSBootMenu #Runit #Linux

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  New blog post! Set up a stack of virtualization tools on a Void Linux host for creating and managing virtual machines (VMs): https://www.dwarmstrong.org/void-libvirt/ #Virtualization #KVM #Qemu #Libvirt #VoidLinux #Linux

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  As old kernels accumulate, the time taken to build DKMS modules for ZFS on my Void Linux system increases. I use the (pre-installed) 'vkpurge' utility to safely remove old kernels, while keeping the current and previous kernels: https://man.voidlinux.org/vkpurge.8 Works good! #VoidLinux #DKMS #ZFS

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  Void Linux + Xfce takes up residence on my mini-pc ... https://www.dwarmstrong.org/void-linux-install-zfs/ #VoidLinux #Xfce

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  Updated post! I like to install `keychain` to manage my SSH keys. When logging in for the first time after boot, it prompts me for the passphrase to unlock my key, then will maintain a single `ssh-agent` process across multiple login sessions. Added a note about setting up keychain to launch at login for the fish shell. https://www.dwarmstrong.org/freebsd-ssh-keys/ #SSH #FishShell #FreeBSD #RunBSD

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  Updated post! I added a note about switching the user shell from 'sh' to 'fish'. https://www.dwarmstrong.org/freebsd-after-install/ #FreeBSD #RunBSD #FishShell

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  Using homebrew for the first time on Bluefin I immediately hit a snag trying to install 'cowsay' (homebrew-installed perl vs system perl). This led me to try out Distrobox for the first time and it works like a charm. New ways of doing things introduce new tools and methods. I'm approaching Bluefin with "beginner's mind". 🙂 #Distrobox #Bluefin #uBlue #Linux

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  A detailed read about zswap and zram "myths". I will be rethinking how I setup swap memory in future Linux installs. Very useful! https://chrisdown.name/2026/03/24/zswap-vs-zram-when-to-use-what.html #Linux

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  Updated post! For my NetBSD install I wanted to include disk encryption to protect personal data in case the device is lost or stolen. Its not really enough to simply encrypt home directories. Passphrases and sensitive data can linger and be extracted from locations such as system logs and swap memory. There is a trade-off to be made between how much to encrypt, the convenience of operating the system, and the ability for the system to boot. https://www.dwarmstrong.org/netbsd-encrypt-install/...

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  Chimera Linux does things differently: the distro is built from scratch, musl instead of glibc, init is dinit, FreeBSD userland, ... Fresh install on my Thinkpad using OpenZFS and ZFSBootMenu. Curious to explore further. I'm thinking of a setup where Chimera is my desktop and FreeBSD on a home server. #ChimeraLinux #musl #dinit #FreeBSD #ZFS #ZFSBootMenu

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  GO ARTEMIS! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_UjBMIzNo #Artemis #Moon #NASA #Spaceflight

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  "We call them moonshots for a reason..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmgl3D1ATkI Go Artemis! Onward Integrity! #Artemis #Integrity #Moon #Spacecraft

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  When we go to space... We send our best... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1CwKoYXtvY Carroll Crater it is. #Artemis #Integrity #Moon #Spacecraft

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  Interesting! "Kiss Linux is a meta-distribution for the x86_64 architecture... [and] is designed to be maintainable by a single person and to this end has no infrastructure, backend or monetary running costs. Further, all installations of KISS contain everything needed to continue its development." https://kisslinux.github.io/ In that spirit, its creator stepped away from the project in 2021 but it continues to be maintained by the community: https://kisscommunity.org/ #Ki...

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  Sometimes, congregation can't ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH7URVBpFV4

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  In anticipation of the upcoming release of NetBSD 11.0, I've installed 11.0_RC3 on my Thinkpad T480s. Onward to the Guide! https://www.netbsd.org/docs/guide/en/ #NetBSD #RunBSD #Thinkpad

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  Finished reading _Smilla's Sense of Snow_ by Peter Høeg. Loved it. Not only a whodunnit but an even stronger whydoit? Right until the end I was left wondering "What is in Greenland?!" Smilla is the character up to the task for finding out. #Books #Mystery #Denmark #Greenland

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  Updated post! Chimera Linux is a delightful community-driven distribution built from scratch that does things differently: `musl` instead of the typical `glibc` for C library, `dinit` over `systemd` for system init, and a userland derived from FreeBSD core tools. I show the choices I make to create an encrypted, minimal system with "just enough" to provide a solid foundation to build upon further: https://www.dwarmstrong.org/chimera-install-zfs/ #ChimeraLinux #ZFS #ZFSBootM...

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  Third install attempt was the charm! #Gentoo #Linux

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  I've been having so much fun exploring Gentoo Linux these past few days! :gentoo: I now having a working configuration of Gentoo (in a VM) with a combination of root encryption + BTRFS + OpenRC + Limine bootloader. ✅ Next up is bare metal install. Onward! #Gentoo #Linux #BTRFS #OpenRC #Limine

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  I was going to swap out OpenRC for SystemD for my Gentoo install, but Alpine introduced me to OpenRC and I think I'm going to run with it a bit. #Gentoo #Linux #OpenRC #SystemD

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  Gentoo Linux on my mini PC: Encrypted root + BTRFS with subvolumes + OpenRC + Limine bootloader. Its a start! ✅ Distro-hopping now on pause. Month of March is all about Gentoo. Plan is to take this base system and build it up to a lightweight desktop with Wayland + TBD window manager. Next up: Learn more about Portage/emerge. #Gentoo #Linux #BTRFS #OpenRC #Limine

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  Updated post for FreeBSD 15.0-RELEASE. After performing a few FreeBSD installs, these are my personal notes of steps taken and choices made. A “short and sweet” version of the comprehensive install chapter of the FreeBSD Handbook. :freebsd: https://www.dwarmstrong.org/freebsd-install/ #FreeBSD #RunBSD

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  @grahamperrin I'm editing that post right now in the terminal. 🙂

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  Updated post for FreeBSD 15.0-RELEASE. After the first boot of my new FreeBSD installation, these are some extra steps I like to make right away to get a system off to a good start! https://www.dwarmstrong.org/freebsd-after-install/ #FreeBSD #RunBSD