Just wanted to drop a note saying that for perhaps the entire length of the project I've heard how brutal it is to help contribute to the project of OpenBSD (think I've been using OpenBSD on and off since ~1998ish with obecian@ introducing me to it). But being back on the mailing lists I see how the feedback given is meant to be constructive, though can be a bit gruff at times, but is always helpful. I see developers and contributors pushing folks in the right direction like bumper lanes in bowling, and that is awesome.
I know I helped spread the FUD before in my teens/early 20s, I was kind of a well... a teen and young 20-something loner smart guy with a big ego. Now I'm a 40-something not-so-loner smart guy that knows how much he doesn't know and can see kindness instead of attacks, without much of an ego at all. Anyway, so if anyone is reading this and you hear how OpenBSD is brutal to contribute and help with, realize that at best that information may be dated, but most likely it is simply incorrect. There seem to be very talented programmers and engineers on this project that truly care about quality and security, even if they have to lead the way and push/force upstream software to also care. If anything, it is incredible to see what lone individuals can contribute if they're willing to apply the effort and be open to feedback from those that know better. And the changes don't need to be huge to have a big impact. While the 90s were a bit more brutal of simply "RTFM, idiot" across the board, we seem to be in a more sensible time. BUT I love that OpenBSD is still keeping K.I.S.S. and RTFM a viable argument in the true Unix fashion, while others have chosen... poorly. What's wild to me-from-20-years-ago is that there's so much effort being put into porting Wayland and KDE Plasma (guess we're not all running Matrix-themed WindowMaker desktops anymore). Also OpenBSD gaming is now a thing, which blows my mind (see r/openbsd-gaming on Reddit and #openbsd-gaming on Libera.Chat IRC, also stuff on Mastodon, too). So, while I do personally apologize for spreading FUD about OpenBSD being a tough place to contribute to at times in my life, know that it certainly isn't the case. Be sure to stop the FUD about it if you hear it, too. (Theo still has some of the best quotes on the Internet.)
