What happens when you write to /dev/null ?

You can find out by attending this talk given by Martin Vahlensieck at BSDCan 2026.

Registration: https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/registration.html

Scedule: https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/timetable/timetable-all.html

#BSD #OpenSource #BSDCan

Worried about time? BSDCan early registration ends April 30th! Worried about network time? Henning Brauer is giving the talk: OpenNTPD - 20 years and a few milliseconds later at BSDCan 2026:

OpenNTPD hit the OpenBSD CVS in late 2004. Now, 20 years and a few milliseconds later, it's time to look back, how it was received, and what changed.

We'll briefly look at the world 20 years wrt having systems' clocks synchronized (or not), the design of OpenNTPD and how it fundamentally differed from everything around back then, and how it was - intentionally or not - misunderstood by some with very little knowledge but a lot of opinion, and how FUD from 20 years ago is still around. We'll cover what changed in OpenNTPD after it went public, and what changed in OpenBSD to increase accuracy substantially. We'll also cover the later added constraint feature to further defend against getting fed incorrect time.

#OpenNTPD #bsdcan #openbsd #cvs #time

For anyone planning to go to BSDCan 2026, please remember early registration period ends this Thursday April 30th. Early registration comes with free ticket to the Saturday reception. Don't miss out! Register today!

https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/registration.html#main

#bsdcan #runbsd

Would you like to get more out of bsddialog(3)?
BSDCan has a tutorial for that:

Introduction to TUI Programming using bsddialog with Benedict Reuschling
Thursday 2026-06-18: 13:00 - 16:00

Shell scripts have a bad reputation when it comes to usability and eye candy. Modern users find a blinking cursor on a a black screen leaves a lot to be desired when having to interact with a shell script. In this tutorial, we will create shell scripts that look like a GUI application: with buttons to press, input fields, select boxes and animated progress bars. These so called TUI (text user interfaces) programs still use shell script functionality as the backend, but are lightweight enough to not introduce too much overhead. Users will appreciate the ease of use of your shell scripts and you can rely on them to give you the data and visualizations you to need. At the same time, the TUI application is not difficult to learn and implement into existing scripts.

More info:

https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/timetable/timetable-Introduction-to-TUI.html

#unix #tui #shellscript #runbsd #bsdcan

The great #BSDCan is just around the corner.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend, this year.

But if you can - I'd warmly suggest to do it!

https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/06/17/where-have-you-been-for-the-last-20-years/

Are you looking to sharpen your Shell Scripting chops? Then you may be interested in the BSDCan Shell Scripting Tutorial for Beginners and Sysadmins with Mathias Eggers.

Anyone who works with BSD and other Unix- and Linux-like systems will sooner or later have to deal with the shell and shell scripts, e.g. automation of repetitive task or starting services in /etc/rc.d. Understanding scripts and how to meaningfully extend or rewrite them is the goal of this tutorial, which is mainly designed for beginners and sysadmins.

Simple shell scripts often consist of a sequence of arbitrary shell commands executed in a specific order to achieve a particular purpose. This is where the tutorial will begin, and I will then walk participants through the other components of a script using examples:

Variables

Sourcing

Control structures

Loops

In- and output redirection

Parameters and options

Functions

Testing scripts

From the tutorial the participants will get an impression of what could be achieved with the well-equipped toolbox the shell provides and use that knowledge for creating own scripts for their projects.

Participants should bring their own machines to try out the examples. I encourage everybody to ask questions and bring examples or problems from their daily work to the tutorial to foster a vivid discussion.

I've been writing shell scripts as part of my work since I got in contact with Unix in 1993 and have been teaching shell programming to apprentices for over ten years. This tutorial will be a shortened and in regards to rc-scripts extended version of that one-week course.

https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/timetable/timetable-Shell-Scripting-Tutorial.html

You can register for this tutorial and the BSDCan conference here:

https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/registration.html

If you register before May 1st, you can take advantage of the free reception on Saturday!

#runbsd #runsh #sh #bsdcan #shellscript #Unix

The BSDCan 2026 schedule has been published, https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/timetable/timetable-all.html

You can register for the conference, which runs June 17 - 20, 2026 at https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/registration.html @bsdcan #bsdcan #ottawa #freebsd #netbsd #openbsd #development #sysadmin #devops #libresoftware #freesoftware

The BSDCan 2026 schedule has been posted. 30 regular talks, one set of lightning talks, and one Audio BoF: https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/timetable/timetable-all.html

Both FreeBSD and NetBSD will be holding two day Dev Summits across the hall from each other in DMS.
https://wiki.freebsd.org/DevSummit/202606
https://www.netbsd.org/gallery/events.html#bsdcan2026

Just like last year, the reception on Saturday night is free if you register early. This year you must register before May 1, 2026: https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/registration.html
#bsdcan @bsdcan #freebsd #openbsd #netbsd #conference #ottawa