alt for @Pondering buying new hardware to replace x86 BSD desktop. (yes, x86. 32-bit. It works, fine.)
Is there a reasonable ARM64 desktop system that runs #OpenBSD?
well, I wanted a desktop that would make #ao3e interesting hardware-wise. But it looks like amd64 is the way to go.
Just realized I asked the OpenBSD arm64 question wrong. Because I mentioned arm64.
I would like to make #ao3e a little more interesting, hardware-wise. Any suggestions on new desktop hardware?
The mac mini M1 might be good.
peter hessler @openbsd@mwlucas good interesting or bad interesting?
@phessler Viable interesting.
@mwlucas in that case intel (eww) or amd64 cpu+gpu. Nvme disk. Usb-c display is also a delight. Boot in efi mode.
Pretty much any 1gig ethernet should work.
@phessler so skip non-amd64, got it.
@mwlucas 90% of the issue is with graphics drivers. The other 90% is any MD features you want. And the third 90% is complicated linux software that assumes the whole world is x86.
ed(1) conference@mwlucas arm64 isn't quite so bad since it's tier 1 with syspatch support, but the further field you stray, the more pain you experience.
Charlène does herculean work on macppc for which I'm very thankful, but it's an uphill slog with updates and as @phessler mentions, many packages assume Linux-on-x86/amd64 and break on other architectures. 
@ed1conf @mwlucas while true, very few people actually use arm64 for desktop use. We only discovered gdm was broken a few weeks ago. Chrome was broken for more than one release. Unsure if anyone has actually ran openoffice/libreoffice/whatever the fick its called these days.
If mwl wanted to experiment with that, I'd strongly recommend running on arm64. If he wants to write a book that people will find useful, I'd recommend a more well known arch. :/
(I say this as the arm64 pkg builder)
Ah, well.
jollyrogue@mwlucas @ed1conf FreeBSD works really well as a headless dev server on my RPiB3+. I have a console cable setup, and it works great.
Some of the packages aren’t present in the latest arm64 repo (ghc), or they lag behind the x86 versions (python3).
Mounting USB drives on boot like I can in Fedora needs to be figured out, but that’s on me to make it a priority. Also on me to get back to my hardware so a network FS is an option.
Benno 
@phessler the usb-c video; is that just for the lack of additional ports or is there some special thing about it?
Sorry, I'm way behind on hardware tech.
@mwlucas it (usually) combines power, video, and usb in a single cable. No need for a proprietary docking station, and you can't run out of battery while doing a presentation.
Game changer for laptops. Also nice to only need to extend one cable to have your computer hidden away from your face and hands.
@phessler So the laptop draws power from the monitor? Okay, that's cool, tyvm.
@mwlucas yup, exactly. I love it so much.
Another nice side effect of usb-c PD is there are a) many 3rd party chargers[1] that'll work for you, and b) you can share your charger with friends and enemies.
[1] here's a thread talking about the one I bring with me everywhere, still love it: https://bsd.network/@phessler/100555953843375712
@mwlucas depends a lot on how you intend to stress it. An arm64 RPi or BeagleBone is kinda low-end, but adequate for light serving, inexpensive, and readily available. M1 or a Cavium ThunderX2 would deliver a lot more oomph, but might be out of reach for beginners or dilettante users. Similarly RISC-V holds some interesting promise but still feels a bit niche.
lopta@mwlucas Do OpenBSD have a port to the Raspberry Pi 400?
@lopta somewhat. https://www.openbsd.org/arm64.html
@mwlucas I haven't tried it yet on my son's Pi 400 but I'm running NetBSD/evbarm on a Pi 2B. Considering a very light NUC to replace it.
