FreeBSD Foundation

From Analog Phone to FreeBSD Server Interface

In his latest write-up, Alexander Deplov restores a vintage Panasonic desk phone and connects it to a FreeBSD server via a Grandstream HT801 and Asterisk, turning the handset into a physical command menu.

If you’re interested in creative integrations or bridging old devices with modern systems, this is worth a read.

Read the full article:
https://interfacecraft.online/blog/2026/desktop-phone-connected-to-freebsd-server/

#FreeBSD #OpenSource #BSD #Telephony #Asterisk #HardwareIntegration

Call for Testing: Laptop Integration Testing Project

We’re expanding the Laptop Support and Usability Project and inviting the community to help test FreeBSD on real hardware.

-Which laptop works best with FreeBSD?
-Will my current laptop support the features I need?
-What configuration tweaks might be required?

Testing is automated, anonymized, and straightforward, and your feedback helps improve FreeBSD for everyone.
Learn how to participate:
https://freebsdfoundation.org/blog/call-for-testing-introducing-the-laptop-integration-testing-project/
#FreeBSD #OpenSource

💡 Turn a Raspberry Pi into your own NAS with FreeBSD!

Building a simple NAS doesn’t require expensive hardware.

In our latest blog post, we walk through how to build a lightweight Network Attached Storage (NAS) system using FreeBSD on a Raspberry Pi. With the latest FreeBSD release and tools like Samba, you can quickly set up reliable network file sharing on minimal hardware.

Read the full post:
https://freebsdfoundation.org/blog/build-a-nas-using-freebsd-on-a-raspberry-pi/

#FreeBSD #RaspberryPi #OpenSource #NAS #HomeLab

Still using sudo or doas for privilege escalation?

FreeBSD includes a built-in alternative you may have overlooked: mdo.
In this short video, we walk through how to enable and use mdo, including loading the mac_do kernel module, making it persistent at boot, defining privilege rules, and running commands as root with mdo command.

Watch the walkthrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA-TNsVG9IY

The FreeBSD Forums were recently compromised and are currently offline while recovery efforts are underway.

We will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Thank you for your patience.
#FreeBSD #Forums

Thank you to the 200+ attendees who stopped by Booth #112 to connect, share stories, and talk about what you're building with FreeBSD or how you got started with FreeBSD.

The energy this year was a testament to the strength of the open-source community, from longtime contributors to those discovering FreeBSD for the first time.

If you're just getting started with FreeBSD, here’s a clear place to begin:
https://freebsdfoundation.org/resource/getting-started-with-freebsd/

See you at the next one.
#FreeBSD #SCALE23x

FreeBSD 14.4-RELEASE is now available.

The FreeBSD Project has announced the release of FreeBSD 14.4-RELEASE, the fifth release from the stable/14 branch. FreeBSD 14.4-RELEASE is available for multiple architectures and can be installed via ISO, USB, VM images, cloud platforms, and OCI containers.
Download and release information:
https://www.freebsd.org/releases/14.4R/announce/

Thank you to the Release Engineering Team and the many contributors who make each release possible.
#FreeBSD #OpenSource #ReleaseEngineering

We’re proud to share that Deb Goodkin, Executive Director of the FreeBSD Foundation, will be speaking at Open-Source Summit North America, hosted by the Linux Foundation.

📍 Tuesday, May 19, 2026 | 11:00am – 11:40am CDT | Room 101H

View the full schedule here:
https://events.linuxfoundation.org/open-source-summit-north-america/program/schedule/

Deb's talk: https://osselcna2026.sched.com/event/2JQsf/what-running-freebsd-on-a-modern-laptop-taught-me-deb-goodkin-the-freebsd-foundation?iframe=yes&w=&sidebar=yes&bg=no

We look forward to seeing you there.

#FreeBSD #OpenSourceSummit #LinuxFoundation #OpenSource

New to FreeBSD and not sure where to start? You’re not alone.

In this second video of the series, I'm walking through the FreeBSD Foundation's Getting Started page.

On this page, you’ll find:
— The official FreeBSD Handbook
— Installation guides for desktops and virtual machines
— Step-by-step written walkthroughs for common setup options
— Links to community spaces: forums, Discord, Reddit, and LinkedIn

https://freebsdfoundation.org/resource/getting-started-with-freebsd/

#FreeBSD #OpenSource #DeveloperCommunity #FreeBSDProject

Cleaning Up Critical Infrastructure in FreeBSD
Sustainable open source requires more than new features. It demands disciplined security work, clear visibility into dependencies, and long-term maintainability.

Through the Beach Cleaning Project, funded by the Alpha-Omega Project, we strengthened the FreeBSD base system by improving third-party software tracking, advancing SBOM tooling, and aligning security processes for future resilience.

Read more:
https://freebsdfoundation.org/blog/cleaning-up-critical-infrastructure-in-freebsd/
#FreeBSD

We love seeing community members share why FreeBSD matters to them.

Community member Stefano shares his experience and what keeps him choosing FreeBSD, from performance and reliability to the project’s philosophy.

Read his full post here:
https://it-notes.dragas.net/2026/03/16/why-i-love-freebsd/

Tell us in the comments: what makes FreeBSD your platform of choice?

#FreeBSD #OpenSource #BSD #Community

At SCALE 23x, we had the opportunity to speak with Harlan Stenn, President and Board Chair of the Network Time Foundation.

Harlan shared how he began using FreeBSD in the early days, testing it alongside other systems, and ultimately chose to run it on all his machines because it was stable, reliable, and simply worked.

It’s always powerful to hear from long-time contributors who have seen FreeBSD evolve over decades and still trust it today.

#FreeBSD #SCALE23x #OpenSource #NTP #Community

We’ve published a new blog post outlining how we’re preparing for the European Union’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and what it means for the FreeBSD ecosystem.

The CRA introduces new compliance expectations for products containing digital elements, including open source components.

Read the full post here:
https://freebsdfoundation.org/blog/getting-ready-for-the-cyber-resilience-act/

#FreeBSD #OpenSource #Security #Compliance #SBOM

FreeBSD Hackathon | April 24–26, 2026 | Wiesbaden, Germany.

We’re proud to support the FreeBSD Hackathon kicking off today in Wiesbaden, bringing together developers, contributors, and community members for focused collaboration and hands-on progress.
Over the next three days, participants will work together to advance FreeBSD in a productive, supportive environment.
Learn more:
https://freebsdfoundation.org/news-and-events/event-calendar/hackathon-202604/
#FreeBSD #OpenSource #Hackathon #Community #BSD

We’ve published the second monthly report (March 2026) for the Cyber Resilience Act Readiness project, part of our ongoing 2026 effort to prepare the FreeBSD community for the European Union’s cybersecurity regulation.

Read the March report: https://github.com/FreeBSDFoundation/all-projects/blob/main/Cyber%20Resilience%20Act%20Readiness/monthly-updates/2026-03.md

#FreeBSD #OpenSource #Security #CyberResilienceAct #CRA #Community

The FreeBSD Project is proud to continue participating in Google Summer of Code and to welcome this year’s contributors and mentors.

This year’s projects address critical areas of the operating system, including kernel live patching, and much more.

We look forward to supporting our students throughout the summer and sharing their progress with the community.

Explore the full list of projects:
https://bit.ly/4ukF0p4
#FreeBSD #GSoC2026 #OpenSource #BSD #SystemsEngineeringFreeBSD

We’re excited to share that the FreeBSD Project has been accepted again as a mentoring organization for Google Summer of Code 2026.

This marks another year of supporting contributors who want to work on meaningful open source projects while learning from experienced FreeBSD developers.

Learn more about Google Summer of Code 2026:
https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/programs/2026/organizations/the-freebsd-project

#FreeBSD #GSoC2026 #OpenSource

Thank you to Paweł Dawidek and the Fudo Security team for highlighting how they use FreeBSD’s isolation primitives in their security architecture.

It’s encouraging to see organizations building enterprise security solutions on top of these primitives and applying them in real-world deployments.

#FreeBSD #OpenSource #CyberSecurity #EnterpriseSecurity

In our latest video, we walk through how to install and run FreeBSD on a Raspberry Pi and turn it into a lightweight Network Attached Storage (NAS) system.

If you’ve been curious about running FreeBSD on single-board computers or building your own NAS, this is a great place to start.

Watch it on our YouTube channel and let us know what you’d build with it: https://youtu.be/xqFiTRYo1fk

#FreeBSD #RaspberryPi #NAS #OpenSource #HomeLab

The Q1 2026 issue of the FreeBSD Journal is here.

This edition focuses on Laptop and Desktop systems, highlighting the work improving usability and performance across FreeBSD. Inside, you’ll find articles like Consolations for Kernel Hackers by Tom Jones, along with an inside look at how the Foundation’s Laptop Support & Usability Project came together, written by Deb Goodkin.

Read it here: https://freebsdfoundation.org/our-work/journal/browser-based-edition/laptop-desktop/

We spoke with a new FreeBSD user who shared how he’s exploring the system and learning more about features like jails while working through the book Absolute FreeBSD. He also mentioned that he stopped by the booth after seeing on our website that FreeBSD would be at SCALE.

If you're new to FreeBSD and looking for a place to start, we’ve put together resources to help guide you:
https://freebsdfoundation.org/freebsd/new-to-freebsd/

What helped you most when you first started using FreeBSD?

#FreeBSD #SCALE23x #OpenSource

New Podcast: FreeBSD with John Baldwin

In this episode of Software Engineering Daily, FreeBSD developer and contributor John Baldwin joins Gregor Vand to explore the origins of FreeBSD, how its governance model differs from other open-source projects, its role inside systems like Netflix’s CDN and PlayStation 4, and the challenges of maintaining a 30-year-old codebase.

Listen here:
https://softwareengineeringdaily.com/2026/03/31/freebsd-with-john-baldwin/
#FreeBSD #OpenSource #BSD

At SCALE 23x, we asked a simple question:
Why do you love FreeBSD?

From performance and security to documentation, ZFS, and the community itself, the answers filled the board quickly.

FreeBSD means different things to different people:
Now we’re asking you.

Why do you love FreeBSD?

Drop your answer in the comments.
#FreeBSD #OpenSource #BSD #SCALE23x #Community

Do you remember your first FreeBSD install?
Many in our community remember when installing an operating system meant waiting on physical media, dial-up downloads, or carefully tested CD distributions, long before pulling source took seconds.

We’d like to hear your story:
• Was your first FreeBSD install from a CD?
• Do you remember your first release?

Share your experience in the comments.

🔗 Wayne Self’s original reflection: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wself_been-thinking-about-how-much-access-to-software-ugcPost-7431565320290619392-RHVM/

#FreeBSD #OpenSource #BSD #Community

We’ve just published the first monthly report for our Cyber Resilience Act Readiness project, part of our 2026 effort to prepare the FreeBSD community for the European Union’s landmark cybersecurity regulation.

This update provides a transparent look at our progress across key workstreams, including security and vulnerability handling, SBOM tooling, public documentation, and community engagement.

Read the report:
https://github.com/FreeBSDFoundation/all-projects/blob/main/Cyber%20Resilience%20Act%20Readiness/monthly-updates/2026-02.md

#FreeBSD #OpenSource #Security #CyberResilienceAct #CRA

We’re excited to be at SCALE 23x this week! If you’re attending, stop by Booth #112 to connect with the FreeBSD Foundation team, learn more about our work supporting the FreeBSD Project, and explore ways to get involved with the community.

See you on the expo floor!

The FreeBSD Foundation is now accepting travel grant applications for BSDCan 2026 / FreeBSD Dev Summit, taking place June 17–20, 2026, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

📅 Application deadline: April 23, 2026

We encourage eligible community members to apply.

Learn more about eligibility requirements and how to submit your application:
https://freebsdfoundation.org/our-work/grants/travel-grants/

#FreeBSD #BSDCan2026 #OpenSource #FreeBSDFoundation #CommunitySupport

We’re pleased to share an article from the Q1 2026 issue of the FreeBSD Journal, focused on Laptop/Desktop.

In “Let Sleeping CPUs Lie — S0ix,” Aymeric Wibo 🇵🇸 Wibo explores modern laptop power management and what really happens when your system goes to sleep.

Read the full article:
https://freebsdfoundation.org/our-work/journal/browser-based-edition/laptop-desktop/let-sleeping-cpus-lie-s0ix/

#FreeBSD #FreeBSDJournal #OpenSource #LaptopSupport #PowerManagement

Why FreeBSD? Stability, Performance, and a Community That Cares
We're launching a series exploring why thousands of developers, engineers, and tech enthusiasts choose FreeBSD.

In this video, we're sharing what real community members have to say about why they chose FreeBSD and what keeps them here.

Watch the full video and let us know: what brought you to FreeBSD, or what's making you curious about trying it?

#FreeBSD #OpenSource #SystemsEngineering #DeveloperCommunity

BSDCan 2026 Travel Grant Applications Are Now Open

The FreeBSD Foundation is now accepting travel grant applications for BSDCan 2026 / FreeBSD Dev Summit, taking place June 17–20, 2026, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

📅 Application deadline: April 23, 2026

We encourage eligible community members to apply.

Learn more about eligibility requirements and how to submit your application:
https://freebsdfoundation.org/our-work/grants/travel-grants/

#FreeBSD #BSDCan2026 #OpenSource #FreeBSDFoundation #CommunitySupport

Here’s a moment from Day 1 at SCALE 23x yesterday.

We asked attendees what they like about FreeBSD, and this student highlighted something many users appreciate: the documentation and the Ports collection. https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/

What was the first thing that stood out to you when you started using FreeBSD?
#FreeBSD #SCALE23x #OpenSource #BSDCommunity

We’re proud to share that Deb Goodkin, Executive Director of the FreeBSD Foundation, will be speaking at Open-Source Summit North America, hosted by the Linux Foundation.

📍 Tuesday, May 19, 2026, | 11:00am – 11:40am CDT | Room 101H

If you’re attending Open-Source Summit North America, we encourage you to join the session and connect with us.

Deb's talk: https://osselcna2026.sched.com/event/2JQsf/what-running-freebsd-on-a-modern-laptop-taught-me-deb-goodkin-the-freebsd-foundation?iframe=yes&w=&sidebar=yes&bg=no

We look forward to seeing you there.

#FreeBSD #OpenSourceSummit #LinuxFoundation #OpenSource #Community

New to FreeBSD and wondering what applications are available?

FreeBSD provides access to tens of thousands of open-source applications through the Packages and Ports Collections.This includes widely used tools such as Firefox and Chromium, desktop environments such as KDE and GNOME, media players, databases, and productivity software.

Explore popular applications:
https://www.freebsd.org/applications/

Browse the full collection of available software:
https://www.freshports.org

SCALE 23x is happening this week!
We’re excited to be back at SCALE, one of the best places to connect with the people building and supporting open source in the real world.

This year, we’re looking forward to:
Meeting community members, from new to longtime FreeBSD users

Connecting with fellow open source organizations and exploring what’s ahead in 2026
If you’ll be at SCALE 23x, stop by booth #112 and say hello; we’d love to meet you.

https://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale/23x
#SCALE23x #FreeBSD #OpenSource

Registration for #BSDCan2026 is now open!

BSDCan brings together BSD developers, administrators, and users of all experience levels for in-depth tutorials, technical sessions, and meaningful collaboration.
Tutorials: June 17–18
Conference: June 19–20
Location: University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada

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

#BSDCan2026 #FreeBSD #BSD #OpenSource #Conference

A little FreeBSD Stress is good for you

Community creator RoboNuggie walks through how to safely stress-test your FreeBSD system using stress and stress-ng.

Our Executive Director, Deb Goodkin, shared this video in her Day 35 update of running FreeBSD 15.0 on the Framework Laptop.

Watch the video: https://buff.ly/oKXjyY2
Deb's post: https://buff.ly/gt7pXnR

Help us improve our FreeBSD installation guides

We're updating our resources for people who want to try FreeBSD in a virtual machine for the first time.

If you're thinking about installing FreeBSD in a VM to test it out, what platform are you using as the host?

Let us know in the comments, your feedback will help us create guides that match how people are actually using FreeBSD today.

The FreeBSD Enterprise Working Group is seeking community input to help inform its priorities going forward.

Since 2023, the Working Group has focused on identifying and addressing gaps that impact enterprise adoption of FreeBSD, with several key workstreams already completed.

If you’re an enterprise user of FreeBSD, consider taking this short survey and sharing your perspective:
https://forms.gle/ZAnB6WCHPoHBqxbv7

You can also review the Working Group’s progress here:
https://wiki.freebsd.org/EnterpriseWorkingGroup

#FreeBSD

The FreeBSD Foundation’s Laptop Support and Usability Project is making great strides! 💻 The first monthly report is now available.

Highlights include: new graphics driver docs, successful Intel WiFi PoC, and Linux 6.7 DRM drivers ported. The community-led Laptop Desktop Working Group (LDWG) has also launched! Join the effort: https://buff.ly/4hnrsmN #FreeBSD #OpenSource #TechCommunity