(or: when the kernel becomes government)
There are two kinds of operating systems in this world:
those that trust you,
and those that think they need to protect you from yourself.
Linux today feels more like a welfare state.
It hides information, makes decisions on your behalf, builds layers of abstraction no one asked for,
and delivers “optimistic” reports — like a politician campaigning to tell you everything is fine.
Your RAM looks full?
No, citizen — it’s “cache”.
Your CPU is running hot?
Don’t worry — the governor will handle it.
You want to tweak something critical?
Better not — the system knows what’s best for you.
NetBSD, on the other hand, doesn’t give speeches.
It shows you raw numbers, zero graphs, and a 500-page manual written like a constitution.
You type vmstat -m and get the naked truth.
No filters, no paternalism, no “it’s for your own good.”
In Linux, you are a citizen.
In NetBSD, you are sovereign.
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