Project Goals

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Obviously, each developer working on OpenBSD has their own aims and priorities, but it is possible to classify the goals we all share:

• Provide the best development platform possible. Provide full source access to developers and users, including the ability to look at CVS tree changes directly. Users can even look at our source tree and changes directly on the web!

• Integrate good code from any source with acceptable copyright (Berkeley style preferred, GPL acceptable, NDA not). We want to make available source code that anyone can use for ANY PURPOSE, with no restrictions. We strive to make our software robust and secure, and encourage companies to use whichever pieces they want to. There are commercial spin-offs of OpenBSD.

• Pay attention to security problems and fix them before anyone else does. (Try to be the #1 most secure operating system).

• Greater integration of cryptographic software. This means IPsec, IPv6, key engines, Kerberos, free-AFS, and other forms of strong crypto or crypto-using systems. OpenBSD is developed and released from Canada and due to Canadian law it is legal to export crypto to the world. (As researched by a Canadian individual and as documented in the Export Control list of Canada). OpenBSD developers are doing active research and development on IPsec and the Photuris key engine.

• Track and implement standards (ANSI, POSIX, parts of X/Open, etc.)

• Work towards a very machine independent source tree. Support as many different systems and hardware as feasible.

• Be as politics-free as possible; solutions should be decided on the basis of technical merit.

• Do not let serious problems sit unsolved.

• Provide a good cross compile/development platform.

• Import external packages with minimal modifications - making upgrading much easier. Also to submit back to the developers any changes made.

• Make a CDROM-based release approximately every six months, in particular to fund the project...

It is also possible to donate funds or hardware, in which case your name ends up on our Donations page. For more information on this contact Theo de Raadt or simply send a donation cheque in Canadian or US funds to:

OpenBSD
812 23rd Ave SE
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
T2G 1N8
(Make the cheque out to "Theo de Raadt", since I cannot cash cheques made out to "OpenBSD".)

Additionally, it is now possible to donate money to the project online by sending funds to obsdpaypal@openbsd.org via paypal.

While donations are not US tax deductible as charitable contribution, they may be deductible as an operating expense, and if someone is so inclined, they should ask for the advice of their accountant. The same applies to other countries, where corporations can make deductable donations under the terms of "Good Will".

In the beginning, Theo de Raadt spent more than $30,000 (CDN) to start OpenBSD, mostly due to expensive networking costs in Canada (due to USA crypto policies, it is not possible to move the project to the USA). Thus far, no serious funding or cost-sharing of the project has come from any company or educational institution. Theo works full-time on improving OpenBSD, and much of the project's funds are spent to buy developers new hardware so that they can continue to improve OpenBSD (for example, more than 20 new kinds of Ethernet cards have showed up on the market since OpenBSD was started). Thus, funding is needed at all times. Continued donations from our user base are what will ensure that OpenBSD continues to exist.

Where do our developers live?