d@nny disc@hipsterelectron@circumstances.run
Oct 14, 2026, 4:24 PM@aud strongly recommend starting with netbsd rust broke my heart
Replies
Oct 14, 2026, 4:25 PM@hipsterelectron yeah, I am *incredibly* disappointed with rust the language (specifically, the libertarian shitheads in charge of it), even though there are various projects in rust that I think are neat
- d@nny disc@hipsterelectron@circumstances.runOct 14, 2026, 4:25 PM
@aud yeah i used to work on several of them
- Oct 14, 2026, 4:27 PM
@hipsterelectron Apparently netBSD doesn't have support for the wifi card in the laptop I installed yesterday, so I'm wondering if I have the time/energy/spoons/capability to learn how to port? the drivers from Linux (assuming license compatibility) for it...
tusharherotusharhero@mathstodon.xyzOct 14, 2026, 4:28 PM@aud @hipsterelectron there is a very high probability that that the drivers are nonfree binary blobs.
- Oct 14, 2026, 4:32 PM
@tusharhero @hipsterelectron ugggghhhh
well, the specific card is, I think, an Intel AX200 (or something in that series). looks like those have been in-tree in the linux kernel since 5.2; that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't nonfree binary blobs, though (could just be shim code wrapped around a blob, etc).
well, now I suppose I'm wondering if I have the time/energy/spoons/capability to start learning how to reverse engineer hardware. I've wanted to learn, for a long time... 
Vmiss_rodent@girlcock.clubOct 14, 2026, 4:42 PM@aud @tusharhero @hipsterelectron trying to port the open or freebsd iwx driver might be an easier place to start; https://man.openbsd.org/iwx.4
- Oct 14, 2026, 4:44 PM
@miss_rodent @tusharhero @hipsterelectron oh, well, shit, look at that!
Yeah, that would probably be a *much* easier place to start, and allow me to become familiar with debugging kernel interfaces and build systems without having to fucking learn hardware right outta the gate. Thank you.
Just gotta find the time/energy, now... - d@nny disc@hipsterelectron@circumstances.runOct 14, 2026, 4:48 PM
@miss_rodent @aud @tusharhero you are such a real hacker and i mean that
- Vmiss_rodent@girlcock.clubOct 14, 2026, 4:53 PM
@hipsterelectron @aud @tusharhero lol, thank you ^^;
- d@nny disc@hipsterelectron@circumstances.runOct 14, 2026, 4:28 PM
@aud if it's mediatek i might be able to help i patched in their shit to my ubuntu kernel several years back
- Oct 14, 2026, 4:33 PM
@hipsterelectron Intel, in this case; oddly enough I don't think I have any realtek cards... which is kind of surprising since I felt like, for a long time, I couldn't get away from the damn things.
- d@nny disc@hipsterelectron@circumstances.runOct 14, 2026, 4:37 PM
@aud i have a realtek ethernet chip and a mediatek wifi chip and apparently these are distinct corporations
- Oct 14, 2026, 4:26 PM
@hipsterelectron (Very excited to be learning some Zig though, which, oh wow, the build system was built with caching in mind? fucking wiiiiiiild)
- d@nny disc@hipsterelectron@circumstances.runOct 14, 2026, 4:28 PM
@aud we invented caching in pants and the zig build system is the single thing that turns me off to it but if you like it that will be a mark in its favor i'm just doing my own instead
- Oct 14, 2026, 4:29 PM
@hipsterelectron oh, I have no idea how it's implemented or works, I just... well, everything you've said cargo and it's shit awful build times and total lack of caching and github dependency seems to *not* be an issue on Zig from what I've looked at thus far (not sure about the github part). That's just a thousand mile "oh look, caching, *wild*" comment, not an endorsement necessarily. I don't have enough experience or info to really have an opinion on it yet 😅
- d@nny disc@hipsterelectron@circumstances.runOct 14, 2026, 4:31 PM
@aud i want you to like it that would make me happy :)
- tusharherotusharhero@mathstodon.xyzOct 14, 2026, 4:28 PM
@hipsterelectron @aud and AFAIK their rumpkernel can be used by others