@stefano@bsd.cafe avatar stefano , to random

As the @bsdcan lists of talks and tutorials have been posted, I can officially announce my presentation:

Don't Freeze in the Cloud: Reclaiming Home Control with NetBSD

In 2010, I was taking more flights than cups of coffee. After a two-week trip, I returned home to a nasty, albeit expected, surprise: an indoor temperature of 7.8°C (46 F). Possessing more time than money, I decided to solve the problem my own way. I built a custom Python-based control system, accessible only via VPN, to manage my heating.

In 2015, after moving houses, this system was demoted to a secondary role, replaced by a shiny, commercial "smart" thermostat. However, I continued to maintain and update my custom solution for fun.

Fast forward to October 2025: major cloud providers faced significant outages. My commercial thermostat became dumber than a mechanical switch. I was reduced to manual two-hour overrides, with no visibility into settings or usage. It was a wake-up call: keeping my home warm should not depend on someone else's server.

I dusted off my solution and adapted it to modern needs - powered, of course, by NetBSD, running on the very same hardware that served my previous home for years.

In this talk, I will share the journey, the technical challenges, and the architectural decisions behind the project. I will demonstrate how NetBSD’s stability and low footprint make it the ideal operating system for long-term, "set-and-forget" home automation, allowing us to reclaim control from the cloud.

@bsdtv@bsd.network avatar bsdtv , to random

The @bsdcan list of talks and tutorials has been posted:
https://blog.bsdcan.org/blog/

@stefano@bsd.cafe avatar stefano , to random

RE: https://mastodon.social/@pitrh/115509098143295810

The BSD conferences are magical. The atmosphere is friendly. It's a family - a good one - with different views but a common goal: making great things, making smart choices in a positive environment.

@stefano@bsd.cafe avatar stefano , to random

I Solve Problems!

A speaker (me) stands in front of a classroom-style lecture hall giving a presentation - the current slide is titled "Solving Problems" - BSDCan in Ottawa on 13 June 2025. The slide emphasizes practical solutions over trendy technologies, stating that clients value stability and reliability more than whether a service runs on Docker, Podman, Linux, or BSD. Several audience members are seated, some with laptops and drinks, attentively listening. The room has a large projection screen, wooden paneling, and a chalkboard.
ALT
@stefano@bsd.cafe avatar stefano , to random

I had so much fun presenting my talk!
Thank you, !

@dexter@bsd.network avatar dexter , to random

I’m going to beat up on

Not because of the tragedy of sysjail (which I funded)

Not for “just enough file system to load your PF ruleset”

Not for discontinuing CDs and STICKERS…

BUT FOR AN UBERTRAGIC LACK OF @bsdcan TALK SUBMISSIONS!

Some of the single greatest talks have been OpenBSD ones!

Let’s go Fish Linux!

Puffy4Evah!