The new republic server is running FeeeBSD 11.2. I haven't worked
with FreeBSD in a long while and I'm enjoying getting my hands dirty
again - I used to run my personal email server on FreeBSD, way back
on version 6 (or thereabouts). I later migrated my server to Debian
where it has run for years, although my last upgrade just a few
months ago was to Devuan, as I could not stomach a switch to
systemd.
Why the original move to Debian? At the time I was moving from a
more expensive hosting provider to a cheaper one, and in looking
around it was obvious that Linux had become the standard low-budget
offering. Debian has always been my favorite GNU/Linux distro, so I
suppose at the time that choice was the path of least resistance.
And while I still admire Debian and use it in non-systemd form, I
appreciate the little things with FreeBSD that make my life as a
sysadmin easier. The periodic, automated emails that document
system security and health. Complete documentation. Sensible
defaults that don't go too far - Debian for example has a propensity
to modify upstream software configuration to the extreme by breaking
up monolithic configurations into little bits. Exim on Debian is the
poster-child of the guess-which-config-file-you-have-to-edit-next
game.
An update on the republic server - Solderpunk and I have
inter-server email working now, as well as an irc network, both over
enforced TLS. Next will be the bbs integration, but republic may be
live for new user signups before that is done.
