> The reason why it's so controversial is because OpenBSD doesn't actually enable any services by default except for ssh
Sounds reasonable. Why is it controversial? Enabling stuff by default is not only in bad taste, it is also insecure.
Sounds reasonable. Why is it controversial? Enabling stuff by default is not only in bad taste, it is also insecure.
Many Linux distros also don't enable services at boot, and use OpenBSD's SSH client/server. They would essentially be just "as secure" out of the box as OpenBSD is, with the exception of RCE vulnerabilities in the TCP/IP stack of Linux itself, which are about as uncommon as those in OpenBSD itself.
Giving you a minimal install base is a nice touch, and I greatly prefer it myself. I do not see it as a great security feature, however, since almost (not all, but almost) everyone will immediately install or configure additional services.
OS security should be about mitigating exploits and protecting that other software you're running. OpenBSD does do other things to increase security. I just think their tagline is a touch deceptive.