March 12, 2025

 

 

News – February 2025

Welcome to the February 2025 Newsletter!
February may be a short month, but it was packed with progress on our software development initiatives and FreeBSD advocacy efforts. Check out our update on the Foundation-sponsored RAID-Z Expansion Project and see how its flexible storage helps users. Get the latest news on the June 2025 FreeBSD Developer Summit and BSDCan 2025, and learn what’s new with the Laptop Support and Usability Project. A big thank you to everyone who donated this month—your support keeps FreeBSD moving forward!

 

The FreeBSD Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the FreeBSD Project. Funding through donations purchases hardware, funds projects, and supports advocacy efforts for the long-term viability of the project.

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OpenZFS RAID-Z Expansion: A New Era in Storage Flexibility

ZFS has proven itself to be a reliable and trustworthy filesystem over many years of use. Its RAID-Z level, an advanced form of RAID-5, had a major flaw in its initial implementation: users couldn’t add disks to a RAID-Z array. There was no easy way to expand it after initial creation, which meant creating a new array and copying data. Now FreeBSD has implemented the solution with the addition of RAID-Z expansion.

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BSDCan 2025 Travel Grants and FreeBSD Developer Summit CFP

The Travel Grant Application for the FreeBSD Developer Summit/BSDCan 2025 is now open. The Foundation can help you attend BSDCan and the Dev Summit through our travel grant program. Travel grants are available to FreeBSD developers and advocates who need assistance with travel expenses for attending conferences related to FreeBSD development. 

Co-located with BSDCan in Ottawa, Canada, the June 2025 FreeBSD Developer Summit will feature presentations and working group sessions focused on advancing FreeBSD. Join us June 11-12 to shape the future of FreeBSD! This is a great opportunity to collaborate with fellow developers and contribute to the growth of the FreeBSD community. 

Check out the Application
Read the Call for Proposals

January 2025 Laptop Support and Usability Project Update

The FreeBSD Foundation’s January 2025 report on the Laptop Support and Usability Project is now on GitHub. Key updates include work on power management for better battery life, development of faster WiFi support, and progress on USB webcam integration. Full details are available in the GitHub repository.

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FreeBSD Status Report Fourth Quarter 2024

The fourth and final 2024 status report, containing 44 entries, highlights an exceptionally successful and productive year for the community. Despite the typical end-of-year slowdown, significant progress and deliverables were achieved across various projects. 

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FreeBSD User Stories

Case Study: How FreeBSD Fuels NYI’s Success as a Managed Infrastructure Services Provider

This case study examines how NYI has successfully leveraged FreeBSD’s open source flexibility and performance over a twenty-five year period, enjoying deep levels of control, security and accountability. The analysis includes NYI’s early adoption of FreeBSD as a foundation for its infrastructure, the ongoing use of FreeBSD in the running of internal NYI systems and managed services, and the evolution of the strategic partnership with the FreeBSD Project.

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Upcoming 2025 Events

CHERI Blossoms Conference 2025, Cambridge, UK (April 2)

June 2025 FreeBSD Developer Summit, Ottawa, Canada (June 11-12)

BSDCan 2025, Ottawa, Canada (June 11-14)

EuroBSDCon 2025, Zagreb, Croatia (September 25-28)