Openrsync: An implementation of rsync, by the OpenBSD team

A new file-copying tool called openrsync has landed inside OpenBSD, the famously security-obsessed operating system, and on paper this is a pretty straightforward software release: it’s a fresh implementation of rsync, the long-loved tool people use to sync files between computers. It uses a very permissive BSD-style license, works with modern rsync, and is meant to be simple to install alongside the original. But in the comments? Oh, this stopped being about file syncing almost immediately.

The loudest cheers came from the “no slop” crowd, who treated openrsync like a detox cleanse for modern software. One commenter literally called it the “No-slop version for the sane of us,” while another said avoiding AI-infused software is becoming a bizarre game of reverse whack-a-mole, complete with popcorn-ready spectators. Even a missing feature debate got folded into that vibe: one user noted older OpenBSD versions lacked options like exclude and compression, then shrugged that avoiding “slop” is getting harder anyway because now even email software is apparently getting little bits of AI.

Then came the naming and ideology fight. Why call it openrsync when rsync was already open source? One commenter side-eyed the branding and wondered if this was really just about a more permissive license. Another shifted the heat to security, pointing out that OpenBSD’s special protections are a huge part of the project’s identity, and without them, porting it elsewhere gets a lot more nerve-racking. In other words: the software launch was calm, but the community turned it into a delicious mix of purity test, naming drama, and anti-AI panic with a side of nerdy suspicion.