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VERDICT

Should I use Drew DeVault?

Talks - drewdevault.com

Skip. This is Drew DeVault's personal blog, not a product — there is nothing to buy, deploy, or support. Read it for opinionated takes on Linux, security, and FOSS; shop elsewhere for actual tools.

Confidence

High. Based on 40+ public sources; page identified as a personal blog, not a purchasable product.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depthBlog; no product features.
  • Support qualityPersonal site; no support channel.
  • Security postureNo product surface; incident was SourceHut's.

Pricing

Not disclosed

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Developers tracking Linux and systems debates
  • SourceHut, sway, and aerc users
  • Readers who like contrarian FOSS takes

Not for

  • Anyone shopping for software to buy
  • Teams needing vendor support or SLAs
  • Buyers comparing tools by category

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Content is opinion; verify against primary docs before technical decisions.

medium

Owner's forge service.ht disclosed a security incident in November 2021.

low

A /security page appears in search results but returns 404.

low

Comment threads around the author are often contentious.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free technical writing on Linux, security, and tooling
  • Author ships real projects: SourceHut, sway, aerc, Hare
  • Long-running presence on kernel list, HN, and Lobsters
  • Covers supply-chain security and CVEs in depth

Cons

  • Not a product: no support, pricing, or roadmap
  • Polarizing opinions spark regular controversy
  • Claims are personal views, not vendor documentation
  • Project involvement shifts; stepped down from wayland leadership

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/01/2026 - 8 sources - No vulnerabilities tied to the blog itself; the author's SourceHut service disclosed a 2021 hg.sr.ht incident.

official x3review x2security x2news x1
  • hg.sr.ht security incident (2021), SourceHut, the software forge founded by the site's author, disclosed an incident on its Mercurial hosting service in November 2021. Unrelated to the blog itself.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Not disclosed

    Starting price

  • 8

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free content, nothing to buy.
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Plain blog with RSS feed.
  • Feature depth. Blog; no product features.
  • Support quality. Personal site; no support channel.
  • Security posture. No product surface; incident was SourceHut's.
  • $0 Cost Free personal blog
  • 2016 Active since Earliest posts found in evidence
  • 2019 FOSS full-time Author announced going full-time Jan 2019

Pricing

Free tier: Yes

Security

No vulnerabilities tied to the blog itself; the author's SourceHut service disclosed a 2021 hg.sr.ht incident.

  • hg.sr.ht security incident (2021)SourceHut, the software forge founded by the site's author, disclosed an incident on its Mercurial hosting service in November 2021. Unrelated to the blog itself.⁶

What users say

Commenters across Reddit and HN treat the author as a prominent, polarizing FOSS figure — not as a vendor.

“Drew DeVault attacks RMS. Both of them suck.”
Reddit, r/linuxsucks
Full analysis

Based on 40+ public sources; page identified as a personal blog, not a purchasable product.

Personal blog, not software: opinionated FOSS writing from the SourceHut founder. Nothing to buy, deploy, or support.

Methodology

Based on 40+ public sources; page identified as a personal blog, not a purchasable product.

Sources

  1. Drew DeVault's blogdrewdevault.com
    official
  2. About Drew DeVaultdrewdevault.com
    official
  3. I'm going to work full-time on free softwaredrewdevault.com
    official
  4. Drew DeVault attacks RMS. Both of them suck.reddit.com
    review
  5. Drew DeVault's take on rewriting everything in Rustreddit.com
    review
  6. hg.sr.ht security incident 2021-11-16man.sr.ht
    security
  7. Product security page (404)drewdevault.com
    security
  8. Linux-Kernel Archive by authorlkml.iu.edu
    news

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