> I find it just the opposite. I can think of few communities nearly as patient or welcoming to anyone who's earnest and willing to put in the work to learn; true, there's no coddling or hand-holding, and, indeed, it tends to be very direct in calling out foolishness or laziness,

That’s nearly the exact opposite of welcoming newbies.

To be perfectly honest, that’s fine: OpenBSD demands a steep learning curve and that you know what you’re doing.