So anyways, here's the netbsd docs for running the latest release on VAX: https://wiki.netbsd.org/ports/vax/

Obscure retro OS runs on obscure retro hardware you say?

NetBSD isn't a retro OS, nor is it particularly obscure. (For that matter, VAX isn't obscure, though it's very retro.)

Maybe not for hacker news. In the real world, it's plenty obscure. Poll your family at Thanksgiving.

https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/os-netbsd

> NetBSD is used by less than 0.1% of all the websites whose operating system we know.

I would expect the same number of laypeople to know about NetBSD and Debian (zero). Which gets neatly to an argument that I like for this kind of thing: Don't be so quick to throw out the long tail, because you're on it.