Unpopular opinion: The constant churn of OPNsense UI changes hurts more than it helps

Alright, I’ll say it: OPNsense’s UI “improvements” feel less like progress and more like a game of find-the-settings every six months. I know the argument—modernization, accessibility, keeping things fresh. But for a firewall/router distro aimed at professionals and enthusiasts, consistency is a feature, not a bug.

Every major update seems to shuffle menu items, rename sections, or move critical configuration panels. The shift to the new dashboard widgets? Fine. But then the navigation tree gets reorganized, and suddenly I’m hunting for the captive portal settings that were under “Services” last year but are now tucked under “Authentication” with a different label. It’s death by a thousand paper cuts for muscle memory.

This isn’t just about my personal annoyance. It has real impact:
* Onboarding new team members becomes harder because documentation and forum answers from a year ago reference paths that no longer exist.
* It increases the risk of misconfiguration during urgent changes because you’re navigating an unfamiliar layout under pressure.
* It feels like development resources are being spent on change for change’s sake, rather than on deepening core functionality or stability.

I get that pfSense’s UI is dated. But its stubborn consistency is a silent virtue. You can leave it for a year, come back, and everything is where you left it. With OPNsense, I half-expect to log in and find the firewall rules have moved to a pop-up accessed by clicking a hidden pixel in the corner.

Is relentless UI churn really the best use of the project’s energy? Or are we sacrificing operational confidence for the sake of a slightly shinier interface?

Just stirring the pot