Future of HelloSystem now that GhostBSD Gershwin exists

[athpanos]

Hello, I have seen you on the GhostBSD Gershwin github and I was wondering if you are planning to continue working on helloSystem or are you going to turn your attention to Gershwin.

[probonopd]

Hello @athpanos. Yes, I've been experimenting with GhostBSD, XLibre, GNUstep, Gershwin, and a few other things lately (and had experimented with LIVEstep before). Whether and what that means for helloSystem hasn't been decided yet. Ideally we find a good way to combine all the good stuff.

[athpanos]

Thank you for answering. I hope helloSystem is not abandoned. We need options, now that Apple is not desirable for us, old Mac users. helloSystem reminds me of my System 7 days. If you can combine ideas from both systems, it is also nice.

[kyleblizzard]

I wonder if hello system / Gershwin and the like is better suited as a desktop environment that’s portable. I think the OS underneath is kind of a moving target. Like, we all know Linux is “better” than BSD for desktop. But we also probably see that Linux is drifting into corporate weirdness over time. I like the idea of building a whole perfect Mac OS influenced system, but I wonder if it’s too much work for a small project. Whereas a DE could be something that lives on and the OS under is swapped out over time. I think the “feel” is a lot of what Hello System really seeks to accomplish, at least that’s my interpretation. On Sep 23, 2025, at 5:03 PM, athpanos ***@***.***> wrote: Thank you for answering. I hope Hellosystem is not abandoned. We need options, now that Apple is not desirable for us old Mac users. Hellosystem reminds me of my System 7 days. If you can combine ideas from both systems, it is also nice. —Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe.You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[probonopd]

Linux as a kernel has wider hardware support. But especially the userland that is running on top of the Linux kernel is, in my opinion, deteriorating quickly. The advantage of FreeBSD is that it is a full(er) operating system and not just a kernel, fewer things are undefined/"moving targets". Should I ever see a real need to use a Linux kernel, I'd try to get the BSD userland on top of it.

[LizziAS]

that would be chimera linux in that csse. they already dping it. uses dinit.

a mac os clone is simple enough on linux. many people have done it to varying degrees. look alikes are easy enough. binary compatible, now theres a stretch that might be a bridge too far... get a mac store that runs on bsd or linux so you can use that software like with a crossover or a wine or the like. that'd be neat and likely get you sued out of existence? hope not. some mac software is nice. most is just redundant.

for a linux destop system that isn't deterioating rapidly, try artix linux. its arch but without systemd, the deteriator. choices for init are openrc, runnit, s6, and my personal fave, dinit. nice forums too btw.

[probonopd]

Thanks @LizziAS. I have a Artix Linux system on a Raspberry Pi 500 (which unfortunately doesn't have good FreeBSD support yet) and I like it.

[LizziAS]

so i am just wondering if this project is still being developed as the iso i just downloaded is from 2023. I tried this b4 with a nomad bsd that hadnt put out an iso in a couple of years and while the iso ran fine trying to update it was a disaster. i'd rather not play with hello if it can't be update either... I'm wanted to like nomad. I'd like to like hello bsd too. Is it still a viable os for my desktop or no please?

[probonopd]

As written above, future versions of helloSystems might possibly switch to Gershwin as the desktop environment, which is quite similar to helloDesktop but based on GNUstep rather than Qt. If you would try out an unreleased developer build, have a look at https://github.com/gershwin-desktop/gershwin-on-freebsd.

[u64x86]

What are your thoughts about Qt and GNUstep, which has more of a future because I'm currently working with my friend on components in Qt (still in a closed form) which also correspond to the Apple HIG and your work greatly inspired me and I think your path was very correct (at least conceptually) Although it requires a lot of resources and effort, do you think GNUstep will get a lot of development?

In fact, I think your project has provided a very important base that no one has tried to implement so far - to make a desktop version of FreeBSD that would not be far from the original while having its own unique approach (at least inspired by Apple), when there is GhostBSD, Nomad and others, but they rather look like Linux-specific players than BSD.. did you think that your project as a foundation could be used by other FreeBSD users as a starting point for desktops, because even for me and many others who use BSD it would be more convenient, obviously, the system is initially more server-based and without such polishing it leads people into confusion when they see that it is the same the same experience as on Linux