The Future of GhostBSD

Robin

I guess I need a little reassurance. I'm reading hints that some big, huge, ginormous changes are in store for future releases of GhostBSD:

Software Station going away
GNUstep/Gershwin desktop

So what I need to know is,

will the Xfce desktop still be available and supported?
will Octopkg replace Software Station or something new?
how will it change the way I interface with GhostBSD?
what else will all these changes mean for us mere mortals?

It's pretty awesome just the way it is! The only thing I would change is making it easier to add a printer!

Thanks in advance

brianthehughes

I think people often read too much into experimentation.

GhostBSD 25.* R14.3 is being prepared right now. In all classic MATE glory.

I am excited to see the team collaborating with other developers.

Calm down internet. Let them cook.

vimanuelt

Brian is correct. This is an experiment. When experienced engineers join together to explore ideas, experimentation naturally occurs. In one sense, we seek to determine whether preparation is possible for major transformations within the free and open-source software landscape. We consider the potential decline or disappearance of Gtk and Qt. It is pleasing to observe that the GhostBSD project has begun to examine alternatives. It is preferable to explore proactively rather than depend entirely upon upstream developments. This new desktop initiative is, in my view, both a measure of disaster readiness and a revival of neglected technologies presented in a contemporary form.

We cannot predict the outcome. Therefore, your concerns are understood. However, serious innovation requires time. It is not realized within a single moment. Development may span months or years. Much depends on whether the team will remain committed and focused on the purpose.

At the present stage, I am creating a proof of concept. Its purpose is to replace Software Station and Update Station. The new application is named App Store. I estimate that full development and testing will require six months. A particular difficulty lies in the fact that I am learning Objective-C while developing the application. The user interface is currently in an early stage. I am experimenting and refining continuously. The objective is not only to replace the existing tools. The aim is to create something superior. At this point, performance has improved tenfold. After completion of the core features, I will proceed to optimize the performance and visual quality.

Even after the application is completed, interest exists in additional functionality. Specifically, there is discussion regarding the inclusion of a feature which would permit developers to sell their games and applications through the store. This would be a unique offering for a BSD-based system.

In summary, our intent is not merely to replace outdated tools. Our goal is to introduce innovation. This includes the design of workflows that are more intuitive and accessible for users.

Robin

Very reassuring, @vimanuelt! The team's work will likely help many people well beyond GhostBSD. Thank you for the clarity and for your vision.

ericbsd

@Robin, GTK5 is planned to drop support for the X11 backend. While GTK4 still supports X11, GTK5 will focus on Wayland and is expected to remove the X11 backend entirely. This means that applications built with GTK5 will primarily be designed for Wayland and may not function correctly on systems still relying on X11.

We are looking at the long term, and old contributors have rejoined, and we are considering creating something specifically for FreeBSD/GhostBSD. GNUStep is interesting, and we believe that with a bit of time, we can achieve the same level of functionality as GTK. There is also the part that GNUStep is interested in, Gershwin. They have accepted changes to improve things for Gershwin.

hank2121

ericbsd well, a lot of this sounds promising and if it s a stable alternative for long perspective, why not.
If there s some kind of menue structure, like with Xfce or Mate as well, then I d support this. I just don t want to end confused, like on Apple systems or tile-based stuff like this Ubuntu nightmare etc. ;-)

vimanuelt

I apologize for the earlier misstatement. The correct phrasing should have been: “Its purpose is to serve as an alternative to Software Station and Update Station, if and when the need arises in the future.” The intent is to future-proof GhostBSD against potential external developments that could impact the project.

Also, the objective is not to replace the existing tool outright as I mentioned, but to provide an alternative should the need arise; such as in the event that Gtk becomes unavailable in the future.

Robin

I briefly looked at octopkg for comparison, and it doesn't even compare with Software Station. With all this innovation happening here I'm really glad I found GhostBSD and plan to stick around and see it all happen. Like probably most people I tend to resist change, but choice I'm all about.

Thanks again!

ericbsd

Robin Like probably most people I tend to resist change

I am on the same boat.

Robin

Here is my latest rant on the subject. I am not only reassured, but delighted with the forward-thinking. Most devs just handle damage control when upstream apps make big changes or die on the vine. But our devs are steering us clear of danger in advance. It's fantastic!