Edward1978
A Cinnamon desktop for GhostBSD is not simply a matter of installing the desktop environment. We have done that before. It worked, but it did not last. The previous Cinnamon variant created through ghostbsd-build was removed because no one maintained it over time.
If there is renewed interest, the scope must be understood up front.
This effort is not about adding Cinnamon as a package. It is about producing a complete, coherent desktop system. That includes integration, defaults, tooling, and long term stewardship.
At a minimum, the scope includes:
Cinnamon desktop integration as a first class GhostBSD environment
Cohesive theming, layout, and default configuration
Packaging and maintaining XApps to provide a consistent user experience
A user facing update manager built on top of pkg, with proper handling of upgrades
A software center or equivalent frontend for pkg
A first boot and welcome experience for onboarding
Hardware and firmware handling where possible within BSD constraints
In addition, some components from Linux Mint can be adapted, but many cannot be carried over directly. Linux specific tools such as driver managers or snapshot utilities must be replaced with BSD-native implementations. In particular, ZFS should be treated as a core capability rather than an afterthought.
All of this must be integrated through ghostbsd-build as a reproducible desktop artifact, not as an accumulation of packages.
The most important requirement is ownership. A Cinnamon edition requires an active maintainer responsible for its quality, integration, and updates. Without that, it will degrade and be removed again.
If someone from the GhostBSD community, like yourself, is willing to take that responsibility, the path is open. However, the GhostBSD project should not be expected to support this, as it would take time away from current priorities.
