Jordan Hubbard, one of the original founders of the FreeBSD project, has released Daemonarchy, an independent port that brings the Linux-based Omarchy desktop to FreeBSD. The project has gone through 10 releases in approximately 10 days and currently sits at version 1.3.1, adapting Omarchy's tools and components as FreeBSD ports collected into an installable ISO image.
Daemonarchy is unaffiliated with the original Linux-based Omarchy. It is a collection of FreeBSD ports of the various tools and components that went into Omarchy, individually adapted to run on FreeBSD and bundled into an installable ISO image.
The Register reports the effort appears to have been prompted by a LinkedIn post from UK IT consultant Sam Sheridan, who criticised the difficulty of configuring a new FreeBSD 15.1 installation with an Nvidia card. A comment from Ralph Kepper in the thread said: "I'm just gonna say it… omarchy for FreeBSD, its the ugly truth and no one likes it but there it is. omarchy will get us the youngsters and if we do it right we will inspire some great minds along the way."
Hubbard, whom The Register first mentioned by name 25 years ago when Wind River bought BSD/OS vendor BSDi, later worked at Apple on the BSD-based Unix layer beneath Mac OS X and in 2015 helped launch the NextBSD project, which was recently restarted. Daemonarchy's GitHub repository contains AGENTS.md and SKILL.md files pointing to Hubbard's Literate AI project, described as "A meta-harness for coding agents to follow proper Software Development Lifecycle practices".
Daemonarchy is based on FreeBSD CURRENT, the development branch that will become FreeBSD 16, planned for December 2027. It currently targets the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro, one of the final generations of Intel-based MacBooks.
The Register has been critical of Omarchy, describing it as a collection of apps and preconfigured settings packaged with the help of LLM bots rather than a coherent Linux distribution, and noting that its update script failed during testing in a virtual machine. It concedes, however, that a FreeBSD version could win FreeBSD new fans, help produce an easy graphical FreeBSD installer, and inform the ongoing debate over AI-assisted code contributions in the FreeBSD project.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Daemonarchy could give FreeBSD a share of the attention Omarchy has attracted, including users migrating from Windows and macOS.
- The porting effort may advance the creation of an easy, graphical FreeBSD installer and a friendlier desktop, lowering the barrier to entry for a BSD system.
- It puts the FreeBSD community's debate over LLM-assisted code into practice: a project co-founder is shipping ports developed with AI coding tools.
Background
Omarchy is a Linux-based collection of applications and preconfigured settings assembled with the help of LLM bots and distributed as a downloadable bundle, rather than a conventional distribution managed with standard package tools. The Register has previously criticised its interface, including windows without title bars that must be closed with a keystroke. Jordan Hubbard was one of the original founders of FreeBSD, later worked at Apple on the BSD-based Unix layer of Mac OS X, and in 2015 helped launch the NextBSD project to modernise FreeBSD, an effort recently restarted with LLM assistance. Daemonarchy adapts Omarchy's components to FreeBSD independently of the Linux original, and its pace reflects heavy use of LLM coding assistants.
Key Perspectives
- Ralph Kepper (commenting on Sam Sheridan's LinkedIn post): urged an Omarchy-style project for FreeBSD, saying "omarchy for FreeBSD, its the ugly truth and no one likes it but there it is. omarchy will get us the youngsters and if we do it right we will inspire some great minds along the way".
- Sam Sheridan (UK IT consultant): criticised the difficulty of configuring a new FreeBSD 15.1 installation with an Nvidia card, in the LinkedIn post that appears to have inspired Daemonarchy.
- The Register: dislikes Omarchy's design and user interface, but says a FreeBSD version could win the project new fans and help create a graphical installer.
What to Watch
- Whether the FreeBSD core team announces a position on AI-assisted contributions; The Register argues a ban now looks unlikely while a co-founder is committing LLM-assisted code.
- Whether Daemonarchy broadens beyond its current target hardware, the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro.
- Progress toward FreeBSD 16, planned for December 2027, which Daemonarchy's CURRENT-based builds will track.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedDaemonarchy is an effort by FreeBSD co-founder Jordan Hubbard to bring Omarchy’s desktop to FreeBSD.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Daemonarchy brings Omarchy's Wayland-based desktop to the BSD world. It's an independent effort by Jordan Hubbard, one of the original founders of the FreeBSD project”
- SupportedDaemonarchy had 10 releases in 10 days.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Remarkably, in approximately 10 days, Daemonarchy has gone through 10 releases.”
- Partly supportedDaemonarchy was built with help from LLM coding assistants.www.theregister.com - Articles: “As you might surmise from 18 new FreeBSD ports of Linux tools in a month, as well as from ten releases of the new OS bundle in as many days, Hubbard too is using LLMs to assist in this rapid development process”
- SupportedJordan Hubbard is one of the original founders of FreeBSD and released Daemonarchy.www.theregister.com - Articles: “It's an independent effort by Jordan Hubbard, one of the original founders of the FreeBSD project”
- SupportedDaemonarchy is unaffiliated with the original Linux-based Omarchy.www.theregister.com - Articles: “it's unaffiliated with the original Linux-based Omarchy.”
- SupportedDaemonarchy is a collection of FreeBSD ports of Omarchy’s tools and components, adapted for FreeBSD and collected into an installable ISO image.www.theregister.com - Articles: “It's a collection of FreeBSD ports of the various tools and components that went into Omarchy, individually adapted to run on FreeBSD, and collected together into an installable ISO image.”
- SupportedDaemonarchy’s current release is version 1.3.1.www.theregister.com - Articles: “The current release is version 1.3.1.”
- SupportedThe Register says the effort appears to have been prompted by a LinkedIn post from UK IT consultant Sam Sheridan about configuring FreeBSD 15.1 with an Nvidia card.www.theregister.com - Articles: “It looks like the germ of inspiration was a LinkedIn post by UK IT consultant Sam Sheridan, in which he criticized the difficulty of configuring a new installation of FreeBSD 15.1 with an Nvidia card.”
- SupportedRalph Kepper wrote: “I'm just gonna say it… omarchy for FreeBSD, its the ugly truth and no one likes it but there it is. omarchy will get us the youngsters and if we do it right we will inspire some great minds along the way.”www.theregister.com - Articles: “Sheridan's LinkedIn post provoked a comment from Ralph Kepper saying "I'm just gonna say it… omarchy for FreeBSD, its the ugly truth and no one likes it but there it is. omarchy will get us the youngsters and if we do it right we will inspire some great minds along the way"”
- SupportedDaemonarchy is based on FreeBSD CURRENT, which will become FreeBSD 16, planned for December 2027.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Daemonarchy is based on FreeBSD CURRENT, which means that it's built on top of what will become FreeBSD 16 – planned for December 2027.”
- SupportedDaemonarchy currently targets the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro, one of the final generations of Intel-based MacBooks.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Currently it targets the MacBookPro16,1, meaning the 2019 models of the 16-inch MacBook Pro – one of the final generations of Intel-based MacBooks.”
- SupportedThe Register says a FreeBSD version of Omarchy might win FreeBSD new fans.www.theregister.com - Articles: “However, Kepper has a point: Omarchy is trendy, and a FreeBSD version – freed of the direct influence of its controversial creator – might win FreeBSD some new fans.”
