 GhostBSD 18.10 (October 2018) with MATE | |
| Developer | Eric Turgeon and GhostBSD Team |
|---|---|
| OS family | Unix-like (BSD) |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Open source |
| Latest release | 24.07.3 / September 12, 2024; 6 months ago (2024-09-12) |
| Repository | |
| Platforms | amd64 |
| Kernel type | MonolithicFreeBSD kernel |
| Default user interface | MATE andXfce |
| License | FreeBSD license |
| Official website | www |
GhostBSD is aUnix-likeoperating system based onFreeBSD forx86-64, withMATE (previouslyGNOME) as its defaultdesktop environment and anXfce-desktop community based edition. It aims to be easy to install, ready-to-use and easy to use. The project goal is to combinesecurity,privacy, stability,usability,openness,freedom and to befree of charge.
Prior to GhostBSD 18.10, the project was based on FreeBSD. In May 2018 it was announced that future versions of the operating system would be based onTrueOS.[1][2] In 2020, with the discontinuation of TrueOS, GhostBSD switched back to FreeBSD.[3]
| GhostBSD version | Release date | FreeBSD version | Desktop environments | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0[4] | March 2010 | 8.0 | GNOME 2.28 | First general availability release[5] |
| 1.5 | ? | 8.1 | GNOME 2.30 | IntroducedCompiz support. (This version was also distributed with the January 2011 issue of the German magazinefreeX, which also featured an article about the new OS.) |
| 2.0 | March 13, 2011 | 8.2 | ? | Improvements toGDM et al. |
| 2.5[6][7] | January 24, 2012 | 9.0 | ? | Choice of preconfiguredGNOME orLXDE desktop[8] |
| 3.0 | March 10, 2013 | 9.1 | ? | The last release to deploy the GNOME 2 desktop environment |
| 3.1 | June 28, 2013 | ? | ? | Apoint release primarily to fix bugs |
| 3.5[9] | November 7, 2013 | ? | LibreOffice exchanged forApache OpenOffice 4.[10] | |
| 4.0[11] | October 4, 2014 | 10.0 | ? | Various new features[12] |
| 10.1[13] | September 13, 2015 | 10.1 | ? | Software additions[14] |
| 10.3 | August 31, 2016 | 10.3 | ? | ZFS support, UEFI support, ...[15] |
| 11.1[16] | November 16, 2017 | 11.1 | MATE 1.18 Xfce 4.12 | GhostBSD Software repositories, dropped i386 support, WhiskerMenu as default menu (Xfce)[17] |
From GhostBSD 18.10 to 21.01.20, the project moved its base fromFreeBSD toTrueOS. Following are TrueOS-based GhostBSD releases.
| GhostBSD version | Release Date | Desktop Environment | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18.10[18][19] | November 1, 2018 | MATE 1.20 | First release based on TrueOS |
| 19.04[20] | April 13, 2019 | MATE 1.22 andXFCE | |
| 19.09[21] | September 16, 2019 | MATE and Xfce | Moved from TrueOS CURRENT to STABLE |
| 19.10[22] | October 26, 2019 | ||
| 20.01[23] | January 22, 2020 | ||
| 20.03 | March 31, 2020 | ||
| 20.04[24] | August 10, 2020 | MATE 1.24 andXfce | |
| 21.01.20[25] | January 23, 2021 |
Beginning from GhostBSD 21.04.27, the project has moved its base back toFreeBSD.
| GhostBSD version | Release Date | Desktop Environment | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21.04.27 | April 29, 2021 | GhostBSD is now based on FreeBSD 13.0-STABLE | |
| 21.5.11[26] | May 11, 2021 | ||
| 21.09.06[27] | September 7, 2021 | Switch fromOpenRC to FreeBSD rc.d | |
| 21.09.08[28] | September 9, 2021 | ||
| 22.06.15 | June 18, 2022 | ||
| 22.06.18[29] | June 20, 2022 | ||
| 23.06.01 | June 5, 2023 | ||
| 23.10.01[30] | October 28, 2023 | MATE 1.26.0 | |
| 24.01.01 | February 13, 2024 | Based on FreeBSD 14.0-STABLE | |
| 24.04.1[31] | May 20, 2024 | MATE 1.28.1 | Based on FreeBSD 14.0-STABLE |
GhostBSD was originally licensed under the 3-clauseBSD license ("Revised BSD License", "New BSD License", or "Modified BSD License")
In 2014 Eric Turgeon re-licensed GhostBSD under 2-clause license ("Simplified BSD License" or "FreeBSD License"). GhostBSD contains someGPL-licensed software.
The following are the recommended requirements.
Jim Salter ofArs Technica concluded that GhostBSD was "... perfectly reasonable choice for a desktop distribution." However,Google Chrome support was unlikely to come anytime soon. Without a specific desire for runningBSD he wouldn't recommend the operating system instead of a more mainstreamLinux distribution.[32]
