GhostBSD ditches Xorg for XLibre as Red Hat's Wayland push leaves X11 fans out in the cold

GhostBSD, the user-friendly desktop distribution of FreeBSD, is making a significant technical shift by abandoning the traditional Xorg X11 server in favor of the controversial XLibre fork. This decision, announced by maintainer Eric Turgeon, reflects growing concerns about the future of X11 support in modern Linux desktop environments and the broader implications of Red Hat's push toward Wayland.

The move comes at a critical juncture for desktop Linux and BSD systems. GTK 5, the next major version of the popular widget toolkit used by GNOME, MATE, and other desktop environments, is expected to drop support for X11 entirely. This threatens to leave X11-dependent systems in a precarious position, particularly those that have been slower to adopt Wayland.

Turgeon's decision is driven by multiple factors beyond just GTK 5 compatibility. In his blog post explaining the transition, he expresses frustration with the slow development pace of the MATE desktop environment and concerns about Wayland's aggressive push to replace X11. "I've been concerned about the state of Xorg not making progress," Turgeon wrote. "With the state of MATE and Wayland, I've been cautious and not thrilled at the idea of Wayland trying to kill X11."

The XLibre Controversy

The XLibre project emerged in June 2025 when Enrico Weigelt, operating under his company name Metux IT Consult, announced a fork of the X.org server. This came after years of tension within the X.org community, including Linus Torvalds himself criticizing Weigelt for sharing conspiracy theories. The fork quickly gained momentum, with the X.org developers subsequently reverting dozens of code changes that Weigelt had submitted over the previous year.

Despite the controversy, XLibre has seen steady development. The project's GitHub releases page shows 18 releases to date, with the original xlibre-xserver now at version 25.0.0.21 and the 25.1 branch at 25.1.2. The project maintains an "Are We XLibre Yet?" page listing 13 projects with first-party support and another 33 with third-party support, though there is considerable overlap in these lists.

Red Hat's Indirect Influence

The shift away from X11 is largely driven by Red Hat's strategic decisions rather than any formal mandate. As the dominant corporate backer of many open-source projects, Red Hat's choices have far-reaching consequences. The company's decision to make Wayland the default display server in RHEL and Fedora has effectively set the direction for the broader Linux ecosystem.

This influence operates through indirect channels. When Red Hat decides to focus its engineering resources on Wayland rather than X11, volunteer-driven projects that rely on X11 find themselves understaffed and unable to keep pace with development. This creates a perception of neglect that can become self-fulfilling.

GhostBSD's Unique Position

GhostBSD occupies a special niche in the BSD world. While FreeBSD itself is primarily a server operating system, GhostBSD provides the easiest path for users to experience a graphical FreeBSD desktop. It uses components from its upstream parent but adds its own customizations, making it particularly accessible for Linux users curious about BSD.

The distribution currently offers three desktop environments: the default MATE desktop, a community-led Xfce flavor, and the new Gershwin desktop based on GNUstep components. The move to XLibre aims to ensure long-term support for all three environments as the desktop Linux landscape evolves.

Broader Implications for the BSD Ecosystem

FreeBSD powers a significant portion of internet infrastructure, including Netflix's video streaming servers, but it has historically struggled with desktop usability. GhostBSD's visibility far exceeds its user base, making its technical decisions particularly influential within the BSD community.

The switch to XLibre represents more than just a technical preference—it's a statement about the future of desktop computing on Unix-like systems. By choosing XLibre over FreeBSD's own Xorg port, GhostBSD is betting on a controversial but potentially viable alternative to both traditional X11 and Wayland.

The Politics of Open Source Development

The controversy surrounding XLibre and its creator highlights the complex politics of open-source development. Weigelt's controversial views have made XLibre a polarizing project, with some users avoiding it entirely while others see it as a necessary alternative to Wayland.

This dynamic is reminiscent of other recent controversies in the open-source world, such as the debate over Hyprland's status as a "controversial project" and the discussions around the Ladybird browser. These situations demonstrate how technical decisions in open source are rarely purely technical—they're inevitably influenced by community dynamics, corporate interests, and individual personalities.

What This Means for Users

For current GhostBSD users, the transition to XLibre should be relatively seamless. The new server aims to maintain compatibility with existing X11 applications while providing a path forward as GTK 5 and other modern desktop components move away from X11 support.

However, users should be aware that XLibre remains a controversial project. While it has seen steady development and growing support, its association with Weigelt's controversial positions means it may face ongoing scrutiny and potential challenges.

The Future of Desktop Unix

The GhostBSD decision reflects a broader uncertainty about the future of desktop Unix systems. With GTK 5 threatening to drop X11 support and Wayland still facing adoption challenges, projects like XLibre represent an attempt to preserve the X11 experience while acknowledging the need for modernization.

Whether XLibre can successfully fill this niche remains to be seen. Its growing list of supported projects and steady release cadence suggest momentum, but the controversy surrounding its leadership could limit its adoption in more conservative environments.

For users interested in trying FreeBSD as a desktop OS without committing to installation, alternatives like NomadBSD—a live system that runs directly from a USB key—remain available. However, GhostBSD's decision to embrace XLibre may ultimately determine the viability of X11-based desktop environments on FreeBSD and potentially influence similar decisions across the broader BSD ecosystem.

The move underscores a fundamental truth about open-source development: even the largest corporate backers don't control the ecosystem entirely. While Red Hat's influence is significant, community-driven projects like GhostBSD can still chart their own course, potentially creating alternatives that better serve niche but important user bases.