# FreeBSD co-founder Jordan Hubbard releases Daemonarchy 1.3.1, a desktop BSD distro

> **Key takeaway:** Jordan Hubbard, co-founder of FreeBSD, has created Daemonarchy, a new desktop-oriented FreeBSD distribution that ports the Omarchy desktop experience to FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT with automated installation and modern Wayland-based graphics.

**Published:** 2026-10-26T17:35:00+00:00 
**Source:** It's FOSS Community News 
**Category:** distro-news 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/freebsd-co-founder-jordan-hubbard-releases-daemonarchy-131-a.html 

## Summary
Daemonarchy is a new FreeBSD-based distribution created by Jordan Hubbard, one of the original founders of FreeBSD in 1993. The project aims to replicate the streamlined installation and polished desktop experience of Omarchy, an Arch Linux-derived distribution, on top of FreeBSD's foundation. Version 1.3.1 was released recently as an ISO image under 2 GiB, featuring an installer that handles disk partitioning, ZFS setup with optional encryption, and automated package downloads requiring an internet connection during installation.

The distribution runs on FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT with the Omarchy desktop environment ported over, using Wayland and Hyprland for display and window management. A compatibility layer translates pacman commands to FreeBSD's pkg system, while wpa_supplicant handles Wi-Fi configuration and PipeWire manages audio. The project was initially assembled with assistance from OpenAI's GPT Astra 6 model in under two hours, though subsequent Poudriere builds and port submissions to FreeBSD's upstream ports tree extended development time.

## Daemonarchy architecture and FreeBSD integration
- **Base system:** Runs on FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT, with each ISO pinned to a specific daily snapshot due to CURRENT's rolling development nature.
- **Storage and filesystem:** Requires minimum 40 GB storage; installs to ZFS with rollback capability and optional encryption, supporting whole-disk or partition-based installation without filesystem shrinking.
- **Desktop stack:** Ports Omarchy's desktop with Wayland and Hyprland, adapted for FreeBSD with project-specific wallpaper, wordmark, and login theme assets.
- **Compatibility layer:** Maps pacman package manager syntax to FreeBSD pkg, substitutes wpa_supplicant for NetworkManager in the Wi-Fi panel, and uses PipeWire for audio handling.
- **Virtualization and containment:** Includes Jails for isolated FreeBSD environments and bhyve hypervisor for running Linux and Windows virtual machines; Linuxulator compatibility layer is planned for Linux-only applications after testing.

## Why it matters
Daemonarchy represents a rare attempt to modernize FreeBSD desktop adoption by borrowing from Arch Linux's user-friendly distribution model, potentially attracting Linux users who want ZFS, Jails, or bhyve without abandoning graphical polish. The upstreaming of required ports to FreeBSD's tree benefits the broader BSD ecosystem, while the project's rapid iteration and signed package repository suggest sustained maintenance that could fill a longstanding gap in consumer-oriented BSD distributions.