Thoughts on Omarchy: Slick Distro, Complicated Ethics
10 hours ago
- #Omarchy
- #Linux
- #Hyprland
- Omarchy is a modern, opinionated Linux distro developed by David Heinemeier Hansson (dhh), targeting developers transitioning from MacOS.
- The distro includes non-default apps like Chromium, 1Password, Signal, and ChatGPT, reflecting dhh's personal preferences.
- Omarchy uses Hyprland, a tiling window manager, aiming to make it more mainstream but still requires technical know-how for configuration.
- The installation process is opinionated, including deleting the entire drive and not supporting torrent downloads, which can be problematic.
- Omarchy includes proprietary software like Obsidian and Typora, diverging from traditional FOSS principles.
- The distro is well-documented and praised for simplifying Hyprland setup, making it appealing for experienced developers.
- dhh's controversial political views have sparked ethical concerns, making Omarchy a divisive choice in the Linux community.
- Omarchy targets high-end Apple hardware users, offering support for older MacBook Pros no longer supported by Apple.
- The distro's association with divisive politics and figures adds a layer of ethical consideration beyond technical merits.
- Alternatives like Pop!_OS with COSMIC are mentioned as less controversial options in the Linux ecosystem.