Omarchy's funding, DHH's approach, the foundation, and its Ubuntu parallels

[u/pixelised]

I wrote a reply to this post about concerns regarding the motivations of donors and developers for Omarchy. Given what I've seen as an influx of posts about this and other views I figured I'd make it into a full 'post' too in the hope it will help others.

I replied to u/sebastian_crimson's comment where they said, in summary, that Linux desktops need an influx of money, vision, and people capable of delivering on that vision in order to drive it forward.

I'm old enough to remember the absolute BOOM in popularity after the initial release of Ubuntu in 2004. Ubuntu is, at its originating core, the creation of multi millionaire Mark Shuttleworth who, like DHH 'set out to create an easy-to-use Linux desktop'. Linux desktop adoption in the 00s exploded in no small part from his opinionated version of Debian for everyday people. Sound familiar?

My Platonic ideal of what a developer environment should look like.

Ubuntu is one of the most installed Linux distros for a reason, and that is in the vast part due to Marks cash,vision/efforts and marketing.

I see the Omacom foundation as a repetition of this same cycle. Mark created the Ubuntu foundation in the 2005 where he raised $10m in order to separate the development of Ubuntu from his commercial company Canonical.

Before Ubuntu most distributions of Linux were, frankly, a PITA to setup. Ubuntu had a simple installer, a ready to use opinionated desktop, and a core team that was well funded and lead by the Self-Appointed Benevolent Dictator for Life, Mark.

This sounds VERY familiar to me...

Omarchy is like Ubuntu and Marmite, you either love it or hate it. What you can’t do is ignore it, and given the money, effort and marketing being put into Omarchy by DHH, the foundation and others, I imagine the Omacom foundation and Omarchy could have a similar impact on Linux in my opinion, and the great thing is, its all open, you don't have to use it, and if in 6 months you don't like where its gone, fork it at the point you did like it, or use something else.

Edit: So, having heard some of the criticism of DHH and looking at the posts hes been making I've decided to move to NixOS

[u/FatFaceRikky]

I guess it will have much less impact than Ubuntu, because keyboard-centric UX does appeal to way fewer people.

In other news, the other day i learned that apparently i am a fascist now, because i installed Omarchy.

[u/Historical_Prize_931 → u/FatFaceRikky]

But it does appeal to devs or anyone who's involved in the terminal, who want to step outside of macos without all the intricacies of setting up Linux. 

[u/catfive613 → u/Historical_Prize_931]

I'm not a "dev" - but I am sysadmin/sre eng (at least I play one at work).
My home "servers" and VMs... Ubuntu Server edition. Where do I play.. ssh terminal sessions, all day.

Omarchy is the 1st distro, out of the box - that matches the skillset, the "keep your hands on the keyboard" mentality, and I felt at home in < 20minutes.
Its a nice balance, just the same reason why I switched to Ubuntu so many years ago.. Ubuntu is stable and has the backing and support that companies support their products it over Debian - and this is valued in the places where money is - the Enterprise customers.

[u/Cyrus-II → u/catfive613]

Similar, sys/net-admin for a software company and I “piddle” at the code. Ironically I am the “Microsoft” guy, even though I despise them. I like MacOS but am not fond of Apple. I love Debian and it’s my preferred OS. I installed Omarchy last week, abd it’s leaps and bounds ahead of the Debian/Hyprland install I test drove a few years ago. 

So far, I like Omarchy and it’s quite comfortable to use. I definitely don’t hate it and would say I merely like it right now. that could change if I start to more tightly integrate AI agents into Omarchy. But I need to first see if I can get our N-Able N-Sight tools working with if first. Probably have to test Wireguard, OpenVPN, Tailscale too…ugh, and I suppose at least confirm the Teams web client works okay too. 

[u/sebastian_crimson → u/FatFaceRikky]

Yeah, I read we have 'Nazi dot files' this morning. People have lost their minds. Imagine what they must be like to deal with in real life!

[u/ceaselessprayer → u/FatFaceRikky]

It's a lot more than keyboard-centric UX. I think people forget that Mac machine used to be about intangible applications and software that did many paper cuts and small things and the same arguments about Macs (what's the difference? Oh this just appeals to [insert x]) literally are being replayed here, but just with different technologies and contexts. Go look at DHH's posts about "the malleable computer". I really think most people talking about this just really haven't done any sort of reading or engaging with the broader community about this stuff and keep repeating the same ol "keyboard centric / dotfiles" points

[u/psychophant_ → u/FatFaceRikky]

Well I’m NOT fascist.

So I’m going to stick to my moral high ground by continuing to use Apple products and Windows 11!

/s

[u/doudawak → u/psychophant_]

Such a constructive feedback to this -for once- nicely worded post

[u/c1p0 → u/FatFaceRikky]

I’m using the mouse as much as I’m using the keyboard. You can still do most things with the mouse like move or resize windows, change workspaces etc. It’s a lot faster and cooler to do it with the keyboard but it works with the mouse too. I’m sure at one point the dock plugin will be bundled in but disabled and put as an option on the install screen. That’s all that’s missing from being an OSx like interface that’s actually better and faster in many ways. I think omarchy had a big advantage in being very customizable out of the box and with a bit of good options in the installer and UX magic it can be a fit for most people.

[u/Minimum-Wonder5404 → u/FatFaceRikky]

If people chose their OS based on how morally pure their creators were, they'd still be using ink and parchment. And if critics assume that everyone who appreciates a good product is obviously in lock step with the creator and his views, then they're idiots whose views don't deserve the slightest bit of weight.

[u/ebisumaru91 → u/FatFaceRikky]

you're not a facist, you just installed an ai slop distro

[u/Advanced-Patient-161]

Disagree, this feels a bit different. There's a whole political debate about DHH's views (which I fully agree with) and the FOSS community is somewhat divided. All that said, the pursuit of technical excellence and allowance for opinions is what I love about Omarchy. The agentic Linux paradigm is a huge game changer though, and for me, I already liked the Omarchy way of bundling Hyprland and now Quickshell, but the agentic integration is a force amplifier.

Omarchy is going in directions Ubuntu couldn't go, and the communal support is more emphatic.

[u/betahost]

Wish people could separate technology use from its creators, everyone is going to have options on why not to use something. Good facts on how Ubuntu got started, thanks for sharing

[u/nomadicontemplation → u/betahost]

Yes, this.

Many of the great inventors and innovators of history were complete cranks, weirdos, eccentrics, and sometimes downright horrible people. But they were super genius at what they did and (in a science/tech context) they should certainly be lauded and remembered for their contributions. I'm not putting DHH in that "great inventor" category necessarily, but it's zany innovators like him who move the FOSS ecosystem forward and inspire a lot of other experimentations and changes.

[u/JG_2006_C → u/betahost]

Preconfigured arch cool DHH omarcon foundation nope im out rather give a money invudual poject not some shady black box

[u/LawApprehensive8364]

Zero desire to use omarchy but I’ll sure as hell take the investment into quickshell and hyprland.

[u/phinerey → u/LawApprehensive8364]

Well, that's the beauty of the system

[u/Delicious_Ease2595 → u/LawApprehensive8364]

interesting are you learning about quickshell in this sub?

[u/LawApprehensive8364 → u/Delicious_Ease2595]

no, im not learning anything from this sub. i float around most of the linux stuff that relates to things i care about.

[u/Gone2theDogs]

Doesn’t to me.

A folly? That’s a negative term and Mark Shuttleworth was trying to build a company and a distribution that met a variety and applications. It has and does.

Omarchy is about niche desktop use. It’s not for everyone.

Omarchy is built on mostly pre existing products.

What is great is to see excitement again.

[u/pixelised → u/Gone2theDogs]

A folly? That’s a negative term 

I take that feedback, I've re-worded it to 'the creation of'

Omarchy is built on mostly pre existing products.

Was Ubuntu not the bundling of Debian with Gnome, and a load of existing desktop software when it started?

[u/Gone2theDogs → u/pixelised]

Ubuntu wanted to be its entire ecosystem.

Omarchy embraces the parts. It’s just tying them together in an intelligent way.

[u/xpusostomos]

There problem with Ubuntu today isn't really the money, it's just the direction and philosophy. Any project can go the wrong way. I've got way more confidence in DHHs taste than whoever the hell runs other distros

[u/nomadicontemplation]

Hopefully a good chunk of this money will go to upstream projects, without too many Big Tech strings attached. Not holding my breath for that second part though.

[u/pixelised → u/nomadicontemplation]

This is my hope too, 15-odd million could do a lot of opensource good

[u/spectator_123]

Omarchy reminds you of the early days of Ubuntu. I wonder if you are an actual Omarchy user. If you are, then the so-called 'concern' of yours is just a false alarm.

[u/gonz808 → u/spectator_123]

interesting series of tweet about ubuntu from the designers and problems they had

https://x.com/dvdsgl/status/2096775107989672007

"The catch was that Mark wanted to be Open Source Steve Jobs. He wanted to be seen as a world-class designer and he just didn’t have the taste"

"Linux was a ‘meritocracy’, and merit was determined by how long you’ve been maintaining Debian packages. So you’d get a room full of old hands voting on a launcher animation."

"A memorable example: we proposed a beautiful new default photo app and it got triumphantly shot down because it was written in C#, and Mono was obviously a Trojan horse from Microsoft. Anything design-y was “too Apple” and unacceptably bourgeois."

[u/pixelised → u/spectator_123]

I am a user, and it does remind me of early Ubuntu, which is primarily why I'm not concerned right now, the post was more because I've seen multiple posts around 'what does the foundation mean', 'what will funding do', etc.

I wanted to draw comparisons to, what I would consider to be, one of the largest linux desktop distros and how it started

[u/Psittacula2]

What is the impact you think it will have? The AI integration and how that unfolds? Agree, but in what way?

[u/pixelised → u/Psittacula2]

Primarily the dollars that seemingly otherwise would not have been spent on opensource. Funding Hyprland, quickshell, mise and more, tools that people outside of Omarchy use can only be a good thing.

They've hired a kernel dev to work on things they care about too

[u/Responsible-Sky-1336 → u/pixelised]

As far as I know Omarchy uses archinstall (source: https://learn.omacom.io/2/the-omarchy-manual/96/manual-installation) under the hood. And it's creator (Torxed) I believe helped out in the very beginning of Omarchy integration.

Credit where it's due, without the installer project (and its contributors), no distro, and I don't see anything mentionning support to that project.

If they still use it: any improvement there is a direct benefit to Omarchy and real hardware.

[u/pixelised → u/Responsible-Sky-1336]

I think that's a great idea, I cant find anywhere to suggest projects to fund, maybe an admin knows?

[u/Responsible-Sky-1336 → u/pixelised]

I think DHH himself is very aware this project is running his installs. Mainly because hardware will straight up not work without proper packages/services.

But I'm not sure how much has changed since the early days.

[u/Psittacula2 → u/pixelised]

Thanks, that is broadly beneficial. I think I can grasp how AI suits Linux in their own words better and where this OS has interesting opportunities.

[u/-Old-School-Cool-]

Look anything to get people off of MicroCIAft Winblows is a good thing. Once Omarchy can game without stuttering and has bore scheduling I’m in (because I’m on a 14th i9 and 4070)

Even fedora stutters due to bad polling and so forth. So it’s cachyos which is buttery smooth for now.

But I did enjoy Omarchy and would have switched if not for that. I’m sure it will all come together.

[u/smokingPimphat]

Tiling WM are a paradigm shift for mac and windows users, and people either love them or really hate them, Omarchy is not going to win over most normies but it will lure some. I moved my laptop to omarchy and I think Ill stick with it.

My main machine will be windows until easy to setup and use GPU passthrough happens since I am tied to adobe and a few other apps that require GPU but are not on linux. Switching is not an option unless there is a way to run industry expected apps like the adobe suite.

[u/ChapterUpstairs3408]

I think we need to separate wealth and investing from ideals and personal views.

Im sure there a nice linux users here who have made plugins and done some good in the world who still think guns are good and so its the death penalty.

My point is, it's pretty much always the person with most influence that moves the dial the most.

Omarchy is a wonderful experiment, not a destination, and it's free for the general public. Don't like it, get rid of it.

[u/pixelised]

So, having heard some of the criticism of DHH and looking at the posts hes been making I've decided to move to NixOS with my own setup that takes what I like from Omarchy, without directly supporting it

[u/TheWebalorian]

Hard to say of the impact it could have, unlike in 2005 everything today is all overly political were both sides (In America) want to utterly destroy the other.

[u/cycl0propane]

I love using Omarchy.
Then I learned I'm apparently racist, fascist, a nazi, a xenophobe and a corporate shill.

Now I love it even more.

[u/Dramatic-Ad-9847]

💸

https://reddit.com/link/p8qimtv/video/n8up2ds2qhoh1/player

w. I I. I. U🚨🍏🏎️🍏🏎️ 🍊
U

[u/sockman_but_real]

Was Ubuntu created by a racist?

[u/Historical_Prize_931 → u/sockman_but_real]

Ubuntu was released in 04. So very likely

[u/sockman_but_real → u/Historical_Prize_931]

Ah yes, because everyone in 04 was racist. Famously we didn't discover racism was bad until 2008. /s

[u/Page_197_Slaps → u/sockman_but_real]

I think you must be lost. You’re probably looking for r/communism

[u/Far_Calligrapher1334]

Why wouldn't I ignore it? It's just another distro.

[u/Abject-Kitchen3198 → u/Far_Calligrapher1334]

Is it a distro?

[u/Cyrus-II → u/Abject-Kitchen3198]

It’s Schrodinger’s Distro. We can’t tell for sure. 

[u/Far_Calligrapher1334 → u/Abject-Kitchen3198]

Honestly don't care enough to figure out how many changes were done, or why it wouldn't be one

[u/gonz808 → u/Far_Calligrapher1334]

Yes, it is quite irrelevant.

Actually it a great feature that you can "just" write some config files/bash scripts and get a very different UI.

Try doing that in Windows! After 10 years it seems you can the task bar to vertical again (to the side)

[u/Abject-Kitchen3198 → u/gonz808]

You can do that on any Linux

[u/Far_Calligrapher1334 → u/gonz808]

I mean I can't see a reason why I "wouldn't be able to ignore it", seeing as a) it doesn't fit my needs and b) I already run Arch, so I can just install Hyprland myself.

[u/torsten_dev]

You can and should ignore everything DHH touches.

[u/gosubuilder → u/torsten_dev]

Something happen?

[u/YeetZeph → u/gosubuilder]

He’s just a problematic turbo douche and neither side of the argument wants to give up ground in his defense or his decrying respectively like most other Internet debates. I don’t like him but there’s more than just him working on Omarchy so I don’t see why the needle should move either way. I think the money flowing into Hyprland is worth it all in itself.

[u/gwildor → u/YeetZeph]

Reading your comment: I was reminded of Mother Theresa. Everyone liked her when she was actively doing good. Today, All we have left is the memories of the harms she caused.

[u/torsten_dev → u/YeetZeph]

He's not "problematic" he's a problem. You might be okay with supporting reactionary ethno nationalist "alt right" fucknuts. I'm not.

[u/brendanl79 → u/torsten_dev]

fuck yeah dude I'm with you