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This new Linux desktop is almost a dead ringer for OS X

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ZDNET's key takeaways

The Gershwin desktop is being developed for both BSD and Arch Linux.

Gershwin is based on GnuStep and resembles MacOS.

You can spin up a virtual machine and try the alpha version of Gershwin.

Confession time: I don't give any of the BSD-based distributions enough attention. One reason is that I find BSD (and all its children) not really suited for people who've never used Linux. There's a reason for that issue: BSD is not Linux. BSD is more Unix than Linux, and Unix isn't an OS that anyone not well-steeped in Linux should touch.

I've been using Linux for nearly 30 years, and every time I touch a BSD, I get confused.

Also: Thinking about switching to Linux? 9 things you need to know

That being said, a new desktop environment is being developed for both BSD and Arch Linux, called Gershwin, that could give the MacOS desktop a run for its money.

However, be aware that Gershwin is in early development, and the only stable way to try it out is via GhostBSD. Even then, Gershwin isn't fully usable yet. In fact, there's not much you can do with Gershwin, other than get a peek at what it looks like. And there's not much you can change (yet). You can also install Gershwin on Arch Linux, but I wouldn't recommend that route because it's unstable.

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