⚠️ WARNING — This post contains personal and heavy topics. If you're not looking for this kind of content, want to start drama, or are expecting technical content — this post is not for you. Have a good day.
Hey pals, how are you? I hope you're doing well — but I'm not. I don't usually write things this personal, and when I do, I keep it brief. I know the community is technically oriented, and I try to act accordingly. But there are things I'm struggling to keep inside anymore, and maybe someone will read this, want to offer support, maybe something will change. I don't know. But I felt like I had to write it.
Being Crushed Under the Weight of the Project
After releasing NebiOS 10.2, I spent about two weeks following the reviews. By the end of that period, I felt crushed under the sheer size of what this project has become.
There were moments where I thought "the end is near." Not just for NebiOS. I was questioning my own place in all of this — whether continuing made sense for me as a person, not just as a developer.
I didn't want to share this feeling. I never do. But why should I stay silent when someone gives a 1-2/10, just saying "yes, thank you for the feedback"? There are ratings out there made without a single thought given to the person behind the work, the effort, the circumstances. Hearing those things wears you down.
I Need to Say Something About the Community
There's always someone in the community telling me: use niri + noctalia instead of Wayfire. Switch to KDE. Go Arch-based. Go Debian-based...
I get it — everyone has their preferences. But these directly conflict with decisions I made 5-6 years ago. Decisions that were thought through carefully.
Starting with the compositor: I initially wrote NebiDE's Wayland version using Hyprland. After a while it became clear it wasn't a fit for NebiDE's concept, so I switched to Wayfire. After 10.2, I looked into Niri on a friend's suggestion. Niri might be a great compositor, but it doesn't fit NebiDE's architecture or concept — and switching would require rewriting several components from scratch. I'm not forking Wayfire anyway; I'm writing plugins on top of it and sticking with the Wayfire version Ubuntu provides. This won't change in NebiOS X due to technical reasons (I've tried porting newer Wayfire to NebiOS X base, resulted in much worse stability on the bare-metal), but if stability issues persist during NebiOS 11 development, I plan to get in direct contact with the Wayfire team.
As for the Ubuntu base: I made this choice after evaluating Arch, FreeBSD, Debian, and Fedora. Yes, there's bloat — but it can be debloated. Ubuntu has had its frustrating moments — snap priority for Firefox, bubblewrap issues — but after working through those, it's less of a hassle compared to other bases. If NebiOS were Arch-based, I'd constantly have to adapt to bleeding-edge rolling packages. For example, a Wayfire update can break APIs, which would require fixing NebiDE's plugins. That's not an efficient path for me.
On KDE/GNOME: I looked at GNOME. Without extensions it uses little RAM, but without extensions it also doesn't work the way I want; the extension engine is JavaScript-based. It made more sense to pick a compositor and write my own shell rather than fight Mutter's limitations. Yes, it's a harder path — but it keeps control in my hands. As for KDE: it's not minimal, and it's still resistant to CSD. In 2026, GNOME and macOS have been using CSD since 2014, and Windows 11 is doing titlebar integration. What I want to build — an adaptive interface that works across phone, tablet, and PC — is not possible with KDE. Plasma Mobile and regular Plasma are separate sessions. That's not what I want.
In short, part of the community is trying to make NebiOS ordinary, and my advice to them is to let go of that dream. NebiOS will not become another "Ubuntu customization," it will not become a themed KDE. This is my character, and the character of this project.
After everything that happened post-10.2 — and the drama on top of it — I had started feeling like the end was near. Not just for the project, but for myself too. You're about to understand why.
The Financial Reality
There's also a financial side to this that I want to be honest about.
I want to generate income through NebiCloud and merch rather than the OS itself — but there are walls stacked on top of walls in my way. PayPal has been blocked in Turkey since 2016. Without PayPal, I can't receive payments through Stripe, Ko-fi, or Patreon. (Sending is possible — I can donate to Gregor and Chris via Patreon — but receiving is a different matter entirely.) Setting something up abroad is the next thought, but opening these kinds of accounts without residency is nearly impossible.
The support I actually need and the support that's actually available don't quite line up — and I'll leave it at that. If you're curious, come find me on Discord.
Why Does NebiOS Exist?
Growing up, I was stuck using a PC most of the time, watching Mac from a distance. After Ubuntu killed Unity, nothing with a real soul was left. So I made NebiOS.
I tried making games multiple times. It never worked out. Games aren't just code — they're music, 3D modeling, writing, art direction. And every game I've played for more than 25 hours is a 3D game; making something 2D or pixel art wasn't something I wanted either. So I did the first thing that came to mind: software. Something functional, visionary, something that reflects my character.
I don't see NebiOS as a tool. I see it as a work of art. That's why "when are you going to make money" falls flat every time — you could ask the same thing of someone painting a canvas or recording an album. NebiOS is part of how I express myself. When someone gives a 1-2/10 without context, it stops feeling like feedback and starts feeling personal. If what they're looking for is a soulless Linux distribution, they can look elsewhere. The reason NebiOS is this different is because of me.
Why Has There Been No Commit for a Month?
After going through all of this, after shipping 10.2 — NebiOS hasn't received a single commit in a month.
Burnout. There's no other word for it.
There are ideas in my head. There are plans for NebiOS 11. NebiDE will keep getting better, patches from Wayfire will improve stability, the UX will keep evolving. These things will happen. But right now I have to carry all of this alone, and it's heavy.
I'm taking some time to recover, but NebiOS is not abandoned.
I've decided to speak up. Maybe someone will help. Maybe no one will. But I can't keep this inside anymore. If you genuinely want to support me, I'm open to talking things through on Discord — unconditional support only, though.
To anyone reading this looking for drama: I'm already running on empty, and I have zero watts of energy to spare for "the developer is unstable" takes. As for criticism — I'm genuinely open to constructive feedback, always have been. What actually gets to me is when people cross the line from feedback into pushing their own agenda. That's the part that burns.
— Sarp M.