Re: ...Meanwhile, the Linux world has a profusion of rival distros, desktops, and packaging formats
Unlike Linux, there aren't many BSD desktops and they're a bit rough around the edges so I'd argue we do need it.
Perhaps it may even get ported to Linux, which is in need of an elegant desktop from a more civilized age - neither Gnome nor KDE do it for me, Xfce is sort of there but not quite.