GNUstep
Ranked 3 of 3 application frameworks by recommenders
Free open-source framework with Apple-compatible APIs for building Mac-style apps. Critics say it has not kept up with modern Apple APIs and Objective-C.
Free open-source framework with Apple-compatible APIs for building Mac-style apps. Critics say it has not kept up with modern Apple APIs and Objective-C.
13 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 62%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Falls behind modern APIs and Objective-C
“I don't think the project kept up with changes to the APIs over the decades”
Comment from 1 Sep 2026 in “Run macOS Software on Linux” “Only if you enjoy being stuck in something like Panther and Objective-C 1.x.”
Comment from 2 Feb 2026 in “Swift is a more convenient Rust” “They don't even support Objective-C latest”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Steve Jobs Next Computer: His Forgotten Exile Years” - Comment from 7 Mar 2026 in “Why Objective-C”
Other application frameworks people recommend
The two most recommended other application frameworks, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cocoa | 23 | 7 | 77% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Ash Framework | 19 | 3 | 86% | 10 | — | Approved |
| GNUstepThis page | 8 | 5 | 62% | 6 | — | — |
What people said
13 of the 15 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I don't think the project kept up with changes to the APIs over the decades”
“I always loved that purple/slate blue colour of WindowMaker/GNUStep/NeXTSTEP.”
“a lot of the applications are antiquated, and they're very hard to make blend in”
“They don't even support Objective-C latest”
“we would arrive at something useful and easily installed and widely accepted”
“You are never going to get macOS out of GNUStep, no matter how hard you try”
“GNUStep is stuck in 1995 sadly.”
“All of the APIs are 1:1 with Apple's, including the runtime”
“Only if you enjoy being stuck in something like Panther and Objective-C 1.x.”
“the results are a 20 minute build on low powered raspberry pi vs 3 hours”
“a quite impressive set of apps”
“GNUstep is very flexible in this regard.”
“GNUstep failed to get traction, I doubt they can do much better.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.