Ghostty: Reflecting on Reaching 1.0 – Mitchell Hashimoto

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2024-12-28 00:30:04

This isn't a release announcement. Ghostty 1.0 is out. You can download it and read about it on the Ghostty website. This is a personal reflection on the project.

If you told me two years ago that I would be releasing a terminal emulator, I wouldn't have believed you. I've always been a fan of the terminal, my entire career was built around shipping terminal-first software. But they're a solved problem, right? That's what I thought.

I started the project in 2022 merely as a way to play with Zig, do some graphics programming, and deepen my understanding of terminals. I never intended to release it. I didn't think there was innovation to be had. I thought I would learn a lot over a few months and move on.

But as I worked on it, I looked at other terminals differently. I saw tradeoffs that I didn't like. I saw features that I wanted. I saw performance that I could improve. I saw stagnation. There are many fantastic terminals out there and you should use them if they work for you. But I wanted something different and thought maybe others did too.

And so Ghostty was born. It's not perfect, it's not done, it's not for everyone. But it's mine. It's a reflection of my values and my vision for what a terminal could be.

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