The FreeBSD desktop exists, it is called “Mac OS”.
Linus Torvalds used the GPL for his kernel, forcing companies to release the source code if they improve it and distribute it. The main userland was a lot of GPL licensed GNU software for a very long time, with a similar effect.
The BSD folks, on the other hand, decided to give everything away, by using much more “liberal” licenses. Apple took the BSD base, bolted their UI on top of it and gave almost nothing back. That would not have happened if BSD was GPL licensed.
The FreeBSD desktop exists, it is called “Mac OS”.
Linus Torvalds used the GPL for his kernel, forcing companies to release the source code if they improve it and distribute it. The main userland was a lot of GPL licensed GNU software for a very long time, with a similar effect.
The BSD folks, on the other hand, decided to give everything away, by using much more “liberal” licenses. Apple took the BSD base, bolted their UI on top of it and gave almost nothing back. That would not have happened if BSD was GPL licensed.