A free software project doesn't have to be ubiquitous, or even popular, to be a success. Things like usability, usefulness, technical excellence, beauty, community activity, contributor-friendliness, and longevity are all legitimate software successes, each in their own right.

Never mind the veracity of the reasoning you gave— why are we even looking for reasons to discount and dismiss a beloved, storied, ongoing F/OSS project like FreeBSD?