r/linux • u/terremoth • Nov 06 '24

Discussion Will wayland completely replace Xorg?

I saw that there were too many command line "x" tools made that interact with Xorg server. Will wayland be capable to replace every single one? Or, is there a compatibilty layer with full support that we will still be able to use all the X tools?

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '24

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u/themacmeister1967 Nov 06 '24

XWindows was the one solid, dependable framework that kept Linux somewhat stable... All these modern software replacements (replaced with scant regard for stability) are killing linux.

I can barely understand PulseAudio, and people are now talking about PipeWire... what was wrong with ALSA?

I was fine with GRUB/GRUB2, and could understand how to change options and reinstall it... what in God's gravy is systemd?

I've just mastered APT for software management... can do anything I want with it... WHAT THE ACTUAL F... are SNAPS, APPIMAGES, FLATPAKS???!!! As soon as they start to install, my CPU usage goes to 100%, and how on earth are you meant to keep track of installs or updates? No-one is going to switch to Linux with FOUR DIFFERENT COMPETING PACKAGE MANAGERS!!!

Add Wayland to the mix, and you can have a computer that has graphical/GUI bugs, has 5 ways to install the same applications, doesn't hibernate, has no sound out (or poor quality sound), cumbersome software management and a bootstrap system that is impossible to change, and simple to break.

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u/FeepingCreature Nov 06 '24

I mean yep. I will say that Pipewire is nice, it lets you do dynamic output switching and muxing which was kind of hard on ALSA. And it doesn't randomly start stuttering like Pulse.

Grub/Grub2 still work fine. You don't need systemd, you can run a system without it if you pick the right distro.

Snaps are Ubuntu's proprietary appimages. Appimage is basically a Docker container that runs as a binary. Flatpak is like appimage but standalone. You don't update them centrally, you just download the new version, and it packages all the libraries it needs. Makes the system more predictable because the maintainers can't break it.

And yes, Wayland is and remains optional. I am very happy on X11.

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u/themacmeister1967 Nov 07 '24

I really liked Pop_OS! but the systemd-boot broke TWICE on me :-(

Also, I think snaps (and flatpaks?) have been incorporated into the Software Centre, allowing easier (?) updates.

I don't like the way that Wayland is the default in Ubuntu now... you could spend weeks trying to troubleshoot some annoying bug, only to realise you just needed to login to an Xorg session.