The new display servers
Changing of the Guard
The X Window System, which dates to the 1980s, still forms the basis of Linux's graphical user interface, but it does cause some despair among developers with its legacy ballast and outmoded technology. Wayland and Mir are two promising candidates for the changing of the guard.
The good old X Window System consists of an X server that receives events from input devices and draws the graphics on the screen. On top of this system is a compositor, which records the positions of Windows and adds novel graphical effects as needed (Figure 1). Desktop environments add a window manager that decorates every window with a frame.
All of these components need to communicate through a time-consuming process. The cumbersome structure and outdated complexity of the X system bothered programmer Kristian H¯gsberg, so he designed an alternative back in 2008, which he dubbed Wayland [1]. H¯gsberg kept to the core functions that a display system currently needs to provide on Linux. He also set out to design Wayland so that it would avoid tearing, lag, flicker, and unnecessary redrawing of modified screen areas [2].
The result was a surprisingly sleek and efficient system. Media reports increasingly attracted the attention of supporters to H¯gsberg's new display server architecture.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Debian Unleashes Debian Libre Live
Debian Libre Live keeps your machine free of proprietary software.
-
Valve Announces Pending Release of Steam Machine
Shout it to the heavens: Steam Machine, powered by Linux, is set to arrive in 2026.
-
Happy Birthday, ADMIN Magazine!
ADMIN is celebrating its 15th anniversary with issue #90.
-
Another Linux Malware Discovered
Russian hackers use Hyper-V to hide malware within Linux virtual machines.
-
TUXEDO Computers Announces a New InfinityBook
TUXEDO Computers is at it again with a new InfinityBook that will meet your professional and gaming needs.
-
SUSE Dives into the Agentic AI Pool
SUSE becomes the first open source company to adopt agentic AI with SUSE Enterprise Linux 16.
-
Linux Now Runs Most Windows Games
The latest data shows that nearly 90 percent of Windows games can be played on Linux.
-
Fedora 43 Has Finally Landed
The Fedora Linux developers have announced their latest release, Fedora 43.
-
KDE Unleashes Plasma 6.5
The Plasma 6.5 desktop environment is now available with new features, improvements, and the usual bug fixes.
-
Xubuntu Site Possibly Hacked
It appears that the Xubuntu site was hacked and briefly served up a malicious ZIP file from its download page.