Wayland 1.4 Challenges X11
X marks the target for the next-generation windowing system.
The Wayland project has announced Version 1.4 of the promising X11 alternative Wayland. Wayland is getting ready to break up almost 20 years of domination by X11 protocol as a standard for communication between the input and output devices such as a mouse, screen, or keyboard. Currently Wayland runs on virtually any Unix-like system with graphical user interface and an implementation of the X11 protocol.
The new version brings new features, including several improvements to the Wayland reference compositor implementation known as Weston. Enhancements include new buttons and decorations, as well as a window selection tool offering an overview of all existing windows. In addition, Weston 1.4 brings an improved touchscreen support and expanded drag-and-drop features.
Also appearing with the latest Weston is the new XDG Shell protocol, which regulates communication between applications and the desktop environment.
Download Wayland 1.4 from the project website, or wait for it to trickle out through the repositories and product releases of your favorite Linux distribution.
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 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.
-
A New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle, a Linux AI assistant, works with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.