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X11 (X version 11) is the protocol that controls most the graphics stuff in traditional Linux systems. It employs a client-server architecture. The windows (cl

X11 (X version 11) is the protocol that controls most the graphics stuff in traditional Linux systems. It employs a client-server architecture. The windows (clients) send their local framebuffers to the X server, X sends them to a compositor, the compositor joins them together into a big framebuffer that has the different windows in their respective positions and sends them to the X server. The X server then displays them on your screen. There's a relatively new (~10 years old) protocol, called Wayland, which will replace X. The architecture is better and it has some other constraints (vsync is always on, so there's no screen tearing). Some distributions are using it by default (Fedora), but most are still sticking to X, since Wayland is not completely ready yet (in practice) and other projects are still transitioning into Wayland. Maybe I got some technical details wrong, but that's the basic idea.

acomjean 6y ago
Thanks! So basically Wayland replaces the X protocol. (I had to run some things with ssh -X, and windowing on remote machines came back to me..) And Xserver is replaced by another Compositor which is not specified, but poking around Weston seems like the reference one (towns in metro west Boston?) No tearing would be nice (I watch someone weekly on a Manjaro install, tearing linux screen share, it can be unpleasant). I'm assuming a lot this gets abstracted away by QT/KDE , Gnome/GTK so developers can just Develop. (probably at the expense of alternative desktops..)
- young_unixer 6y ago
  All of that's correct, as far as I know. Just note that a Wayland compositor must implement some core Wayland protocols and it can also implement its own protocol extensions (for example, it can implement a screen-sharing extension, and efforts are being made to 'standardize' these extensions).
- nerdponx 6y ago
  Apparently the creator of Wayland was driving through Wayland, MA when he had the idea for the project: http://www.h-online.com/open/features/Wayland-Beyond-X-1432046.html http://www.h-online.com/open/features/Wayland-Beyond-X-14320...
- fhars 6y ago
  Yes, that is basically correct, except that ssh -X working is one of the bugs in X11 that Wayland fixes.

acomjean 6y ago

Thanks! So basically Wayland replaces the X protocol. (I had to run some things with ssh -X, and windowing on remote machines came back to me..) And Xserver is replaced by another Compositor which is not specified, but poking around Weston seems like the reference one (towns in metro west Boston?) No tearing would be nice (I watch someone weekly on a Manjaro install, tearing linux screen share, it can be unpleasant). I'm assuming a lot this gets abstracted away by QT/KDE , Gnome/GTK so developers can just Develop. (probably at the expense of alternative desktops..)

young_unixer 6y ago
All of that's correct, as far as I know. Just note that a Wayland compositor must implement some core Wayland protocols and it can also implement its own protocol extensions (for example, it can implement a screen-sharing extension, and efforts are being made to 'standardize' these extensions).
nerdponx 6y ago
Apparently the creator of Wayland was driving through Wayland, MA when he had the idea for the project: http://www.h-online.com/open/features/Wayland-Beyond-X-1432046.html http://www.h-online.com/open/features/Wayland-Beyond-X-14320...
fhars 6y ago
Yes, that is basically correct, except that ssh -X working is one of the bugs in X11 that Wayland fixes.