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The X Window System (X11 for short) looks and feels the same on my Intel Ubuntu Linux laptop and on my HP 9000 UNIX workstation running HP-UX 11 on PA-RISC. X1

by jll29 6y ago

The X Window System (X11 for short) looks and feels the same on my Intel Ubuntu Linux laptop and on my HP 9000 UNIX workstation running HP-UX 11 on PA-RISC. X11 is ancient (1987), but it's brilliant. Its designers even anticipated having 16 mouse buttons, and (more importantly) opening a window on a remote system. The system is flexible, programmable, customizable; I've got all development manual volumes here on my shelf. While I'm open and sympathetic to any new ideas and improved software systems, including novel windowing concepts, personally, I don't have any unmet window manager needs at present. Any new system shouldn't just replicate a subset of X11, they should go beyond the state of the art to justify the time investment.

GekkePrutser 6y ago
Indeed, this network transparency, I use it every day... It is the #1 feature I couldn't do without on Wayland. But X11 has been stale so long it would really benefit from a back-to-the-drawing-board approach. From many points of view. Network latency, security etc. But Wayland isn't it for me... It's too desktop centric IMO.
- thespoonbends 6y ago
  What is your usecase for network transparency? Remote desktop? Is that not supported in a Wayland world?
  - GekkePrutser 6y ago
    No, running apps remotely. I specifically don't want to run desktops within Windows. Having remotely running programs on my desktop within my native window manager (or even on Mac and Windows) is much better. I mainly use it when logging into headless servers by the way. Saves me setting up a complete desktop environment there. All they need is the GUI apps I need and some X libs.
bluGill 6y ago
Well the people behind Wayland maintained X for a long time, so they know something about it and the real problems. There were several other X replacements that never went anywhere over the years because the people who maintain X looked at it and said it didn't fix any of the real problems.

by jll29 6y ago

GekkePrutser 6y ago

Indeed, this network transparency, I use it every day... It is the #1 feature I couldn't do without on Wayland. But X11 has been stale so long it would really benefit from a back-to-the-drawing-board approach. From many points of view. Network latency, security etc. But Wayland isn't it for me... It's too desktop centric IMO.

thespoonbends 6y ago
What is your usecase for network transparency? Remote desktop? Is that not supported in a Wayland world?
- GekkePrutser 6y ago
  No, running apps remotely. I specifically don't want to run desktops within Windows. Having remotely running programs on my desktop within my native window manager (or even on Mac and Windows) is much better. I mainly use it when logging into headless servers by the way. Saves me setting up a complete desktop environment there. All they need is the GUI apps I need and some X libs.

bluGill 6y ago

Well the people behind Wayland maintained X for a long time, so they know something about it and the real problems. There were several other X replacements that never went anywhere over the years because the people who maintain X looked at it and said it didn't fix any of the real problems.