Asahi Linux To Users: Please Stop Using X.Org
Writing what many other Linux distribution vendors/developers would like to say but generally have not publicly and directly expressed, Hector Martin wrote on Mastodon for Asahi Linux users to stop using an X.Org Server. Hector wrote:
"Please, please stop using Xorg with Asahi Linux.
It's all but unmaintained, broken in fundamental ways that cannot be fixed, unsuited to modern display hardware (like these machines), and we absolutely do not have the bandwidth to spend time on it.
We strive for a quality desktop on Apple Silicon machines, but we have to pick and choose our battles very carefully, because we can't single-handedly fix all the problems in the entire Linux desktop ecosystem. Yes, some Xorg things might work better on other platforms. That doesn't mean Xorg isn't broken, it means those platforms have spent years working around Xorg's failings. We don't have the time for that. Distributions and major desktop environments are already dropping Xorg support. It's pointless to try to support it well today on a new platform.
XWayland will continue to be supported for legacy client apps, and we do plan to spend time on optimizing the XWayland experience. But for anything that goes beyond "displaying windows" (compositors, IMEs, input management, desktop environments, etc.), please use native Wayland applications, since XWayland will never integrate properly for those things (by design).
Yes, not every random app and feature you use on Xorg will have a Wayland equivalent. Deal with it. The major players in desktop Linux have decided it's time to move on from Xorg, and if you want to go against the tide you're on your own.
We do expect Xorg to continue to function for the bare essentials (i.e. showing a working desktop), but that's it. We won't be working on any features or non-desktop-breaking bugs beyond that.
The only reason we shipped Xorg by default is that Wayland compositors were slower with software rendering. The reverse is true now that we have GPU drivers, and we will be switching all default-Xorg-KDE users to default-Wayland in an update (along with promoting the GPU drivers to the default builds) really soon. At that point Xorg will be relegated to SDDM, and once a native Wayland release of that finally happens, we won't be shipping any usage of the X server any more."
He went on to add in a follow-up post:
"We aren't going to stop you from running Devuan with X11 and twm and no sound server, but if your desktop tears, screen capture is dog slow, your media keys stop working one day, your speakers sound terrible and tinny or don't even work at all by default (once we ship that), VSync is broken, and your display looks duller and the colors muted, don't come to us asking for help."
Along with several other follow-up posts encouraging Asahi Linux users to focus on Wayland and less on X.Org Server usage.
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