Gnoppix Linux - XFCE

_{by Andreas Mueller 2023-09-18}

Xfce’s Path to Wayland Compatibility

Xfce is a lightweight and Gnoppix Linux default desktop environment. It has been around for over 20 years and is known for its stability and ease of use. Xfce has been slower to adopt Wayland than other desktop environments, but it is making steady progress.

Some Back Story

In 2021, the Xfce developers released a new library called libxfce4windowing. This library provides a Wayland backend for Xfce applications. With the release of libxfce4windowing, Xfce’s desktop manager, xfdesktop, was ported to Wayland.

In 2022, the Xfce developers released Xfce 4.18. This release included a number of improvements to Wayland support, such as support for multiple monitors and improved performance.

In 2023, the Xfce developers released Xfce 4.20. This release added full support for Wayland sessions. Xfce users can now log in to Wayland sessions and use all of their favorite Xfce applications.

However, there are still some limitations to Xfce’s Wayland support. For example, some Xfce applications do not yet support Wayland. Additionally, some Xfce features, such as keyboard shortcuts, may not work as expected in Wayland sessions.

Overall, Xfce is making good progress towards full Wayland compatibility. With each release, Xfce’s Wayland support is becoming more and more feature-complete. It is expected that Xfce will have full Wayland parity in the next few years.

Xfce’s Wayland Compatibility: A New Perspective

In addition to the information in the original article, here are some new perspectives on Xfce’s Wayland compatibility:

Why is Wayland important? Wayland is a new display server for Linux that offers a number of advantages over the older X11 server. Wayland is more efficient, secure, and flexible than X11. It is also better suited for modern hardware, such as high-resolution displays and multi-touch touchscreens. What are the benefits of using Xfce with Wayland? Xfce users who switch to Wayland can expect to see a number of benefits, including improved performance, smoother animations, and better support for modern hardware. Wayland also offers a number of security improvements over X11. What are the challenges of porting Xfce to Wayland? Porting Xfce to Wayland is a complex task. The Xfce developers have to rewrite a significant portion of the Xfce codebase to use the new Wayland APIs. Additionally, the developers have to work with the developers of other Xfce applications to ensure that they are also compatible with Wayland. What is the future of Xfce on Wayland? The Xfce developers are committed to making Xfce fully compatible with Wayland. They are working hard to port all of the Xfce applications to Wayland and to fix any remaining Wayland compatibility issues. It is expected that Xfce will have full Wayland parity in the next few years.

Overall, Xfce is making good progress towards full Wayland compatibility. While there are still some limitations, Xfce users who switch to Wayland can expect to see a number of benefits. The Xfce developers are committed to making Xfce fully compatible with Wayland, and it is expected that Xfce will have full Wayland parity in the next few years.