Video summary

X11 Will Completely End Without Your Help

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Summary of Key Technological Points (X11 vs Wayland)

Wayland is now the default for most users

  • The speaker argues that “all decent metrics” show most Linux desktop users are on Wayland.
  • LinuxHardware.org is cited as a key data source.
    • Caveat: its collection method is based on HWPro preinstalled on X11-only distros.
    • The speaker claims this doesn’t bias the results.

X11 isn’t “dead,” but keeping it has limits

  • The situation is framed as: developers shouldn’t be expected to maintain X11 indefinitely just because some users prefer it.
  • If someone wants X11 maintained, possible paths include:
    • Paying developers
    • Forking projects
    • Maintaining it themselves

Why Some Users Might Stick With X11 (Main Reasons)

  1. Old / unsupported NVIDIA hardware and driver requirements

    • On Wayland, NVIDIA behavior depends heavily on having recent drivers.
    • Older NVIDIA GPUs may be problematic on Wayland.
      • The speaker suggests older than “10 series” is especially problematic.
      • Even open-source drivers may not fully solve it.
    • Recommendation: stay on the latest driver branch, claiming NVIDIA has improved stability over time.

  2. Very old hardware / GPU acceleration requirements

    • Wayland desktops are said to rely heavily on GPU acceleration via APIs that older hardware may not support well.
    • On old systems, Wayland may fall back to:
      • Software rendering
      • Partial GPU rendering
    • Result: performance can be worse than Xorg.
    • For extremely old machines (e.g., a “15-year-old laptop”), Xorg may be meaningfully better—especially with lighter/older window managers.

  3. Xorg performance expectations for legacy-era hardware

    • Xorg is described as software built for hardware from decades ago.
    • The speaker argues that software optimizations may become less common over time as codebases shift toward maintainability.
    • A general trend is claimed: software can get slower over time (with the caveat that improvements also exist).

  4. Missing or incomplete Wayland protocols break certain workflows

    • Even as major desktops add support (example: global shortcuts portal), some apps may not implement the needed protocol features.
    • Workflow gaps mentioned:
      • Discord: global shortcuts portal “should be soon”
      • OBS: unclear if/when it supports needed components
      • Screen capture: works on Wayland, but OBS may repeatedly prompt for permissions
        • The speaker wants better “pre-auth” behavior (e.g., “always capture Firefox window by title”)
    • Unimplemented / unused protocols:
      • Zones protocol (for multi-window placement) was merged, but the speaker says no apps currently use it (and/or desktop-side support is still in progress).

Challenging “Can’t Do That on Wayland” Claims

  • The speaker rejects the claim that screen capture is impossible on Wayland, calling it false.
  • They acknowledge that practical friction exists, such as:
    • permission prompts
    • lack of convenient trust/authorization patterns

Window Manager / Desktop Ecosystem Notes

Modern Wayland window managers mentioned

  • Hyprland
  • Niri (speaker’s “go-to”)
  • KDE (described as doing “absolutely fantastic” work and close to the best Wayland experience)
  • Cosmic (in progress; needs work)

Gap for certain power-user WM preferences

The speaker claims there’s “no real replacement” for some categories:

  • DWM-style users
    • Mentions DWL exists but isn’t the same
    • Also references Awesome WM and Mango WC as alternatives, but not equivalent
  • Niche/experimental WMs:
    • 1wm: “20 lines of code,” does basically nothing but is a WM
    • Metisse: 2.5D, aimed at touch/3D manipulation
    • SCWM: described as “last updated 26 years ago”

Compatibility of X11 Apps on Wayland

  • The video claims most X11 software runs fine via XWayland.
  • Exceptions:
    • “Weird random applications” with legacy/custom toolkit hacks
  • Key point: you generally can’t know beforehand—compatibility varies by system and app.

Accessibility Claim Correction

  • The speaker disputes: “Wayland has no accessibility.”
  • They state accessibility development exists across both:
    • KDE
    • GNOME
  • Examples of what can work:
    • screen readers
    • high zoom
    • high contrast
    • theme adjustments
    • keyboard control
  • However, they note accessibility support isn’t universal and regressions can occur.

If You Want X11 to Survive: Development Strategy

  • Xorg is described as effectively being in maintenance mode, and the repository is characterized as “effectively unusable” due to maintainership issues.
  • New/alternative X11-server efforts mentioned:
    • Phoenix: very far from finished; not daily-drivable
    • Yserver: recent and heavily used (the video mentions use by “Claude”); functional but with issues; single maintainer
    • Xlibre: older Xorg/XFree86 legacy; framed as more than just a protest fork; some adoption (Slackware experimentation with packaging it)

Additional key points:

  • Keeping X11 isn’t only about the server—one must also maintain the X11 environments and ecosystem.
  • The speaker criticizes expecting GNOME/KDE developers to “reverse course,” and instead promotes:
    • Forking desktops/window managers
    • Building communities
    • Potential funding, including large donations, if X11 maintenance is desired

End Framing / Call to Action

  • “Linux is about choice,” but choice requires active effort—maintaining/forking, not only complaining.
  • The video prompts viewers:
    • whether they use Wayland or X11
    • and why they stick with that choice

Main Sources / Speakers

  • Main speaker: The narrator/host of the YouTube video (implied consistent throughout the discussion)
  • Data source mentioned: LinuxHardware.org, using HWPro to estimate Wayland usage share

Original video