Obviously this is somewhat subjective, but I’ve had a lot of problems in my previous attempts to switch to Linux, so I’d like to create a list of distros to try out, and see what works for me. I’m mostly expecting to be doing basic office work and light gaming via Steam.

  • ChristerMLB@piefed.socialEnglish
    1·
    17 days ago

    Not very. X11 is still widely used and works fine. Wayland is the future, but you’ll probably be fine either way.

    I copied this table from here: https://www.linuxteck.com/x11-vs-wayland/

    Feature X11 Wayland
    Architecture Multi-program chain (X Server + WM + Compositor) Single unified Compositor handles everything
    Render Method RAM multi-copy — pixels duplicated per frame Zero-copy GPU — same buffer start to finish
    Security Model Open trust — any app sees all input and screen Isolated by design — apps see only their own window
    Screen Tearing Common — vsync not guaranteed by protocol Eliminated — compositor controls frame delivery
    HiDPI / Fractional Scaling Inconsistent — requires per-app configuration Per-display — clean scaling built into protocol
    Multi-Monitor HDR Limited — retrofitted support only Full support — designed from the ground up
    SSH Remote Display Native — X forwarding works out of the box Needs external tools (e.g. Xwayland, RDP)
    GUI Automation Tools Rich ecosystem — xdotool, wmctrl, AutoKey Limited — protocol restricts cross-app access
    Legacy App Support Full native support XWayland compatibility bridge
    NVIDIA Driver Support Stable — long-established Good — driver series 495 and above
    Battery Efficiency Higher overhead — extra RAM copies per frame Lower overhead — GPU buffer reuse
    Development Status Maintenance-only since 2024 Actively developed — expanding scope