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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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X11 vs Wayland (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by packetloss@lemmy.ml to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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I'm a seasoned Linux user, but mostly for servers and services, not really for desktop use.

I've dabbled in some desktop distros on my personal rig a few times in the past, but ultimately due to specific games, I've gone back to Windows.

I recently installed Arch and KDE. Upon initial boot I noticed it was defaulted to Wayland. Every time I would try to log in it would just go to a black screen then cycle back to the login screen. Picking X11 would bring me to the desktop.

Basic Specs:

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3D
nVidia RTX 4090

I have been doing some reading into this and it looks like the issue is due to the proprietary nVidia drivers, but there are solutions to work around this.

I know nothing of Wayland other than its supposed to be more secure. My question is, is it worth the time/effort to get Wayland working? I primarily use my system for gaming. X11 seems to be working just fine for me right now.

Forgive me if I'm using some of the terminology wrong, still learning.

EDIT - Selling my gpu is not an option. I knew ahead of time that AMD has superior Linux support, but the 4090's performance can't be matched by anything AMD has. Maybe next upgrade I'll go back to AMD if they have the top performer.

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[–] randy@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

In your situation, I would say to stick with X11. I'm still using X11 for gaming, but Wayland for most other things. Maybe try Wayland again in a few years. And when it's time to buy new hardware, maybe avoid Nvidia.

If you want to have another go at getting it working, check out what the Arch wiki says for KDE:

If you are an NVIDIA user with the proprietary nvidia driver, also enable the DRM kernel mode setting. If that does not work, too, check the instructions on the KDE wiki.

As for the question of security, I want to emphasize that X11 is not increasing your risk of getting hacked. If one of your applications is compromised, then X11 acts as one method by which an attacker could further their attack or extract information, but other methods would usually be easier for an attacker. You could use flatpaks or firejail to mitigate those other methods, but only after you've done that would Wayland provide a meaningful security benefit.