Save and restore may be coming to GNOME
13 hours ago
- GNOME is developing a platform-wide save and restore framework for Wayland, addressing a missing feature compared to X11.
- The framework uses an XDG desktop portal and the Wayland xdg_session_management_v1 protocol, with the compositor managing state.
- Adrian Vovk outlined three attempts at a GTK API: the first was synchronous and pulled before release; the second used async signals and was rejected; the third uses async methods and is awaiting feedback.
- Save and restore can benefit users by enabling session recovery after crashes or reboots, and may encourage more frequent updates.
- The feature will not be ready for GNOME 51 (October 2026); applications must opt in, and a user-facing toggle is planned in GNOME Settings.
- Future possibilities include mobile-style app state management and cross-device handoff similar to Apple's Handoff.