I Hate: Programming Wayland Applications

6 hours ago

X11 and Wayland are the primary choices for programming graphical applications on Linux.
X11, released in 1984, follows a client-server model, while Wayland, released in 2008, is designed for modern computational environments.
Wayland is considered more secure and modern compared to X11, with features like XWayland for running X11 applications.
Developing with Wayland is complex, with a steep learning curve and many initialization steps required for basic functionality.
Wayland's protocol is object-oriented, leading to a fragmented and difficult-to-navigate development experience.
Setting up a simple window in Wayland involves numerous callbacks and steps, making it less straightforward than X11 or Win32.
Wayland lacks some functionalities like primary monitor concept and standardized desktop state retrieval.
Clipboard handling, hotplugging devices, and setting mouse cursors are problematic in Wayland.
Despite its challenges, Wayland is seen as the future of Linux desktops, with improvements and extensions being developed.

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