Exploring the Fragmentation of Wayland, an xdotool adventure
7 days ago
- #X11
- #Linux
- #Wayland
- xdotool was created in 2007 for UI automation, focusing on keyboard, mouse, and window management tasks.
- Wayland's adoption has been slow and fragmented, with major distros like Fedora and Ubuntu facing challenges like missing features (e.g., screen sharing).
- xdotool relies on X11 features like XTest and EWMH, which are stable but not supported in Wayland.
- Wayland's security focus led to the removal of many X11 features, resulting in fragmentation with no unified solution for input and window management.
- Different compositors (GNOME, KDE, wlroots) have unique implementations for features like virtual input, leading to compatibility issues.
- GNOME and KDE use DBus and custom APIs for window management, but these are not interoperable.
- New solutions like libei and XDG Portal Remote Desktop are complex and poorly documented, with confusing user prompts.
- Wayland's lack of central leadership has led to multiple competing protocols for input and window management.
- xdotool remains functional on X11, but its future on Wayland is uncertain due to fragmentation and lack of standardization.
- The author expresses frustration with the slow progress and fragmentation, questioning whether to continue supporting xdotool on Wayland.