this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2023
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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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It's not that it's broken, it's that the open source driver stack and AMD cards are a superior experience. The Nvidia Linux driver is just like the Windows driver.
I think it's more that they are broken (esp. on Wayland) and that they are closed source and that they are not pre-installed in Mesa and that they lack basic features such as GAMMA_LUT for night light on Wayland...
To clarify on why it's especially terrifying, for the nVidia drivers to be closed source, they've been allowed to add binaries into the Linux kernel. Nobody but nVidia knows what those binaries actually contain.
The entire
linux-firmwarepackage is just a conjuntion of binary blobs from different vendos (one of with is AMD). This is nothing special.Sure, and I don't like any of it.
Meanwhile, Wayland itself is still in a state of perpetual beta and lacks basic functionality regarding a vast number of features.
It comes by default on plenty of distros and people don’t even notice the change.
In the meanwhile, nvidia doesn’t support the linux kernel itself (though it is changing slowly) that’s why it can’t support wayland.
Except people do notice the change, as a workaround many still rely on certain aspects of X via Xwayland in an attempt to keep things running. Even Steam doesn't support Wayland.
Fact is, Wayland's been in development for a good decade or more, it's still in a state of perpetual beta, and that's a situation that isn't likely to change any time soon.
You do realize that the whole of meaningful architecture we have builds on, and often gives way for legacy ones? XWayland is made by Wayland, because obviously not every software will port overnight or ever. That’s a positive thing.
It’s almost like the linux community is not controlled by a dictator like Apple, where they can just say “we are using this API from next version, if you wanna work, port”. Wayland required a critical mass before it actually started flying - but it definitely flies now.
Xwayland makes use of legacy features of X. If we were to compleately drop all aspects of X tomorrow, the Linux desktop would essentially compleately break and become unusable.
The fact is, at this point in time after 10 years or more of development, Wayland is still very much in a state of perpetual beta. At this point in time, and for the foreseeable future, Wayland involves compromises that make it unsuitable for many users.
Hopefully things improve in time, the problem is development is progressing at snails pace.
NVIDIA user here, my experience is largely faultless and performance is great.