45
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2026
45 points (95.9% liked)
linux4noobs
3208 readers
25 users here now
linux4noobs
Noob Friendly, Expert Enabling
Whether you're a seasoned pro or the noobiest of noobs, you've found the right place for Linux support and information. With a dedication to supporting free and open source software, this community aims to ensure Linux fits your needs and works for you. From troubleshooting to tutorials, practical tips, news and more, all aspects of Linux are warmly welcomed. Join a community of like-minded enthusiasts and professionals driving Linux's ongoing evolution.
Seeking Support?
- Mention your Linux distro and relevant system details.
- Describe what you've tried so far.
- Share your solution even if you found it yourself.
- Do not delete your post. This allows other people to see possible solutions if they have a similar problem.
- Properly format any scripts, code, logs, or error messages.
- Be mindful to omit any sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, IP addresses, etc.
Community Rules
- Keep discussions respectful and amiable. This community is a space where individuals may freely inquire, exchange thoughts, express viewpoints, and extend help without encountering belittlement. We were all a noob at one point. Differing opinions and ideas is a normal part of discourse, but it must remain civil. Offenders will be warned and/or removed.
- Posts must be Linux oriented
- Spam or affiliate links will not be tolerated.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Shortlist of traditional distros, ordered roughly in descending order:
~~Shortlist of~~ Only^[Technically, any of uBlue's distros qualifies. But Bazzite is a lot more popular than the others. Hence you'll have an easier time finding resources for it.] recommendation for atomic distros:
As for deciding between a traditional or atomic distro, I'd personally suggest to try out Bazzite first. And refer to their documentation whenever something comes up during initial setup. If at any point, you're not able to get it to work even with the help of its community โ^[I know using the em dash here makes me look sus AF, but I can assure the reader that no LLMs were used in the creation of this writing.] be it through their Discord, Discourse or sub~~reddit~~ โ then simply pivot to the traditional distros.
what is wayland and how important is it?
Not very. X11 is still widely used and works fine. Wayland is the future, but you'll probably be fine either way.
I copied this table from here: https://www.linuxteck.com/x11-vs-wayland/
| Feature | X11 | Wayland | |
|
|
| | Architecture | Multi-program chain (X Server + WM + Compositor) | Single unified Compositor handles everything | | Render Method | RAM multi-copy โ pixels duplicated per frame | Zero-copy GPU โ same buffer start to finish | | Security Model | Open trust โ any app sees all input and screen | Isolated by design โ apps see only their own window | | Screen Tearing | Common โ vsync not guaranteed by protocol | Eliminated โ compositor controls frame delivery | | HiDPI / Fractional Scaling | Inconsistent โ requires per-app configuration | Per-display โ clean scaling built into protocol | | Multi-Monitor HDR | Limited โ retrofitted support only | Full support โ designed from the ground up | | SSH Remote Display | Native โ X forwarding works out of the box | Needs external tools (e.g. Xwayland, RDP) | | GUI Automation Tools | Rich ecosystem โ xdotool, wmctrl, AutoKey | Limited โ protocol restricts cross-app access | | Legacy App Support | Full native support | XWayland compatibility bridge | | NVIDIA Driver Support | Stable โ long-established | Good โ driver series 495 and above | | Battery Efficiency | Higher overhead โ extra RAM copies per frame | Lower overhead โ GPU buffer reuse | | Development Status | Maintenance-only since 2024 | Actively developed โ expanding scope |
Regarding its architecture, the table says about Wayland the following
While this has been true in practice, this isn't dictated. For example, very recently, we're finally seeing the decouplement of the compositor from the window manager. Granted, this is still a very recent development and we don't know if others will follow suit. But I'm excited to see where this will lead us.