lca2011 – Wed Session 4 – Linux Graphics Directions

Linux Graphics Directions – Keith Packard

  • Room was so full Linux almost got kicked out
  • Linux runs everywhere.
  • X runs on desktops, laptops but only on some of the mobile devices
  • Open source community not engaged in any graphics that is not X
  • Dominates desktop market mainly because GTK and QT use them
  • Otherwise nobody runs X
  • need to engage these people
  • X ended up doing just about all graphics tasks
  • Why X? – Lots of mature code for mode setting, have to duplicate
  • Why X? – Clipping
  • Why X? – Video Memory management
  • Window Manager + X Server + compositing manager are all separate, more complicated
  • How have things changed? – shared libraries, huge data increase, http/html does remote access, theme-able UI’s , making things fast-enough is easier, screens have colour now
  • Re-Integrating the Window System
  • Simplify Architecture – integrate compositing, in-app window management, synchronous operations
  • What about remote apps? – HTTP, VNC/Rdesktop, WiDi, X as peer application
  • Providing broad system architecture support
  • mode setting – KMS
  • Input device – Evdev
  • Rendering/memory management – GEM
  • Missing pieces – key mapping – libxkbcommon creates sharable interface
  • Missing – Input devices – evdev isn’t sufficient – need user-mode touch devices
  • NMissing – Accessibility APIs – mouse keys, sticky keys
  • Reducing X specific code apps have to depend on
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