[Wayland-bugs] [Bug 719989] New: Prefer the wayland backend over the x11 one

[gtk+ (bugzilla.gnome.org)]

https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=719989
  gtk+ | wayland | unspecified

           Summary: Prefer the wayland backend over the x11 one
    Classification: Platform
           Product: gtk+
           Version: unspecified
        OS/Version: Linux
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: normal
          Priority: Normal
         Component: wayland
        AssignedTo: gtk-bugs at gtk.org
        ReportedBy: pochu27 at gmail.com
         QAContact: gtk-bugs at gtk.org
                CC: rob at robster.org.uk, wayland-bugs at lists.freedesktop.org
     GNOME version: ---


Right now, gdk tries the x11 backend first, and only if that fails, it tries
the wayland backend.

There are two situations with different consequences depending on whether gdk
tries x11 or wayland first:

If you're under X11, you want the x11 used. Having the x11 backend tried first
means the x11 backend will be chosen. If the order was changed and wayland was
tried first, it would normally fail and x11 would be chosen, which is good.
However if you were running wayland on a different tty, or if you're running,
say, weston as a window through its x11 backend, and you open a gtk+
application, the wayland backend will be chosen and it'll use the wayland
backend, which would make it appear in the other tty or in the weston window,
which is confusing.

On the other hand, let's say you're running weston or gnome-shell-wayland. x11
is preferred over wayland (status quo). If you don't have XWayland, the x11
backend fails and you get the wayland backend, which is all good. But if you
have XWayland, the x11 backend is going to work and will be preferred over the
wayland backend, making apps that could run natively run through XWayland. If
the wayland backend was preferred over x11, apps would run natively with the
wayland backend. Those gtk+ apps that really need the x11 backend would just
need to specify this with gdk_set_allowed_backends("x11").

I suppose that until wayland becomes more relevant for gtk+ we don't want the
order changed, but eventually (particularly when gnome-shell-wayland becomes
the recommended way to run gnome-shell and not just a beta product) we will
need to change the ordering to favor the wayland backend over the x11 one.

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