Today I realized I need to make another change. I was working away on my laptop, trying to have a Zoom meeting, and the camera kept freezing. My keyboard kept repeating characters I typed, and windows would randomly freeze.
I tried what any average user would do: I closed all my open programs and restarted the computer. Once everything booted back up, I resumed working—this time in my browser. The same behaviors started again. My frustration levels rose
I switched into tech-expert mode and started debugging the issue. I launched the system monitor and looked at the running processes. The browser was hogging a good chunk of memory, but nothing insane. Then I noticed what else was at the top of the list: the compositor.
Well, that explains a lot. You see, I don’t run Windows or macOS. I run Linux on my laptop. I’ve been a Linux user for over 10 years on my personal machines. The only time I ever run Windows is if I have to for work or to debug issues for someone I know who runs Windows.
As for Apple software, I do love their mobile OSes. I have an iPhone 15 and iPad Air. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t use one or both of these two devices. But I have never wanted to spend the money on an actual MacBook. They are just too expensive for my tastes.
I love Linux for a number of reasons. It’s free—you don’t have to pay for it. It’s open source, so it's super customizable. Linux comes in tons of different distributions—each with its own look and feel—but they all share the same Linux kernel.
So, what happened to my system? After a little internet sleuthing and Grok research, it turns out that my current distribution (Fedora Cosmic) may not be the best one for my hardware. Fedora is using a new window management system and compositor called Wayland, and I don’t think it is playing well with my machine.
What’s a compositor? In newer Linux setups, Wayland is the protocol that tells graphical apps how to talk to the program drawing pixels on screen. The compositor is the program that actually does the drawing.
Before Wayland, there was X11—a window server that worked with window managers (and sometimes compositors) to render graphics. X11 is still used in many distros, but Wayland is the future—so many are switching. Simply put: Wayland is the new way Linux displays graphics, while X11 is the older way. And Wayland is still finicky on some hardware, like mine.
That means I’ll need to back up my files, wipe the machine, and install a different Linux distribution. Haven’t decided which one yet, but I will soon. Then I’ll breathe new life into my laptop. Some people dread a reinstall. I find it fun—call me crazy. It’s like breathing new life into the tools God’s given me.
What operating system do you use? Are you a Windows user like most people? Maybe you’re a Mac user—Macs are great if you don’t mind the price tag. How many of you have ever used Linux, even for a little while? I’d love to hear about your setup.
—Daniel