TL;DR
KDE Plasma 6.8 will be the final version supporting X11, with all future focus on Wayland. The transition aims to enhance performance and reduce code complexity, but some users may face transitional issues.
KDE Plasma 6.8 will be the final version to include support for the X11 display server, with the feature removed from the login screen and all X11-specific code eliminated. This marks a significant milestone in KDE’s transition to Wayland, emphasizing future development on this protocol.
As of today, the Plasma X11 session has been officially removed, and KDE plans to phase out all X11-specific code in Plasma 6.8. The upcoming release, scheduled in about five months, will only offer a Wayland session for logging in. Support for XWayland remains, allowing users to run X11 applications seamlessly, and KDE applications will continue to function on X11 in other desktop environments.
According to KDE developers, internal metrics show over 95% of Plasma 6.6 users are on Wayland, with minimal testing or development occurring on X11. The transition aims to streamline code, improve performance, and enable new features, but some users may encounter issues, especially with specialized workflows or custom scripts. Plasma 6.7, releasing shortly, will be the last version to include an X11 session, providing time for users to adapt.
Why It Matters
This change is significant because it marks the end of KDE’s long-standing support for X11, a transition that will impact users, developers, and the broader Linux desktop ecosystem. Moving exclusively to Wayland is expected to bring performance improvements, better security, and simplified maintenance, but it may also cause compatibility issues for some users during the transition.
XWayland compatibility tools for Linux
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Background
KDE has been gradually shifting toward Wayland for several years, with initial support introduced in Plasma 5.0. Despite early challenges, adoption has increased steadily, with recent metrics indicating a dominant presence of Wayland among active users. The decision to remove X11 support in Plasma 6.8 reflects KDE’s confidence in Wayland’s maturity and the goal of unifying the development platform.
“It’s done when it’s done! We are finally at a point where we’re ready to retire X11 and focus solely on Wayland.”
— KDE developer
“Moving forward with a single code path through Wayland will allow us to bring new performance improvements and features.”
— KDE spokesperson
“While we have full confidence in Wayland, we acknowledge that some specialized workflows might face issues during the transition.”
— KDE developer
KDE Plasma Wayland support hardware
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What Remains Unclear
It is still unclear how many users will experience significant issues during the transition, and whether all specialized workflows and custom scripts will be fully compatible with Wayland by the release.
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What’s Next
In the coming months, KDE will continue to refine Wayland support, gather user feedback, and address reported issues. Plasma 6.7 will be the last version to include an X11 session, providing users time to adapt before the complete removal in 6.8.
X11 to Wayland transition troubleshooting
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Key Questions
When will KDE Plasma fully support only Wayland?
KDE Plasma 6.8, scheduled for release in about five months, will be the first version to support only Wayland, with X11 support removed entirely.
Will existing X11 applications continue to work after the transition?
Yes, thanks to support for XWayland, X11 applications will continue to run seamlessly on Wayland sessions.
What issues might users face during the transition?
Users may encounter compatibility issues with custom scripts, tools, or workflows that rely on X11-specific behavior. KDE is actively listening to user feedback to address these problems.
Will KDE provide support for users still on Plasma 5.27 or older?
No. The transition to Wayland support is focused on Plasma 6.8 and later. Users on older versions will not be affected by this change.
Source: Hacker News
