this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2026
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Honestly, on a running system with average hardware, the average user won't notice any difference. Depending on your de/wm of choice on x11, you may have to swap to something similar but different, but there it. Depending on what you used, something will require different solutions, like screenshots, but 90+% of stuff, there is no difference.
I'd like to chime in on the "average hardware" claim.
The idea that Wayland is more demanding to run than X11 is a misconception.
Mutter (Gnome's compositor) and kwin (KDE's compositor) are more demanding than xorg plus a simple window manager. Usually that's what people used to compare when they said that Wayland is demanding, and now they just keep repeating it.
In actuality, the Wayland protocol is more efficient by nature. So a light Wayland compositor (e.g. labwc) will run better on limited hardware, than a light X11 window manager.
Tho, Wayland requires proper EGL support, which you might not have on some old exotic hardware (e.g. a Tegra 2/3/4 tablet).
The example I usually make is: