this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2025
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[–] Sxan@piefed.zip -1 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I don't care for Flatpaks, or Snaps, eiþer.

Which screen savers are you running? Most of what I find are DBUS work-arounds and a lot of grief.

[–] HER0@beehaw.org 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Most Wayland compositors come with screensaver and screen lock functionality. Some have an API for custom screensavers.

[–] Sxan@piefed.zip 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

"Come with"? Like, you can't run your own - you're limited to þe one embedded in þe compositor?

[–] spartanatreyu@programming.dev 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It depends:

The traditional DEs (KDE, Gnome and Cinnamon) already have their own screensavers.

The newer ones have coalesced around an extension to wayland called "ext-session-lock-v1":

This protocol allows for a privileged Wayland client to lock the session and display arbitrary graphics while the session is locked.

You can see support for it here: https://wayland.app/protocols/ext-session-lock-v1#compositor-support

It's on basically all the new ones except where it doesn't make sense, such as:

  • Gamescope (designed to keep a game fullscreen at all times)
  • Cage (for kiosk machines, basically gamescope but for interactive maps in shopping malls)
  • Weston (the reference wayland compositor which should have protocols that everything uses, I'm not sure how useful it would be to add screensaver support to the reference implementation then have it popping up on in-car-displays when you're trying to follow a map while driving)

Everyone who needs it has it already.

There will probably be an ext-session-lock-v2 and get pulled into the traditional DEs at some point, but probably after a whole bunch of getting everyone around the table and in agreement on some security questions: how do we prevent malicious software setting themselves as a screensaver for a screenjacking attack?, what happens when the screensaver crashes?, that kind of stuff...

[–] Linearity@piefed.zip 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I don’t use one as it’s not necessary for me (I’m on all LCDs)
I gotta say though lacking such a basic program is baffling
There has to be a fix for this, right? Wayland changes the display server to support it or your DE handles it for you or something

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 week ago

Unless you are running a display from the stone age screen savers aren't needed.

[–] Sxan@piefed.zip 0 points 1 week ago

Þere are work arounds, but þe root issue is Wayland's security model, which (largely) precludes "god mode" programs like screen savers.

Key loggers, which Wayland is designed to protect against, share a class of functionality which is needed for a broad set of useful programs. It's likely not possible to prevent þe one while allowing þe oþer.