Arch Linux User Repository

Release 25.1.3 of xlibre-xserver is still in beta status. Package xlibre-xserver-beta is available for this.

For the latest updates package xlibre-xserver-git can be used.

Please do not flag this package out-of-date.

Building and installing xlibre-xserver to replace xorg-server

Attention

To enable building this package a binary xlibre-xserver-devel or xorg-server-devel package needs to be installed as a prerequisite for the initial build.

As during this procedure xorg-server is replaced with xlibre-xserver the running X-session - if being used - should not be stopped. As an alternative this procedure can be performed from a terminal session.

Notes

• As the ABI versions of xlibre-xserver do not match those of xorg-server this first needs to be overcome by building and - temporarily - installing a bootstrap package.
• The xf86-input/video driver packages will be uninstalled. Before starting the procedure make sure to query and store the names of these and install the respective xlibre-input/video drivers at the end of the procedure.
• Some distributions have meta packages installed for input devices and video drivers. In case pacman reports a conflict with these make a note of their names and uninstall them.

Build and installation Procedure

1. Build and install xlibre-xserver-bootstrap
2. Build and install xlibre-input-libinput
3. Build and install xlibre-xserver and confirm pacman's request to remove xlibre-xserver-bootstap
4. Build and install the xlibre-input/video packages that correspond to the removed xf86-input/video ones
5. Install any removed meta package again

@bug-reaper,

1. You are installing an unofficial AUR package with circular dependencies that sources a fork with breaking ABI changes of undermaintained software. I wouldn't expect stability from this (for now), but as long as you know how to repair X sessions (can be as simple as switching to a new TTY and reverting the changes) and/or use pacstrap from a live ISO if things go really bad, you shouldn't end up with an entirely broken system. It works well for me, but of course, this is highly dependent on your specific setup.

2. I'll leave a note about this above. XLibre replaces the core xorg-server package (this one) and the entire xorg-drivers group, which should be enough to get your setup up and running. There are more drivers available, but they're AUR-only, so I haven't started packaging their XLibre counterparts yet. Additionally, there's software that (make)depends on the X server. You'll need to recompile it yourself after installing the XLibre server.

3. Your setup includes the proprietary NVIDIA driver. See below for more info.

@gehenna14, I can't speak much about GPU support since I don't own any myself, but based on discussions in the XLibre GitHub repository, there may be issues with the updated ABI version provided by XLibre. Since the drivers are proprietary, simply recompiling them against XLibre isn't possible. The recommended workaround is to set Option "IgnoreABI" "true" in your Xorg config. You might want to scroll through the Issues tab of the XLibre repo yourself. For example, this issue indicates that proprietary drivers work with a few minor tweaks:

https://github.com/X11Libre/xserver/issues/158

How's Nvidia support when it comes to XLibre?

Very much look forward to yolo this, just want to confirm.

1. It's not gonna irreparably mess up my X-Server config if I need to roll back?

2. Is the full installation handled by the 3 aur packages? I saw the GH mentions recompiling certain things but I think it's auto-magically covered here yea?

My system ( i3 + Xfce4 + Nvidia970 {proprietary diver} )

These instructions are obsolete, do not follow.

Installation instructions:

1. Prepare a non-X session. If you still want a GUI session, (temporarily) opt for another backend, such as Wayland. If you're fine with using the terminal, perform everything from a fresh TTY. This is an unfortunate requirement because installing XLibre requires removing Xorg, which obviously breaks the X session.

2. Install xlibre-server-bootstrap. This is a bootstrap package and will not provide a working X session, so be sure to follow the next steps!

3. When prompted to install xlibre-server-bootstrap, pacman will report a few conflicts, namely with xorg-*, xf86-*, and packages that depend on Xorg components. Agree to remove those (but be careful, these are likely important packages) and make note of their names.

4. Install xlibre-input-libinput. Again, expect similar conflicts.

5. Install xlibre-server. When prompted, agree to replace xlibre-server-bootstrap.

6. For every xorg-* and xf86-* package you previously removed, install an xlibre-* counterpart. I’ve uploaded all the xlibre-drivers counterparts for the xorg-drivers group from extra, but I haven’t touched the AUR-only drivers yet. I’m considering adding them once I’ve researched further. In the meantime, feel free to request a specific one.

7. For every other package you previously removed and every package that makedepends on Xorg components, you’ll need to manually modify the PKGBUILD to update provides, conflicts, and ABI versions, and then recompile them. In theory, many of the packages removed due to requiring xorg-server don’t actually need recompilation and should depend on x-server instead, but good luck getting Arch/AUR maintainers to fix those. You may also upload your modified PKGBUILDs to the AUR with a changed pkgname and pkgdesc. I suggest naming them $original_pkgname-xlibre and appending something like (built against XLibre) to the pkgdesc.

Important notes:

1. If you fail to fully complete a step, do not continue, it will not magically fix itself. Better to exit early than waste your time.

2. Installing and using this as a daily driver is a hassle. If you’re unsure of your skills, don’t do it, and definitely don’t blame anyone else (including the project authors or me) for your mistakes. And don't be like this guy: https://files.catbox.moe/yqoe5e.png

3. Do not report packaging or installation issues to the upstream. They won’t be able to help, even if they wanted to, since we are not affiliated in any way. If you’re unsure who to report your issue to, describe the situation here and we’ll decide together whether it’s a task for me or for upstream.

I would just use the suffix *-xlibre for now. The xlibre prefix might seem misleading to some people.

@reaperx7, I should probably create those packages so that people won't have to modify or rebuild anything manually. So far, I've only uploaded xf86-input-libinput-xlibre because it's a direct dependency. However, I used a suffix (xlibre) instead of a prefix because it still uses the xorg sources and just builds against xlibre. There are existing repositories from xlibre, but they all seem to be (equally?) inactive.

So, should my packages pull from the xorg sources and use a suffix, or pull from the xlibre sources and use a prefix? If the latter, what prefix would be appropriate instead of xf86? Perhaps xlibref86?

Just a reminder for users, all xf86-input-<insert_name> and xf86-video-<insert-name> drivers have to be rebuilt against xlibre if you wish to use the standalone drivers for input and video needs.

Failure to rebuild these drivers will result in Xlibre refusing to load.

Installation instructions:

1. Prepare a non-X session. If you still want a GUI session, (temporarily) opt for another backend, such as Wayland. If you're fine with using the terminal, perform everything from a fresh TTY. This is an unfortunate requirement because installing XLibre requires removing Xorg, which obviously breaks the X session.

2. Install xlibre-server-bootstrap. This is a bootstrap package and will not provide a working X session, so be sure to follow the next steps!

3. When prompted to install xlibre-server-bootstrap, pacman will report a few conflicts, namely with xorg-*, xf86-*, and packages that depend or makedepend on Xorg components. Agree to remove those (but be careful, these are likely important packages) and make note of their names.

4. Install xlibre-input-libinput. Again, expect similar conflicts.

5. Install xlibre-server. When prompted, agree to replace xlibre-server-bootstrap.

6. For every xorg-* and xf86-* package you previously removed, install an xlibre-* counterpart. I’ve uploaded all the xlibre-drivers counterparts for the xorg-drivers group from extra, but I haven’t touched the AUR-only drivers yet. I’m considering adding them once I’ve researched further. In the meantime, feel free to request a specific one.

7. For every other package you previously removed, you’ll need to manually modify the PKGBUILD to update provides, conflicts, and ABI versions, and then recompile them. In theory, many of the packages removed due to requiring xorg-server don’t actually need recompilation and should depend on x-server instead, but good luck getting Arch/AUR maintainers to fix those. You may also upload your modified PKGBUILDs to the AUR with a changed pkgname and pkgdesc. I suggest naming them $original_pkgname-xlibre and appending something like (built against XLibre) to the pkgdesc.

Important notes

1. If you fail to fully complete a step, do not continue, it will not magically fix itself. Better to exit early than waste your time.

2. Installing and using this as a daily driver is a hassle. If you’re unsure of your skills, don’t do it, and definitely don’t blame anyone else (including the project authors or me) for your mistakes. And don't be like this guy: https://files.catbox.moe/yqoe5e.png

3. Do not report packaging or installation issues to the upstream. They won’t be able to help, even if they wanted to, since we are not affiliated in any way. If you’re unsure who to report your issue to, describe the situation here and we’ll decide together whether it’s a task for me or for upstream.