The X Window System was basically the wrong bet on how GUIs and computer hardware would evolve. Its client/server architecture was the opposite of the highly integrated graphics processing model we ended up with.
Instead of cutting its losses early and dumping X11, both the Unix vendors and open source spent far too long trying to make lemonade out of a truckload of rotten lemons. And that’s why Linux GUIs are so far behind.
It’s notable how rapidly Apple was able to evolve their Unix GUI because they were not tied to X11 and instead embraced the integrated model, even designing their own GPUs nowadays.
Instead of cutting its losses early and dumping X11, both the Unix vendors and open source spent far too long trying to make lemonade out of a truckload of rotten lemons. And that’s why Linux GUIs are so far behind.
It’s notable how rapidly Apple was able to evolve their Unix GUI because they were not tied to X11 and instead embraced the integrated model, even designing their own GPUs nowadays.