TL;DR
IceWM released version 4.0 with incremental improvements and several bug fixes, while Budgie 10.10 is presented as the first fully Wayland-native Budgie and drops some X11 components. A separate, experimental X11 server called Phoenix — written in Zig and not a fork of X.org — also surfaced late in 2025.
What happened
Early January brought three notable moves in the Unix-like graphical stack. On January 1 the long-lived IceWM project issued version 4.0, marking another step in a project whose first public release dates back to 1997; this update tweaks Alt-Tab window switching, defaults to 32-bit RGBA color, and remedies several bugs including OpenBSD keyboard-layout switching. Ten days later the Budgie desktop published version 10.10, described as the first entirely Wayland-native Budgie release; it removes some X11-specific pieces, integrates components drawn from environments such as Sway, and introduces a Budgie Desktop Services module implemented with Qt 6. Separately, a very early new X11 server named Phoenix appeared at the end of 2025. Phoenix is an independent project implemented in the Zig language and aims to support a focused subset of the X11 protocol for more modern applications.
Why it matters
- Shows parallel activity at both ends of the display stack: continued maintenance of legacy X11 tooling alongside projects moving to Wayland.
- Budgie’s Wayland-native build signals wider desktop-environment migration efforts and new compositor compatibility options for users.
- A fresh X11 server written in Zig indicates X11 remains a living part of Unix-like ecosystems and continues to attract new development.
- Changes like Budgie’s use of Qt 6 for orchestration reflect cross-toolkit mixing and evolving architecture choices in desktop projects.
Key facts
- IceWM 4.0 was released on January 1 and traces its project history back to a 0.8.9 release in 1997.
- IceWM 4.0 improves Alt-Tab behavior, defaults to 32-bit RGBA color, and fixes several bugs including keyboard-layout switching on OpenBSD.
- Budgie 10.10 followed about ten days later and is presented as the first fully Wayland-native release in the Budgie 10 series.
- Budgie 10.10 recommends wlroots-based compositors and specifically highlights effort to support the labwc compositor.
- The Budgie 10.10 release drops some X11-specific components and borrows tooling ideas from projects such as Sway for tasks like wallpaper and screenshots.
- Budgie’s new Budgie Desktop Services module is implemented in Qt 6.
- Budgie 10.10 is slated to be included in Fedora 44 and Ubuntu Budgie 26.04 (the latter not being a full five-year LTS flavor).
- Phoenix is a new, very preliminary X11 server that debuted at the end of 2025; it is written in Zig and is not a fork of X.org.
- Phoenix aims to be simpler than Xorg by supporting a subset of the X11 protocol intended for relatively modern applications.
What to watch next
- Progress and adoption of Budgie 11 and its roadmap — not confirmed in the source
- Maturity and uptake of the Phoenix X11 server across distributions and projects — not confirmed in the source
- How widely labwc or other wlroots-based compositors are used with Budgie in distributions beyond the ones cited — not confirmed in the source
Quick glossary
- X11 (X Window System): A long-established network-transparent windowing system for bitmap displays used on many Unix-like operating systems.
- Wayland: A modern protocol and architecture for compositors and clients to manage display windows and input on Linux and similar systems.
- Compositor: Software that combines buffer content from applications to produce the final display output, often providing window management and effects.
- Window manager: A component that controls the placement and appearance of windows within a graphical user interface.
- Qt 6: A cross-platform application and UI framework commonly used to build graphical user interfaces and desktop components.
Reader FAQ
Is Budgie 10.10 fully Wayland-native?
Yes; the release is described as Budgie’s first entirely Wayland-native version.
Does IceWM 4.0 represent a complete rewrite?
No; the project’s version history and release notes suggest the major-version bump is largely numerical with incremental improvements rather than a full rewrite.
Is Phoenix a fork of X.org?
No. Phoenix is an independent new X11 server and is not a fork of X.org.
Will Budgie 10.10 be available in major distributions?
The source confirms Budgie 10.10 will be part of Fedora 44 and Ubuntu Budgie 26.04.
SOFTWARE IceWM soldiers on while Budgie jumps the Wayland ship Two new Linux GUIs – plus Phoenix, an experimental new X server in Zig Liam Proven Mon 12 Jan 2026 // 17:09 UTC The…
Sources
- IceWM soldiers on while Budgie jumps the Wayland ship
- Budgie 10.10 Released: Officially Migrated From X11 To …
- Another Linux desktop environment goes Wayland-only as …
- Budgie 10.10 Released
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