Next Ubuntu-lts will use default Xorg display server again

Canonical has announced that the next Ubuntu lts release, numbered 18.04 and codenamed Bionic Beaver, will again default to the Xorg display server instead of Wayland. The latter remains available as an option on the login screen.

Canonical says Wayland will be considered the default again in version 18.10; that was already the case in version 17.10. However, for the ‘out-of-the-box users’ Ubuntu must remain a ‘stable experience’, which is why Xorg has now been chosen.

The organization cites three reasons for the decision. The first is that screen sharing via webrtc services like Hangouts and Skype work well with that display server protocol. The same would be true for rdp and vnc. The last reason is that recovering from a shell crash is less ‘dramatic’ under Xorg. For example, a crash of Gnome would end the entire session and return the user to the login screen, while at Xorg the shell can reboot independently of the display server.