A Merge Request has been posted on gitlab.freedesktop.org to add the frog-fifo-v1 protocol to the Mesa driver sources. The MR explains that SteamOS (Steam Deck) and Gamescope already "ship essentially this functionality" since version 3.5, as it is a "serious and real problem."
According to Misil (misyltoad, misyl), who does various work for Valve (e.g. Gamescope), it certainly sounds like a good idea to give Wayland Protocols a quick push to start working on improving the situation for users. From the description frog protocols:
Wayland Protocols has long had problems with new protocols taking months or even years to run even with basic functionality.
It's extremely problematic when some protocols implement very primitive and basic features like frog-fifo-v1, which is needed to prevent VSync from starving the GPU in Wayland, and also to fix the dreaded app freeze when windows overlapped with FIFO/VSync enabled.
We need to get protocols into the hands of end users faster! The main reason many users still use X11 is because of the lack of functionality that we can provide today, but is blocked for one reason or another.
Developer Simon Ser (emersion) has objected several times, noticing, in particular:
I don't think adding support for protocols that essentially bypass the Wayland protocol consensus is a good idea. The bar for Wayland protocols isn't that high, and adding support for third-party protocols that don't represent the Wayland community isn't a good step forward.
Him answered Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffe (Plagman):
There is value in rapid iteration that is missing from the current development model. It would be better if extensions were hosted in the upstream wayland-protocols repository, that would be great, but I'm not sure there should be any barriers to protocol extensions at all. On the contrary, reducing friction on this issue will provide invaluable experimental feedback for future development efforts and will serve users during long development cycles.
Source: linux.org.ru
