Roadmap to a GL-based composited desktop for Linux

Over the past several years, the foundation that will lead to a GL-based composited desktop has been laid, but there is still much work ahead for Linux. Other OSes already have or are well on their way toward having a solution in this space. We need a concerted effort across every level of the OS -- from the apps through the toolkits and libraries into the X server and the kernel -- if we are to be successful. The list of key technologies required to bring a GL-based composited desktop to fruition include:

• Advanced memory management for front/back buffers, textures, pixmaps and others buffers that extend from the video memory through AGP/PCI-E to host memory (kernel, X, DRI)
• GLX 1.3 support (DRI, Mesa)
• Accelerated indirect rendering (DRI, X)
• EXT_framebuffer_object (DRI, Mesa)
• EXT_texture_from_pixmap (DRI, Mesa, X)
• Input transformation (toolkit, X)
• Extensible scene-graph for window/composite manager (toolkit, X)
• Pluggable animations/effects library (apps, toolkit)