RedBear-OS/local/docs/DESKTOP-STACK-CURRENT-STATUS.md

# Red Bear OS Desktop Stack — Current Status

**Last updated:** 2026-04-16
**Canonical plan:** `local/docs/CONSOLE-TO-KDE-DESKTOP-PLAN.md` (v2.0)

## Purpose

This document is the **current build/runtime truth summary** for the Red Bear desktop stack.

Its job is to answer:
- what the desktop stack actually builds,
- what the tracked profiles currently expose,
- what is only build-visible,
- what is runtime-proven,
- and what still blocks a trustworthy Wayland/KDE session claim.

For the execution plan (phases, timelines, acceptance criteria), see the canonical plan above.
For historical design rationale, see `docs/03-WAYLAND-ON-REDOX.md` and `docs/05-KDE-PLASMA-ON-REDOX.md`.

## Where We Are in the Plan

The canonical desktop plan uses a three-track model:

- **Track A (Phase 1–2):** Runtime Substrate → Software Compositor — **Phase 1 is the current target**
- **Track B (Phase 3–4):** KWin Session → KDE Plasma — **blocked on Track A**
- **Track C (Phase 5):** Hardware GPU — **can start after Phase 1**

**Current position:** Build-side gates are crossed. Phase 1 (Runtime Substrate Validation) is the
next work target. The repo has not yet started systematic runtime validation.

## Status Matrix

| Area | Evidence class | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| `libwayland` | **builds** | relibc/Wayland-facing compatibility is materially better than before |
| Qt6 core stack | **builds** | `qtbase` (7 libs + 12 plugins), `qtdeclarative`, `qtsvg`, `qtwayland` |
| KF6 frameworks | **builds** | All 32/32; some higher-level pieces use bounded/reduced recipes (kf6-kio heavy shim, kirigami stub-only) |
| KWin | **experimental** | Recipe exists; 5 features re-enabled; 4 stub deps block honest build; 9 feature switches still disabled |
| plasma-workspace | **experimental** | Recipe exists; stub deps (kf6-knewstuff, kf6-kwallet) unresolved |
| plasma-desktop | **experimental** | Recipe exists; depends on plasma-workspace |
| Mesa EGL+GBM+GLES2 | **builds** | Software path via LLVMpipe proven in QEMU; hardware path not proven |
| libdrm amdgpu | **builds** | Package-level success only |
| Input stack | **builds, enumerates** | evdevd, libevdev, libinput, seatd present; evdevd registers scheme at boot |
| D-Bus | **builds, usable (bounded)** | System bus wired in `redbear-full` |
| DRM/KMS | **builds** | redox-drm scheme daemon; no hardware runtime validation |
| GPU acceleration | **blocked** | PRIME/DMA-BUF ioctls implemented; GPU CS ioctl missing |
| smallvil compositor | **experimental** | Reaches early init in QEMU; no complete session |
| `redbear-wayland` profile | **builds, boots** | Bounded Wayland runtime profile |
| `redbear-full` profile | **builds, boots** | Broader desktop plumbing profile |
| `redbear-kde` profile | **builds** | KDE session-surface profile |

## Profile View

### `redbear-wayland`

- **Role:** Phase 2 Wayland compositor validation target
- **Current truth:** Builds and boots in QEMU; smallvil reaches early init but no complete session
- **Use for:** Compositor/runtime regression testing, not broad desktop claims

### `redbear-full`

- **Role:** Broader desktop/network/session plumbing
- **Current truth:** Carries D-Bus and broader integration pieces; VirtIO networking works in QEMU
- **Use for:** Desktop integration testing beyond the narrow Wayland slice

### `redbear-kde`

- **Role:** Phase 3–4 KDE/Plasma session bring-up
- **Current truth:** Carries KWin/session wiring and KDE-facing package set; experimental
- **Use for:** KDE session surface testing once Phase 2 completes

## Current Blockers

### 1. Runtime trust trails build success (Phase 1 gate)

The repo has real build-visible desktop progress, but build success exceeds runtime confidence.
Phase 1 exists specifically to close this gap.

### 2. No complete compositor session (Phase 2 gate)

smallvil reaches early initialization but does not complete a usable Wayland compositor session.
This blocks all desktop session work.

### 3. KWin blocked by stub dependencies (Phase 3 gate)

Four stub cmake targets must become real builds:

| Stub | Real library exists? | Path to resolve | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| `libepoxy-stub` | Yes — `recipes/wip/libs/gnome/libepoxy/` (meson, has redox.patch) | Port real libepoxy; currently needs full X11/GLX stack | Medium |
| `libudev-stub` | Partial — `recipes/wip/services/eudev/` (broken: POSIX headers missing) | Fix eudev compilation; `udev-shim` is a binary not a C library | Medium-Hard |
| `lcms2-stub` | Yes — `recipes/wip/libs/other/liblcms/` (compiled, untested) | Test and integrate real lcms2; depends on libtiff | Low |
| `libdisplay-info-stub` | **No** — not in recipe tree at all | New port from freedesktop.org; full EDID/CTA/DisplayID parser | Hard |

Additionally, two packages need honest builds: kirigami (stub-only), kf6-kio (heavy shim).

### 4. Hardware acceleration missing GPU CS ioctl (Phase 5 gate)

PRIME/DMA-BUF buffer sharing is implemented at the scheme level, but GPU command submission
does not exist. This blocks hardware-accelerated rendering.

## Canonical Document Roles

| Document | Role |
|---|---|
| `local/docs/CONSOLE-TO-KDE-DESKTOP-PLAN.md` | Canonical desktop path plan (v2.0, Phase 1–5) |
| This document | Current build/runtime truth summary |
| `local/docs/QT6-PORT-STATUS.md` | Qt/KF6/KWin package-level build status |
| `local/docs/AMD-FIRST-INTEGRATION.md` | AMD-specific hardware/driver detail |
| `docs/03-WAYLAND-ON-REDOX.md` | Historical Wayland design rationale |
| `docs/05-KDE-PLASMA-ON-REDOX.md` | Historical KDE design rationale |
| `local/docs/PROFILE-MATRIX.md` | Profile roles and support-language reference |

## Bottom Line

The Red Bear desktop stack has crossed major build-side gates:
- All Qt6 core modules, all 32 KF6 frameworks, Mesa EGL/GBM/GLES2, and D-Bus build
- Three tracked desktop profiles exist and at least boot in QEMU
- relibc compatibility is materially stronger than before

The remaining work is **runtime validation and session assembly**, not more package porting.
Phase 1 (Runtime Substrate Validation) is the immediate next target.