Cage 0.3 Released With New Wayland Protocol Support

Cage, the Wayland compositor designed for kiosk mode applications, has reached version 0.3 with significant protocol enhancements and wlroots 0.20 integration. This release marks the first major update in over six months and brings several important features for developers and users working with Wayland-based systems.

wlroots 0.20 Integration

The foundation of this release is the upgrade to wlroots 0.20, the latest feature release of the Wayland support library that powers many modern compositors. This upgrade brings several new protocol implementations that expand Cage's capabilities:

• color-representation-v1: Provides standardized color space representation
• ext-workspace-v1: Extends workspace management capabilities
• ext-image-capture-source-v1: Adds foreign toplevel support for screen capture
• xdg-toplevel-tag-v1: Enables tagging of top-level surfaces
• color-management-v1 (minor version 2): Enhanced color management features
• cursor-shape-v1 (minor version 2): Improved cursor shape handling
• xdg-shell (minor version 7): Latest shell protocol version

These protocol additions align Cage with the latest Wayland developments and ensure compatibility with modern applications and toolkits.

New Protocol Support

Beyond the wlroots upgrade, Cage 0.3 introduces several new protocol implementations:

Foreign Toplevel Management

Cage now supports the wlr-foreign-toplevel-management protocol, allowing external programs to control windows within the compositor. This is particularly useful for kiosk applications that need to manage other windows programmatically, such as launching specific applications or controlling window states.

DRM Lease Support

Perhaps the most exciting addition is support for the drm-lease-v1 protocol. This enables Cage to lease display resources to external programs, which is essential for VR headset support. With this protocol, Cage can now serve as a compositor for VR applications, making it a viable option for virtual reality kiosks or immersive single-application environments.

Technical Improvements

The wlroots 0.20 release itself includes several notable improvements that benefit Cage users:

• Color management enhancements: Better handling of color spaces and profiles
• Vulkan renderer completion: Full Vulkan rendering support for improved performance
• Protocol stability: Various bug fixes and stability improvements

These improvements translate to better visual fidelity and performance for applications running under Cage.

Use Cases and Applications

Cage's focus on kiosk mode makes it ideal for several scenarios:

• Public terminals: Secure, single-application displays for information kiosks
• Digital signage: Dedicated displays showing specific content
• VR installations: Immersive experiences using the new DRM lease support
• Testing environments: Isolated application testing with controlled window management
• Industrial control panels: Dedicated interfaces for machinery or processes

Availability

The Cage 0.3 release is available now through the project's GitHub repository. Users can download the source code and build it following the standard Wayland compositor build process, which typically requires:

• wlroots development libraries
• Wayland protocol headers
• A C compiler and build system (meson/ninja)
• DRM development headers for hardware acceleration

Looking Forward

With wlroots 0.20 support and the new protocol implementations, Cage 0.3 positions itself as a modern, capable Wayland compositor for specialized use cases. The addition of VR headset support through DRM lease is particularly noteworthy, as it opens up new possibilities for immersive kiosk applications.

Future development will likely focus on refining the VR experience, expanding protocol support as the Wayland ecosystem evolves, and improving stability for production kiosk deployments. The six-month release cycle suggests a steady development pace, with the next version potentially bringing even more advanced features.

For developers working on kiosk applications or specialized Wayland environments, Cage 0.3 represents a solid foundation with modern protocol support and the flexibility to handle both traditional and emerging use cases like VR.