Overlay for Linux
We need overlay on Linux too. Don't leave us with a sad Wumpus. :c
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I've heard that the overlay is hard to implement technically (and would probably require a whole new approach for a different OS), but nevertheless it would be very nice to see this.
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Hard or not, year had passed since the overlay feature launch, by now it's practically a standard need, it feels like linux users are left behind.
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The issue with overlay on linux is that the gui isn't built into the system, it's an installed component and the way games interact with it vary wildly. now, you could have it show up on the X default display regardless of what application you're running, but that's a hack at best. they're probably working on it but Xorg is darned near fifteen years old now, and developing for it can be challenging. there's also the issue of other display servers being run instead of Xorg. it's a huge pain but this is just how it is for now, at least. if the Discord API lets people interact with calls through other programs (no idea if it does but it might) then there may be someone out there hacking together some "good enough" third party fix as I type this.
but games that are fullscreen (a lot of fullscreen stuff actually) ignore Xorg commands, and work outside the window manager/desktop environment, so that may add a level of complication as well.
it may very well be impossible but if it is it'd be nice if the devs said it in a newsletter or something so people like me would stop wondering if it was gonna happen
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every linux game is going to use opengl or vulkan, its not like theres a million ways they draw to the screen
also expecting xorg/wayland isnt a hack, its just what linux uses for the display
i dont see how being 15 years old means anything, the last time windows had a major window manager/renderer overhaul was with vista in 2006
steam manages to pull off their overlay just fine across all platforms so saying its nearly impossible is just a lie
also macos has a single window manager/de, its more predictable than windows is in most regards so theres no excuse there
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+1 For overlay on linux.
To add to the existing discussion, Mumble has an overlay for linux (which is open source). Wouldn't getting something similar to that into discord be relatively non-trivial(except obvious licensing stuff)?
I'll be more than happy if the overlay only supported X11 for the time being.13 -
This would be great
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+1 Linux overlay!!
It's not that windows is less of a mess, it's just a lucrative mess. So: If it's released by next month, I'm gonna buy Discord Nitro.
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That would just make an exploit for Linux too.
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+1.
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+1
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Please, Discord!
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The "overlay" feature is considered malicious by the Linux Community.
According to me, they shouldn't add it. Because, it tracks what you do.-26 -
Discord can track you with or without an overlay, if you're that concerned, don't use discord, not on Linux and not elsewhere.
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Who is this "Linux Community"* that seems so concerned about an overlay? And why don't they care about the fact that Discord is proprietary, the game is likely proprietary, Steam (which everybody except Canonical seems to care about) is proprietary, the graphics drivers you are using are likely proprietary, and even the Linux kernel itself probably has proprietary firmware blobs. And anything proprietary could "track what you do".
* mocking a previous commenter's strange formatting, not a link
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I'm unfamiliar with these forums, but it appears to me that "Linux Community" is not a link to some random article but unresponsive bold text. Please don't make claims about a group of people who have different opinions; I use Linux and am aware that Discord tracks me; however, I am willing to use Discord regardless of this fact.
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I compromise on freedom/privacy vs. convenience whenever I see fit, therefore I use Discord on Linux. I use Linux and am therefore part of this "Linux Community" but i don't consider an "overlay" any more malicious than a proprietary text and voice chat client. In fact, I think the benefits of an overlay are significant and could result in more people using Linux.
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I mean, heck, if Steam has a functional overlay that works in every game (at least in my experience), even the ones I run through Proton, there's gotta be SOME way to get an overlay. +1 to this.
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Оверлей это все чего не хватает на linux. Обидно что функционал который уже сделан как часть программы просто не могут сделать для всех систем. И самое обидное это осознание того что его вероятно и не сделают ибо другие мессенджеры так же проигнорировали реализацию оверлея для lunux, а они намного старше недавно появившегося discord.
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I'm on this same page and sorry if I'm being a necro but as stated before, mumble has it done with Vulkan and with OpenGL. Quite honestly that covers most of Linux gaming needs and I think reasonably as a Linux community can understand if it isn't perfect at first and has bugs but at least let us iron it out and actually get it out there. With Proton basically covering everything I play that hasn't been done on Linux pure yet, I've completely uninstalled Windows as it was the final thing I needed to completely ditch that OS. Please, pretty please, can we get the overlay in Linux?
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All the arguments here for it being difficult to develop an overlay for Linux would be solved simply by officially supporting Discord on WINE, and making sure the overlay works there, and the argument that "display servers other than X being used presents a difficulty" is void because it is by far the most used display server, and it's comparable to saying "operating systems other than Windows being used presents a difficulty"; this difficulty has already been overcome, and there's no reason why a team such as the Discord development team wouldn't be able to surmount it, and at any rate, just supporting X would be a large step forward.
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I'm Linux full time and don't need Windows for anything. Some games perform better on Linux now even under DXVK. When more people realize this the userbase is set to blow up. I'm hoping Discord tracks their Linux usage patterns and acts accordingly. Would love to see the overlay make it.
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Another reason I wish more people were willing to use Mumble for voice chat... It has a consistently cross-platform feature set. Mumble developers don't leave Mac and Linux users out from useful features because of smaller market share (and further contributing to chicken-and-egg problem), they just do it because it's the right thing to do, and they focus on cross-platform solutions from the start (like OpenGL) rather than on any Windows-exclusive techniques.
Though, seeing as Apple is probably dropping OpenGL in the future, I wonder if they'll have to switch to MoltenVK...
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I think this post is about incorporating the overlay feature in Linux, not about alternatives to Discord. 🙂
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You're right, I didn't mean to diss Discord (Disscord?), I just felt it was a relevant comparison. It's another cross-platform voice chat application with an overlay, but with an overlay on all platforms. If these volunteer developers working in their spare time can do it, why can't a company with a monetized service?
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I think it can't be that hard to make a discord overlay available for linux. Steam has already done it.
I don't think it's because it's impossible, but because you have to invest time. And although they had enough time, nothing happened. They probably didn't even try.
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There is a Project on Github for a Discord Overlay and it works pretty good (X11 and Wayland Support)
https://github.com/trigg/DiscordOverlayLinux3 -
Please don't leave Linux behind! Let's be grateful about what holds our servers...
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bump
please dear wumpus
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Please make a Linux overlay, it's engineering resources without so much monetary return as goodwill. I'm sure there's internal staff (between the network engineers and devops team) that would be all about it with the green light.
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If you need some examples how to do that https://github.com/trigg/DiscordOverlayLinux that is works. Pls implement it for linux users
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