How much faster are the Gnome 46 terminals? (bxt.rs)

Article summary

The article measures the input latency of various terminal emulators, including GNOME Terminal, Alacritty, and Console, using a custom-built hardware input latency tester. The results show significant performance improvements in GNOME 46 terminals, with input latency reduced to almost match the fastest terminals. The tests were conducted on a Lenovo Legion 7 Gen 7 AMD laptop with a Fedora 40 Silverblue Beta operating system. The author concludes that VTE-based terminals are now a viable option for users who previously avoided them due to sluggishness and input lag.

Main themes

• Terminal emulator performance
• Input latency measurement
• GNOME 46 improvements
• VTE library optimizations
• Cross-platform support

What commenters say

• The article's benchmarking method is an improvement over traditional methods, such as catting a large file, as it provides a more realistic measure of terminal performance.
• Some commenters argue that other benchmarking tools, such as vtebench, are more comprehensive and should be used in addition to the article's method.
• There is disagreement over whether Kitty terminal emulator is truly cross-platform, with some arguing that it only supports Linux and MacOS, while others claim it supports multiple platforms.
• Some users prefer terminals with minimal features, such as Alacritty, as they prioritize speed and simplicity over additional functionality.
• The author's findings are seen as a significant improvement for VTE-based terminals, making them a viable option for users who previously avoided them due to performance issues.
• There is a discussion about the definition of cross-platform support, with some arguing that it implies support for multiple operating systems, including Windows, while others claim it only requires support for multiple platforms within the same ecosystem.