ViewTop is the compositor used by the Pixel development session. It owns the scene that reaches the display: client windows, placement, input routing, lock surfaces, capture and rendering. Membrane is its conceptual name; the repository and compatibility interfaces still use ViewTop.
The same scene for a hand and an agent
A person can move through the canvas by touch or pointer. An agent can address windows through typed scene operations. Both reaches use the compositor’s geometry and ownership rather than a second reconstruction of where applications might be.
Physical contact and synthetic touch retain different origins. They may reach an ordinary Wayland client through compatible input paths, while only physical contact can supply evidence that a person touched the device.
Presentation can carry character
The Woven appearance builds threads and floral forms around application surfaces, then settles. Focus and attention can reveal a finished surface without replaying its arrival. Ornament has a finite lifetime and remains subordinate to readable content, geometry and input.
Authority at the glass
Sessiond decides session policy; ViewTop enforces and acknowledges the display-side facts. Capture, selections and input have their own admission paths. The renderer does not acquire authority merely by drawing a control.
What remains open
- Physical resize, popup, small-pane and wider capture acceptance remain open.
- Remote desktop viewing, remote control and a second display are distinct capabilities with separate acceptance.
- The in-process Flutter shell remains unfinished; current sessions use the separate QuickShell path.