99 lines
5.7 KiB
Markdown
99 lines
5.7 KiB
Markdown
# Native UI spike scorecard
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The GPUI and Floem programs under `spikes/` consume the same six-pane fixture.
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No product framework decision is accepted until both rows contain measurements
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from macOS and Linux and the hard gates pass.
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| Criterion | Hard gate | GPUI | Floem |
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|---|---:|---:|---:|
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| Builds on macOS Apple Silicon | yes | pending | pending |
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| Builds on Ubuntu | yes | conditional | pass |
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| Builds on Omarchy/Arch | yes | pending | pending |
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| Dependency/license closure permits Apache-2.0 distribution | yes | pending | pending |
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| Keyboard navigation + AccessKit tree | yes | keyboard pass; current-GPUI semantics compile; platform AT pending | fail: no AccessKit integration at pinned revision |
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| IME and composed Unicode input | yes | framework API exists; end-to-end pending | editor API exists; end-to-end pending |
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| Isolated system browser child | yes | pending | pending |
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| Cold startup, p50/p95 | record | pending | pending |
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| Idle RSS / six-stream RSS | record | pending | pending |
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| Key-to-present p50/p95 | record | pending | pending |
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| Six-stream frame p95/p99 | record | pending | pending |
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| Release binary/package size | record | pending | pending |
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| Native menu/window/clipboard/drag-and-drop | review | pending | pending |
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| API clarity and maintenance burden | review | pending | pending |
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The current programs establish dependency, build, launch, and interaction
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baselines. GPUI now routes a real PTY through a VT engine and keyboard encoder,
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paints coalesced styled cell runs and cursor shapes, and derives PTY rows/columns
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from the 60% terminal region inside each responsive one/three/five-panel layout
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when the window changes. Retained-history page/top/bottom navigation is wired. Text selection,
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mouse modes, a native Markdown editor, and one isolated browser child remain.
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## Ubuntu baseline — metal, 2026-08-31
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Host: Ubuntu 24.04 x86_64, Rust 1.94.1. Both candidates used the same 1280×800
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six-pane fixture and were launched under the active X11 desktop.
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| Observation | GPUI 0.2.2 | Floem `778bb5f2` |
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|---|---:|---:|
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| `cargo check` from downloaded dependency cache | 20.76 s, 1.04 GiB max RSS | 24.26 s first attempt + 4.06 s after enabling required editor feature, 753 MiB max RSS |
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| Debug executable link | pass with a user-local linker symlink for installed `libxkbcommon-x11.so.0` | pass |
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| Debug executable size | 442 MiB | 475 MiB |
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| Native window launch and six-pane render | pass | pass |
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| Root workspace CI | 8/8 tests, strict Clippy and doctests pass in 10.79 s | shared result |
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These are cold-development baselines, not startup, release-size, or runtime
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performance numbers. GPUI's Ubuntu row remains conditional because the host has
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the runtime `libxkbcommon-x11.so.0` but lacks the unversioned development linker
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name normally supplied by `libxkbcommon-x11-dev`. Floem current main also
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requires its `editor` feature for the style/label modules used by this shell;
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that feature is now explicit in the spike. Neither build result by itself
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decides the UI stack.
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## Accessibility gate and provisional direction
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The published `gpui 0.2.2` used by the visual shell has focus and keyboard
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actions but does not expose the current AccessKit element API. An isolated probe
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therefore pins GPUI directly to Zed commit
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`ce48461eaadd16c65c31f835511ab96bd3b6e746` with its matching Rust 1.97.1
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toolchain. The real element wiring compiles with stable accessibility IDs,
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workspace/pane/terminal roles, selected state, focus tracking, and a needs-input
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description. The same probe installs real `EntityInputHandler` and
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`ElementInputHandler` implementations and tests marked-text commit, a composed
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accent, and a multi-codepoint emoji without splitting UTF-8. Three deterministic
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tests pass. AT-SPI/OS IME on Linux and VoiceOver/IME on macOS remain end-to-end
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gates.
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The pinned Floem revision has keyboard focus and editor IME plumbing but no
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AccessKit dependency or semantic tree. That fails Lumbridge's accessibility
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gate without a maintained framework fork or adapter. The provisional direction
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is therefore **GPUI-first using current Zed GPUI behind a narrow Lumbridge UI
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adapter**. The published GPUI shell remains the lightweight interaction and
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visual benchmark until the dependency/toolchain migration is accepted.
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This is not the final cross-platform release decision. Current-GPUI validation
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on amd-server required a 624 MiB Rust 1.97.1 toolchain, a 691-package lockfile,
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and 4.4 GiB of debug artifacts across check, test, Clippy, and build. Packaging,
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license closure, IME, platform assistive technology, browser parenting, macOS,
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and Omarchy still have to pass.
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The comparable Floem shell passes build, test, strict Clippy, live rendering,
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streaming, mouse selection, and numeric pane selection on metal. Its command
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palette opens through the visible clickable affordance and uses Floem's native
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`TextInput`, but Ctrl/Cmd+K did not reach the handler in the X11 automation
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probe. That unresolved focus/event-routing behavior is another current strike
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against adopting Floem; it is recorded rather than hidden behind the clickable
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fallback.
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## Measurement semantics
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Both renderers retain the same all-deterministic six-surface action stream for
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comparison. GPUI now presents one, three, or five vertical panels, each with its
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own 20/60/20 context/work/decision composition, while one terminal fixture is
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replaced with a real actor-owned VT session and five deterministic surfaces keep
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running. Counters
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separate external PTY batches/lines from total model updates. The GPUI footer
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reports dispatch-to-element-build p50/p95 over a bounded 256-sample window. It
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is deliberately not called key-to-present or frame-present latency: neither
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candidate exposes a reliable public cross-platform post-present callback. True
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present latency requires an external platform probe.
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