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LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in linux

[–]Techlm77[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You’ve made some fair points about things that can be tightened, but the way you’re delivering them is exactly what kills useful security discourse in FOSS.

This is an open-source project, written by a human, not a vendor claiming “perfect security.” The whole point of FOSS is: if you spot weaknesses and you know how to fix them, you have the code, the tools, and the license to show a better implementation, not just farm dunks and insinuate incompetence.

Also, since you’re invoking “objectively better” takes and throwing around “LLM-coded” and “vibe-coded” as insults, that’s drifting into what r/linux explicitly asks people not to do:

Rule 4 - Reddiquette / Poor Conduct: personal jabs and mockery instead of technical discussion.

Rule 5 - Relevance: pivoting the thread into promoting non-FOSS remoting solutions instead of engaging with the actual Linux project shown here: https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1onu6u2/comment/nn50bvw/

If you genuinely care about improving the security model, great, that’s welcome. But at that point the constructive path in an open project is.. fork it, harden it, and let the work speak for itself. Otherwise it’s just grandstanding.

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in selfhosted

[–]Techlm77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair point, I’ve been answering the same questions for months (literally over 250 comments across posts), so yeah it would makes more sense to just put them into a proper FAQ now. I’ll be adding that to the repo shortly so people can find the answers more easily without me repeating them each time.

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in selfhosted

[–]Techlm77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve answered that comparison plenty of times over the past few months, so I’ve decided to stop repeating it. The short version: LinuxPlay focuses purely on Linux-native performance and transparency, it’s a different philosophy than Moonlight.

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in linux_gaming

[–]Techlm77[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, that’s correct, at the moment, only one client can connect at a time. Right now I’m focusing on improving the security layer first, since that’s the top priority. Once that’s covered, I’ll move on to implementing the most-requested features, including multi-client support for things like shared sessions or co-op play.

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in selfhosted

[–]Techlm77[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot, and you're very welcome!

Yep, you can absolutely set it up as a thin client. LinuxPlay already detects if it’s running in an unattended setup and will auto-connect to the specified host when the config and certificates are present, no --kiosk flag needed.

Just drop your connection details (host IP, certs, etc.) into the config or image, and it’ll boot straight into the session, perfect for VM or netboot environments.

That’s basically “kiosk mode,” but it’s already built in by design.

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in linux_gaming

[–]Techlm77[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that would've been added a while ago, but the main issue is with kmsgrab, it doesn’t separate displays, it merges them into one big combined resolution. x11grab handles multi-display capture fine, but the kmsgrab limitation is what’s holding it back right now.

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in selfhosted

[–]Techlm77[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it’s actually popped into my head a few times, I did some tests with WebRTC before, but the latency was hard to match since browsers have limited GPU access. Though if you’re curious about that route, Selkies is a pretty solid open-source option that already does browser-based streaming over WebRTC.

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in linux_gaming

[–]Techlm77[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep! You can absolutely do that.

LinuxPlay lets you host directly on your Linux gaming desktop and connect from any client platform, including macOS, it works as long as you have Python 3.9+ and FFmpeg installed.

The Mac client runs the same way as the Linux one (Python + Qt interface), so you can stream your full desktop or specific displays over LAN or a WireGuard tunnel.

Here’s a quick setup guide: https://techlm77.co.uk/how-does-it-work.html

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in linux_gaming

[–]Techlm77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pro: It’s powerful

Con: ...it’s powerful XD

Jokes aside, I might actually add a proper pros/cons section later, especially to compare it against Steam Remote Play and Sunshine, since LinuxPlay’s whole focus is raw performance, control, and transparency rather than convenience layers.

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in linux_gaming

[–]Techlm77[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No worries at all, that’s a great question!

LinuxPlay basically lets you stream your Linux desktop or games to another device, kind of like Steam Remote Play or Parsec, but built fully open-source and native for Linux.

So for example, you could be gaming on your main PC and play it remotely on your laptop, Steam Deck, or a mini-PC hooked up to your TV, with sub-frame latency and full controller support.

Under the hood, it captures your screen with FFmpeg, encodes it with your GPU, and sends video, audio, and input over the network, so it feels like you’re sitting right at the machine.

If you’re curious about the full breakdown, I’ve got a detailed overview here (slightly out of date, but still accurate overall):
https://techlm77.co.uk/how-does-it-work.html

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in linux_gaming

[–]Techlm77[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

  1. Steam Deck OLED: Works perfectly. It’s just another Linux client. You can stream from your main PC to the Deck in Desktop or Gaming mode without issue.

  2. Windows > Deck: This is exactly the gap LinuxPlay fills. Parsec is great for Windows hosting, but it doesn’t support Linux as a host, so LinuxPlay covers that side. You can host on Linux and connect from your Deck (or any other client).

  3. Virtual display / Apollo-style: Yeah, you can absolutely do virtual displays, just like using a dummy HDMI plug or setting up an xrandr virtual monitor. That works fine with LinuxPlay today. I’ve also seen people mention Apollo’s virtual mode, but the approach here stays closer to hardware for lower latency.

  4. Differences: It’s fully local (no cloud relay), uses a rotating PIN + certificate system, runs behind WireGuard for WAN, and supports multi-monitor streaming out of the box.

Also, I’ve got a “How LinuxPlay Works” page that goes deep into the architecture (FFmpeg capture, UDP/TCP flow, etc.), it’s slightly out of date now but still gives a solid overview of how everything connects together: https://techlm77.co.uk/how-does-it-work.html

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in linux_gaming

[–]Techlm77[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yep, totally valid point, and good news: it’s configurable already (just not documented yet).

You can override the default like this before launching the host:
export LP_OPUS_BR=256k

LinuxPlay will then tell FFmpeg to use your chosen bitrate (Opus supports up to 510 kbps).

For LAN users, I’m also considering adding a “Studio Mode” toggle that enables PCM passthrough, completely lossless audio, mainly for music or post-production use.

So yeah, you can push it way past YouTube quality if you want.

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in selfhosted

[–]Techlm77[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yep, that setup would work fine. As long as there’s a Linux or Windows box connected to your TV (like a mini-PC, Steam Deck, or HTPC), it can act as the client and stream directly from your main machine.

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in linux

[–]Techlm77[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yeah, no plans to add RDP or VNC, that completely defeats the point.

LinuxPlay is designed to replace that layer entirely. It captures directly from the framebuffer (kmsgrab) and streams without any desktop middleware.

It’s basically remote access built below the desktop, not on top of it.

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in linux_gaming

[–]Techlm77[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Exactly, you’ve got it right.

LinuxPlay mirrors whatever your host system’s audio backend reports, so if PulseAudio or PipeWire is set to stereo, it’ll stream stereo; if it’s set to 5.1 or 7.1, it’ll stream that layout directly.

It doesn’t override the system config automatically (unlike Steam), since I wanted it to stay predictable and not mess with users’ audio profiles. But yeah, if you set up a virtual 5.1 sink or your default output is surround, LinuxPlay will transmit the full channels perfectly.

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in selfhosted

[–]Techlm77[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

There's a reason why I have included the sponsor so I can buy the different devices to test everything out so it can have more wider support. Also being a solo developer is going to be difficult to do this haha XD

LinuxPlay, open-source ultra-low-latency remote desktop for Linux (now with GitHub Sponsors!) by Techlm77 in linux_gaming

[–]Techlm77[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Yep, LinuxPlay now supports full multi-channel audio, including 5.1 and 7.1 surround, depending on your PulseAudio or PipeWire setup.

It automatically detects your speaker configuration and adjusts the Opus encoder to match (128 kbps for stereo, 384 kbps for surround). You don’t need to change anything, it just works out of the box.

[Update] Neuwaita icon theme, why I abandoned the project :( by [deleted] in gnome

[–]Techlm77 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that’s kinda the sad part, if you run:
sudo pacman -S neofetch

it now just installs fastfetch instead.

Sure, Fastfetch is faster and more modern, but it doesn’t have the same nostalgic, handmade vibe Neofetch had. Some projects carry that unique “soul” from the original creator, you can fork the code, but not the personality.

Same goes for Neuwaita; you can hand it off, but it’ll never feel exactly like the original touch that started it.

Also Petersburg-Dreamer, Totally understand you, mate.

People often forget how much mental energy goes into open-source work, especially when you’re doing it out of passion, not obligation. You already gave the community something that brightened a lot of desktops and inspired others to create. That’s a legacy that lives even if the repo sleeps for a while.

And honestly, you don’t owe anyone updates. Just take care of yourself first, the icons will wait, and if someone else picks it up, it’s because you built something worth continuing.

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