How I built a GPU backend for Emacs | Andros Fenollosa

▤ Summary

This article describes building a GPU-powered display backend for Emacs on macOS and GNU/Linux. The project adds a neutral drawing layer, a Metal driver, and an OpenGL driver while keeping Emacs redisplay engine unchanged. It also introduces video playback, shader-based cursor effects, and smoother buffer transitions inside the editor. The author benchmarks the backend against the existing CPU path, discusses packaging and notarization, and explains why the work will stay in a personal fork rather than merge upstream. The piece closes with reflections on architecture, performance, software freedom, and the role of AI-assisted coding.

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