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GTKWave vs XQuartz

Side-by-side comparison for macOS

GTKWave

6.0
Developer Tools

GTK+ based wave viewer

XQuartz

7.0
Developer Tools

Open-source version of the X.Org X Window System

Metric GTKWave XQuartz
Category Developer Tools Developer Tools
AI Score 6.0 7.0
30-day Installs 1.2K 6.9K
90-day Installs 4.0K 21.8K
365-day Installs 15.0K 97.8K
Version 3.3.107 2.8.5
Auto-updates No Yes
Deprecated Yes No
GitHub Stars 920 996
GitHub Forks 159 69
Open Issues 197 83
License GPL-2.0
Language C Shell
Last GitHub Commit 2mo ago 2y ago
First Seen Jan 22, 2017 Aug 9, 2023

Reviews

GTKWave

GTKWave is a versatile wave viewer supporting multiple file formats, ideal for hardware engineers and digital circuit designers. It offers a robust solution for viewing LXT, VZT, FST, and Verilog VCD files, making it an essential tool for those working with digital designs.

GTKWave displays waveform data from various file formats, enabling detailed analysis of digital circuits.

Pros

  • + Supports multiple file formats for comprehensive waveform analysis
  • + Open-source with active development, ensuring continued updates
  • + Cross-platform compatibility, usable on Unix, Win32, and macOS

Cons

  • - Known issues with launching on macOS Sonoma
  • - High-DPI display issues affecting UI quality

XQuartz

XQuartz provides essential X11 support for macOS, enabling developers to use Unix-based tools. While it supports Apple Silicon and is actively maintained, it faces some performance and compatibility issues.

XQuartz acts as an X11 server and client libraries for macOS, facilitating the use of Unix graphical applications.

Pros

  • + Supports Apple Silicon
  • + Actively maintained
  • + Widely used by developers

Cons

  • - Performance issues with macOS
  • - Unresolved bugs