For some reason, I have had a significant improvement in screen tearing issues when using Compton ( https://github.com/chjj/compton ) rather than using the bundled compositor with Marco.
Martin Wimpress explicitly states that the bundled compositor is a software compositor ( https://youtu.be/jxFMtOl_DyQ?t=36 ).
However, a discussion on IRC in the MATE-channel seems to indicate that the compositor is using xrender (https://github.com/mate-desktop/marco/blob/master/src/compositor/compositor-xrender.c#L885 ) which will use the GPU if the GPU is powerful enough.
So now, I am a little confused about what this compositor is doing, is it using the GPU? If it is using the same code as Compton, why does Compton seem to solve the screen tearing issues so well? Is it because Compton has the option to use glx and a variety of switches that make for a more optimal experience? Some clarification would be appreciated.
Finally, what are the chances that Compton will be integrated into Ubuntu-MATE?