Editing X Window System (section)

===X.Org and XFree86===
[[XFree86]] originated in 1992 from the [[X386]] server for [[IBM PC compatible]]s included with X11R5 in 1991, written by Thomas Roell and Mark W. Snitily and donated to the MIT X Consortium by Snitily Graphics Consulting Services (SGCS). XFree86 evolved over time from just one port of X to the leading and most popular implementation and the ''de facto'' standard of X's development.<ref name="xfree86.org">{{cite mailing list |url=http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2004-February/003945.html |title=Re: Announcement: Modification to the base XFree86(TM) license. |date=2 February 2004 |access-date=26 June 2021 |mailing-list=forum@xfree86.org |last=Gettys |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Gettys |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050907093907/http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2004-February/003945.html |archive-date=7 September 2005}}</ref>

In May 1999, The Open Group formed X.Org. X.Org supervised the release of versions X11R6.5.1 onward. X development at this time had become moribund;<ref>{{cite interview |last=Swales |first=Steve |interviewer-last=Mitchell |interviewer-first=Robert |title=Q&A: The X Factor |work=Computerworld |date=4 February 2002 |publisher=IDG Communications |quote=The stewards of X really dribbled away to almost nothing about five or six years ago. It wasn't really keeping pace with the technology. |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2586955/q-a--the-x-factor.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626035538/https://www.computerworld.com/article/2586955/q-a--the-x-factor.html |archive-date=26 June 2021}}</ref> most technical innovation since the X Consortium had dissolved had taken place in the XFree86 project.<ref>{{cite web |last=Packard |first=Keith |author-link=Keith Packard |language=en |date=1999 |title=The Evolution of the X Server Architecture |url=https://keithp.com/~keithp/talks/Xarchitecture/Talk.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626041817/https://keithp.com/~keithp/talks/Xarchitecture/Talk.htm |archive-date=26 June 2021}}</ref> In 1999, the XFree86 team joined X.Org as an honorary (non-paying) member,<ref>{{cite mailing list |url=http://xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/000418.html |title=A Call For Open Governance Of X Development |date=23 March 2003 |access-date=26 June 2021 |mailing-list=forum@xfree86.org |last=Wexelblat |first=David |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212012732/http://xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/000418.html |archive-date=12 February 2005}}</ref> encouraged by various hardware companies<ref>{{cite web |title=XFree86 joins X.Org as Honorary Member |date=1 December 1999 |url=https://slashdot.org/story/99/12/01/1342251/xfree86-joins-xorg-as-honorary-member |website=Slashdot |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626234537/https://slashdot.org/story/99/12/01/1342251/xfree86-joins-xorg-as-honorary-member |archive-date=26 June 2021}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=June 2021|reason=Source says nothing about hardware companies.}} interested in using XFree86 with Linux and in its status as the most popular version of X.

By 2003, while the popularity of Linux (and hence the installed base of X) surged, X.Org remained inactive,<ref>{{cite mailing list |url=http://xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-April/003127.html |title=Another teleconference partial edited transcript |date=13 April 2003 |access-date=26 June 2021 |mailing-list=forum@xfree86.org |last=Harris |first=Mike |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212013335/http://xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-April/003127.html |archive-date=12 February 2005}}</ref> and active development took place largely within XFree86. However, considerable dissent developed within XFree86. The XFree86 project suffered from a perception of a far too [[The Cathedral and the Bazaar|cathedral]]-like development model; developers could not get [[Concurrent Versions System|CVS]] commit access<ref>{{cite mailing list |url=http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/002018.html |title=Keith Packard issue |date=20 March 2003 |access-date=26 June 2021 |mailing-list=forum@xfree86.org |last=Nolden |first=Ralf |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212013349/http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/002018.html |archive-date=12 February 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite mailing list |url=https://www.mail-archive.com/devel@xfree86.org/msg03816.html |title=Cygwin/XFree86 - No longer associated with XFree86.org |date=27 October 2003 |access-date=26 June 2021 |mailing-list=devel@xfree86.org |last=Hunt |first=Harold |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626030145/https://www.mail-archive.com/devel@xfree86.org/msg03816.html |archive-date=26 June 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> and vendors had to maintain extensive [[patch (computing)|patch]] sets.<ref>{{cite web |last=Harris |first=Mike |title=9 Jan 2003 |date=9 January 2003 |url=http://www.advogato.org/person/mharris/diary.html?start=5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214100029/http://www.advogato.org/person/mharris/diary.html?start=5 |archive-date=14 February 2009 |language=en}}</ref> In March 2003, the XFree86 organization expelled Keith Packard, who had joined XFree86 after the end of the original MIT X Consortium, with considerable ill feeling.<ref>{{cite mailing list |url=http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/001997.html |title=Invitation for public discussion about the future of X |date=20 March 2003 |access-date=26 June 2021 |mailing-list=forum@xfree86.org |last1=Dawes |first1=David |author-link1=David Dawes |last2=Cutshaw |first2=Robin |last3=Evans |first3=Marc |last4=Murphey |first4=Rich |last5=Tombs |first5=Jon |last6=Wexelblat |first6=David |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212013104/http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/001997.html |archive-date=12 February 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite mailing list |url=http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/002165.html |title=A Call For Open Governance Of X Development |date=21 March 2003 |access-date=26 June 2021 |mailing-list=forum@xfree86.org |last=Packard |first=Keith |author-link=Keith Packard |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212012809/http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/002165.html |archive-date=12 February 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite mailing list |url=http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-April/003016.html |title=Notes from a teleconference held 2003-3-27 |date=3 April 2003 |access-date=26 June 2021 |mailing-list=forum@xfree86.org |last=Packard |first=Keith |author-link=Keith Packard |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212013506/http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-April/003016.html |archive-date=12 February 2005}}</ref>

X.Org and XFree86 began discussing a reorganisation suited to properly nurturing the development of X.<ref>{{cite mailing list |url=http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/000554.html |title=A Call For Open Governance Of X Development |date=24 March 2003 |access-date=26 June 2021 |mailing-list=forum@xfree86.org |last=Swales |first=Steve |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041222151738/http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/000554.html |archive-date=22 December 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite mailing list |url=http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/002415.html |title=A Call For Open Governance Of X Development |date=23 March 2003 |access-date=26 June 2021 |mailing-list=forum@xfree86.org |last=Wexelblat |first=David |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050106075606/http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/002415.html |archive-date=6 January 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite mailing list |url=http://xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-April/003144.html |title=Discussing issues |date=14 April 2003 |access-date=26 June 2021 |mailing-list=forum@xfree86.org |last=Pennington |first=Havoc |author-link=Havoc Pennington |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041227204437/http://xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-April/003144.html |archive-date=27 December 2004}}</ref> Jim Gettys had been pushing strongly for an open development model since at least 2000.<ref>{{cite conference |url=https://www.usenix.org/legacy/publications/library/proceedings/usenix2000/invitedtalks/gettys_html/Talk.htm |title=Lessons Learned about Open Source |first=Jim |last=Gettys |author-link=Jim Gettys |date=22 June 2000 |conference=USENIX Annual Technical Conference |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627002335/https://www.usenix.org/legacy/publications/library/proceedings/usenix2000/invitedtalks/gettys_html/Talk.htm |archive-date=27 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Gettys, Packard and several others began discussing in detail the requirements for the effective governance of X with open development.

Finally, in an echo of the X11R6.4 licensing dispute, XFree86 released version 4.4 in February 2004 under a more restrictive license which many projects relying on X found unacceptable.<ref>{{cite web |title=XFree86 4.4: List of Rejecting Distributors Grows |website=Slashdot |date=18 February 2004 |url=https://yro.slashdot.org/story/04/02/18/131223/xfree86-44-list-of-rejecting-distributors-grows |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627002833/https://yro.slashdot.org/story/04/02/18/131223/xfree86-44-list-of-rejecting-distributors-grows |archive-date=27 June 2021}}</ref> The added clause to the license was based on the original [[BSD license]]'s advertising clause, which was viewed by the [[Free Software Foundation]] and [[Debian]] as incompatible with the [[GNU General Public License]].<ref name="dwheeler.com">{{cite web |last=Wheeler |first=David A. |title=Make Your Open Source Software GPL-Compatible. Or Else. |date=16 February 2014 |orig-date=6 May 2002 |language=en |url=https://dwheeler.com/essays/gpl-compatible.html#xfree86 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126063248/https://dwheeler.com/essays/gpl-compatible.html#xfree86 |archive-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> Other groups saw it as against the spirit of the original X. [[Theo de Raadt]] of [[OpenBSD]], for instance, threatened to [[fork (software)|fork]] XFree86 citing license concerns.<ref name="openbsd">{{cite mailing list |url=https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=107696705911864 |title=XFree86 license |date=16 February 2004 |access-date=8 December 2009 |mailing-list=openbsd-misc |last=de Raadt |first=Theo |author-link=Theo de Raadt |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118221625/https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=107696705911864&w=2 |archive-date=18 January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The license issue, combined with the difficulties in getting changes in, left many feeling the time was ripe for a fork.<ref>{{cite web |last=Boykin |first=Oscar |title=X Marks the Spot: Looking back at X11 Developments of Past Year |date=25 February 2004 |website=OSNews |language=en |url=https://www.osnews.com/story/6157/x-marks-the-spot-looking-back-at-x11-developments-of-past-year/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627030537/https://www.osnews.com/story/6157/x-marks-the-spot-looking-back-at-x11-developments-of-past-year/ |archive-date=27 June 2021}}</ref>