Editing XFree86 (section)

== History==

=== Early history and naming ===

The project began in 1992 when David Wexelblat, Glenn Lai, [[David Dawes]] and Jim Tsillas joined forces addressing bugs in the source code of the [[X386]] X display server (written by [[Thomas Roell]]), as contributed to X11R5. This version was initially called '''X386 1.2E'''. As newer versions of the (originally freeware) X386 were being sold under a [[proprietary software]] license by SGCS (of which Roell was a partner), confusion existed between the projects. After discussion, the project was renamed X''Free''86, as a [[pun]] (compare X-three-eighty-six to X-free-eighty-six). Roell has continued to sell proprietary X servers, most recently under the name ''[[Accelerated-X]]''.

=== Rise with Linux ===

As Linux grew in popularity, XFree86 rose with it, as the main X project with drivers for PC video cards.

By the late 1990s, official X development was moribund.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Robert L. |date=4 Feb 2002 |title=Q&A: The X Factor |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/1363581/q-a-the-x-factor.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612224505/https://www.computerworld.com/article/1363581/q-a-the-x-factor.html |archive-date=12 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jun 2024 |publisher=Computerworld}}</ref> Most technical advancement was happening in the XFree86 project. In 1999, XFree86 was sponsored onto X.Org (the official industry consortium) by various hardware companies interested in its use with Linux and its status as the most popular version of X.<ref>[http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=99/12/01/1342251&tid=104 XFree86 joins X.Org as Honorary Member], Posted by CmdrTaco on Dec 01, 1999, Slashdot</ref>

=== 2002: Growing dissent within the project ===

By 2002, while Linux's popularity, and hence the installed base of X, surged, X.Org was all but inactive; active development was largely carried out by XFree86.<ref>[http://xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-April/003127.html (forum) Another teleconference partial edited transcript] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212013335/http://xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-April/003127.html |date=February 12, 2005 }}, By Mike A. Harris, 13 Apr 2003</ref> However, there was considerable dissent within XFree86.

XFree86 used to have a ''Core Team'' which was made up of experienced developers, selected by other Core Team members for their merits. Only the members of this Core Team were allowed to commit to [[Concurrent Versions System|CVS]]. This was perceived as far too [[The Cathedral and the Bazaar|cathedral]]-like in its development model: developers were unable to get commit rights quickly and vendors ended up maintaining extensive [[patch (computing)|patch]]es.<ref>[http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/002018.html (forum) Keith Packard issue] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212013349/http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/002018.html |date=February 12, 2005 }} By Ralf Nolden, 20 Mar 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.advogato.org/person/mharris/ Advogato: Blog for mharris]</ref>

A key event was [[Keith Packard]] losing his commit rights. Hours before the feature freeze window for XFree86 4.3.0 started, he committed the [[XFixes|XFIXES]] extension (which he developed himself), without prior discussion or without review within the Core Team. The Core Team decided to remove Keith's commit access, but without removing him from the Core Team itself, and the XFIXES extension was backed out six weeks later.<ref>[http://xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/000125.html (forum) Suggestion for XFree86] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423070141/http://xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/000125.html |date=April 23, 2010 }}, By David Dawes, 20 Mar 2003</ref><ref>[http://cvsweb.xfree86.org/cvsweb/xc/doc/specs/Xfixes/Attic/ CVS commit: Finish removing XFIXES] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615131754/http://cvsweb.xfree86.org/cvsweb/xc/doc/specs/Xfixes/Attic/ |date=June 15, 2011 }}, By David Dawes, 12 Jan 2003</ref>

=== 2003: The fork and the disbanding of the Core Team ===

In March 2003, the Core Team claimed that Packard had been trying to fork the XFree86 project by working inside the project while trying to attract core developers to a new X Server project of his own making. Packard denied this had been his aim, but some emails were provided as evidence otherwise.<ref>[http://xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/000128.html (forum) Some perspective from the cheap seats ...] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040228213700/http://xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/000128.html |date=February 28, 2004 }}, By David Wexelblat, March 20, 2003</ref> Keith Packard was subsequently expelled from the Core Team.<ref>[http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/001997.html (forum) Invitation for public discussion about the future of X] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212013104/http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/001997.html |date=February 12, 2005 }}, By XFree86 BOD, 20 Mar 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/002165.html (forum) A Call For Open Governance Of X Development] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212012809/http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/002165.html |date=February 12, 2005 }}, By Keith Packard, 21 Mar 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-April/003016.html (forum) Notes from a teleconference held 2003-3-27] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212013506/http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-April/003016.html |date=February 12, 2005 }}, By Keith Packard, 03 Apr 2003</ref>

A short time later, Packard created xwin.org, which mainly served as a meeting point for cultivating the XFree86 fork.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20031012063438/http://xwin.org/index.php?page=1 (Archived) XWin front page], By Keith Packard and others, 11 Apr 2003</ref> The rest of the year, many of the developers that were still active at XFree86 went over to the project that was being set up at the [[freedesktop.org]] and [[X.org Foundation|X.org]] domains.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040128225716/http://www.xwin.org/bin/view/Software/xorg (Archived) X.org software page at xwin.org], by Kaleb Keithley, 18 Nov 2003</ref>

By the end of the year, due to dwindling active membership and limited remaining development capacity, the XFree86 Core Team voted to disband itself.<ref>[http://www.mail-archive.com/devel%40xfree86.org/msg04639.html (devel) Core Team disbands], By David Dawes, 30 Dec 2003</ref>

=== 2004: Licensing controversy ===

Versions of XFree86 up to and including some release candidates for 4.4.0 were under the [[MIT License]], a [[permissive free software license|permissive]], non-[[copyleft]] free software license. In February 2004, XFree86 4.4 was released with a change to the XFree86 license, by adding a credit clause,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xfree86.org/legal/licenses.html |title=XFree86 Licenses| access-date=2008-05-02| publisher=XFree86 Project, Inc.| date=2005-01-01}}</ref> similar to that in the original [[BSD license]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2004-January/001892.html |title=Announcement: Modification to the base XFree86 license |access-date=2007-07-12 |last=Dawes |first=David |date=2004-01-29 |publisher=XFree86 Project |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930185719/http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2004-January/001892.html |archive-date=2007-09-30 }}</ref> but broader in scope.  The newer terms are referred to as the XFree86 License 1.1.
Many projects relying on XFree86 found the new license unacceptable,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/04/02/18/131223.shtml?tid=104 |title= XFree86 4.4: List of Rejecting Distributors Grows |access-date=2007-07-12 |date=2004-02-18 |publisher=[[Slashdot]] }}</ref> and the [[Free Software Foundation]] considers it incompatible with the version 2 of the [[GNU General Public License]], though compatible with version 3.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#XFree861.1License |title=Various Licenses and Comments about Them |access-date=2013-03-12 |publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]] }}</ref> The XFree86 Project states that the license is "as GPL compatible as any and all previous versions were", but does not mention which version or versions of the GPL this is valid for.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xfree86.org/legal/licenses.html |title=XFree86 Licenses |access-date=2007-07-12 |date=2005-01-01 |publisher=XFree86 Project }}</ref>

Some projects made releases (notably [[OpenBSD]] 3.5 and 3.6, and [[Debian]] 3.1 "Sarge") based on XFree86 version 4.4 RC2, the last version under the old license. Most operating systems incorporating XFree86 (including later versions of OpenBSD and Debian) migrated to the [[X.Org Server]].<ref name=wheeler>{{cite web |url=http://www.dwheeler.com/essays/gpl-compatible.html#xfree86 |title=The Cautionary Tale of XFree86 |access-date=2007-07-12 |last=Wheeler |first=David A. |date=2007-07-06 |archive-date=2004-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040901083643/http://www.dwheeler.com/essays/gpl-compatible.html#xfree86 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The last code commit was in 2009; the project was confirmed dormant in 2011<ref name="tsi">Marc Aurele La France: [http://marc.info/?l=xfree86-forum&m=132291851222618&w=2 Is there ever going to be a new version of xfree86] XFree86-Forum, December 3rd. 2011</ref> and the website was last updated in 2014, commemorating the then-22nd anniversary.