The State of X11

Date and Time

Wednesday, October 20, 2004 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Location

MIT Building E-51, Room 145

Presenters

Jim Gettys - Jim.Gettys hp com

Summary

Jim discusses the historical and ongoing development of the X Window System

Abstract

The X Window System, Version 11, is the standard window system on Linux and UNIX systems. X11, designed in 1987, was state of the art at that time. From its inception, X has been a network transparent window system in which X client applications can run on any machine in a network using an X server running on any display. While there have been some significant extensions to X over its history (e.g. OpenGL support), X's design lay fallow over much of the 1990's. With the increasing interest in open source systems, it was no longer sufficient for modern applications and a significant overhaul is now well underway. I will discuss X technology development, and if needed, current X events and politics.