X Window System

"X11" redirects here. For other uses, see X11 (disambiguation).

X Window System
Original author(s)Project Athena
Developer(s)X.Org Foundation
Initial releaseJune 1984; 40 years ago (1984-06)
Stable release
X11R7.7[1][2] Edit this on Wikidata / 6 June 2012
Operating systemUnix, Unix-like, MVS OpenVMS, DOS
PlatformCross-platform
PredecessorW Window System
TypeWindowing system
LicenseMIT License
Websitewww.x.org

The X Window System (X11, or simply X; stylized 𝕏) is a windowing system for bitmap displays, common on Unix-like operating systems.

X originated as part of Project Athena at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1984.[3] The X protocol has been at version 11 (hence "X11") since September 1987. The X.Org Foundation leads the X project, with the current reference implementation, X.Org Server, available as free and open-source software under the MIT License and similar permissive licenses.

  1. ^ "7.7". Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  2. ^ "X11R7.x - X Window System Version 11 Release 7.x ongoing development". Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  3. ^ Steiner, Jennifer G.; Geer Jr., Daniel E. (21 July 1988). "Network Services in the Athena Environment". Proceedings of the Winter 1988 Usenix Conference. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.31.8727.