TheX.Org Foundationis a non-profit corporation chartered to research, develop, support, organize, administrate, standardize, promote, and defend a free and open accelerated graphics stack. This includes, but is not limited to, the following projects:DRM,Mesa 3D,Wayland,and theX Window Systemand its primary implementation, theX.Org Server.[1][2]
 | |
| Founded | 22 January 2004 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit |
| Product | X.Org Server |
| Method | Development |
Parent organization | Software in the Public Interest |
| Website | x |
Organization
editThe X.Org Foundation was founded on 22 January 2004.[3]
The modern X.Org Foundation came into being when the body that oversaw X standards and published the official reference implementation joined forces with formerXFree86developers.[4]The creation of the Foundation marked a radical change in the governance of X (seethe history of the X Window System). Whereas the stewards of X since 1988 (including the previous X.Org, part ofThe Open Group) had been vendor organizations, the Foundation is led by software developers and using community development on thebazaar model,which relies on outside involvement. Membership is also open to individuals, with corporate membership being in the form of sponsorship.
In 2005 the X.Org Foundation applied for 501(c)(3) non-profit status. In 2012, with the help of theSoftware Freedom Law Center(SFLC), the Foundation gained the status. In 2013, the Foundation lost the status because they did not fill a tax form (it had no income to declare and did not get any info from SFLC) and in the same year it regained the status, after clearing up the issue.[5]In 2016, the X.Org Foundation joinedSoftware in the Public Interest(SPI)[6]who would manage the bureaucracy.[7]
According to an October 2018 article published byPhoronix,freedesktop.orgconsidered joining the X.Org Foundation.[8][when?]
In 2023, The X.Org Foundation decided to joinSoftware Freedom Conservancy.[6]
Fields of activity
editThe X.Org Foundation does not provide technical guidance, roadmaps or deadlines, releases or supervision of any kind.
The X.Org Foundation does provide communication tools (in relation withfreedesktop.org), an annual physical meeting and money to help developing the free graphics stack.
- a physical annual meeting (X.Org Developer's Conference)
- Travel sponsorship:
- The X.Org Foundation participated as an organization of theGoogle Summer of Code(GSoC). This allows students to participate to X.Org-related projects over the summer.
- Endless Vacation of Code (EVoC): EVoC is a GSoC-like project, funded by the X.Org Foundation. It allows students to participate to X.Org-related projects during their vacation, at any time of the year.
- Communication: Google+[needs update]and Twitter Google+/YouTube: Store and/or link to talk videos, slides, blog articles or G+ posts related to projects under our umbrella (Martin Peres); Twitter: Mostly security issues, random updates (Alan Coopersmith).
- There is an X.Org developer guide written by Alan Coopersmith, Matt Dew and the X.Org team; edited by Bart Massey athttps://www.x.org/wiki/guide/
The X.Org Foundation organizes the annualX.Org Developer's Conference(XDC) and sponsors students to work on X.Org as part of theirX.Org Endless Vacation of Code(EVoC) initiative.[9]
TheX.Org Serverandxlibare thereference implementationof theX protocol,and is commonly used on Linux and UNIX; it is the fundamental technology underlying both the modernGNOMEandKDEdesktops and olderCDEdesktop environment; applications written for any of these environments can be run simultaneously.
Along with reference implementation of X protocol, the X.org Foundation hosts development of severalutilitiesand example applications, includingxcalcon-screencalculator,xclocksimple digital and analog clock,xedittext editor,xloadperiodically updatedhistogramof the averagesystem load,xtermterminal emulator, andxeyeswhich shows, by default, a pair of eyes that follow themouse cursor.
As of April 2013, the Board of Directors consisted of Alan Coopersmith, Alex Deucher, Martin Peres, Matt Dew, Matthias Hopf, Peter Hutterer (Secretary), Stuart Kreitman (Treasurer), andKeith Packard.[10]
X.Org Developer's Conference
editThe physical meeting is the X.Org Developer's Conference (XDC/XDS),[11]which is organized once a year, around September/October and alternates between North America and Europe and lasts for 3 days. The board of directors can cover the travel and accommodation expenses to the developers who couldn't attend an X.Org-related conference (XDC or FOSDEM?) otherwise.
Conference history
editX.Org Endless Vacation of Code (EVoC)
editX.Org Endless Vacation of Code (EVoC) is aGoogle Summer of Code(GSoC)-like project initiated in 2008 funded by the X.Org Foundation. It allows students to participate to X.Org-related projects during their vacation, at any time of the year.
An example of an accepted EVoC project from 2014 is to work onnouveau,thefree and open-source graphics device driverforGeForce-branded GPUs.[12]NVA3/5/8 are the engineering names of theTesla-based GT215, GT216 and GT218.[13]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^"Proposed Bylaws of the X.Org Foundation"(PDF).22 March 2015.
- ^"FOSDEM2014: State of the X.Org Foundation".1 February 2014.Retrieved16 February2014.
- ^"X.Org Foundation releases X Window System X11R6.7".LWN.net.7 April 2004.Retrieved14 September2014.
- ^Coopersmith, Alan (28 May 2004)."The difference between Xorg and XFree86".Retrieved17 September2018.
- ^"The X.Org Foundation and the 501(c)(3) status".
- ^abMichael Larabel (23 May 2023)."X.Org Foundation To Become Part Of The SFC".
- ^"State of the X.org foundation".archive.fosdem.org.
- ^"FreeDesktop.org Might Formally Join Forces with the X.Org Foundation".
- ^"The X.Org Endless Vacation of Code (EVoC)".21 September 2008.Retrieved14 September2014.
- ^"The X.Org Foundation Board of Directors".19 April 2013.Retrieved20 April2013.
- ^"The 2013" State of X.Org "report".LWN.net.22 February 2013.Retrieved20 April2013.
- ^"[Nouveau] EVoC Proposal: REclock - Reverse-engineer and implement NVA3/5/8 Voltage- and Frequency Scaling in Nouveau".freedesktop.org.12 June 2014.
- ^"Engineering vs. marketing names".freedesktop.org.