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X.Org Foundation
X.Org Logo.svg
Founded 22 January 2004; 21 years ago (2004-01-22)
Type Non-profit
Product X.Org Server
Method Development
Parent organization
Software in the Public Interest

The X.Org Foundation is a non-profit group. This means it's an organization that doesn't aim to make money. Its main goal is to help create and improve software that makes computer graphics work smoothly. This includes important projects like DRM, Mesa 3D, Wayland, and the X Window System with its main part, the X.Org Server.

About the X.Org Foundation

The X.Org Foundation started on January 22, 2004. It was formed when different groups working on computer graphics software joined together. Before this, big companies often controlled how X software was developed. But the Foundation changed this. Now, software developers lead the way, and many people from the community can help out. Anyone can become a member, and companies can support the Foundation by sponsoring it.

In 2005, the X.Org Foundation applied to become a special kind of non-profit group in the US (called 501(c)(3)). They officially got this status in 2012. Later, in 2016, the X.Org Foundation teamed up with Software in the Public Interest (SPI). SPI helps manage the paperwork and legal stuff for the Foundation. In 2023, the X.Org Foundation also decided to join Software Freedom Conservancy, another group that helps open-source projects.

What the X.Org Foundation Does

The X.Org Foundation doesn't tell developers exactly what to build or when to finish projects. Instead, it helps them in other ways.

Here's how they help:

  • Meetings: They organize an annual meeting called the X.Org Developer's Conference (XDC). This is where developers can meet in person.
  • Travel Help: They can help pay for developers to travel to these important meetings.
  • Student Programs: They take part in programs like Google Summer of Code (GSoC). This lets students work on X.Org projects during their summer break.
  • Endless Vacation of Code (EVoC): This is a program similar to GSoC, funded by the X.Org Foundation. It allows students to work on X.Org projects any time of the year during their vacations.
  • Communication Tools: They provide tools for developers to talk to each other, often with freedesktop.org.
  • Guides: They host a developer guide online that helps people learn about X.Org projects.

The X.Org Server is a key piece of software. It's the main way the X Window System works. It's used a lot on computers running Linux and UNIX. It's the basic technology behind popular desktop environments like GNOME and KDE. This means that apps made for these environments can all run at the same time.

Xclock animation linux
xclock

The X.Org Foundation also supports the creation of many useful small programs. These include:

  • xcalc: An on-screen calculator.
  • xclock: A simple digital and analog clock.
  • xedit: A basic text editor.
  • xload: Shows how busy your computer is.
  • xterm: A terminal that lets you type commands.
  • xeyes: A fun program that shows eyes that follow your mouse cursor.

X.Org Developer's Conference (XDC)

The X.Org Developer's Conference (XDC) is the main in-person meeting for the X.Org Foundation. It happens once a year, usually in September or October. The location changes between North America and Europe each year, and it lasts for three days. The Foundation's board can help cover travel and hotel costs for developers who might not be able to attend otherwise.

Past Conferences

Event and year Date Host city Venue Resources Themes
XDC2004 28–30 April Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Cambridge Research Laboratory https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2004/
XDC2005 12–14 February Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Cambridge Research Laboratory https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2005/ X.Org Server, Cairo, xephyr, ...
XDC2006 8–10 February Santa Clara, California, USA Sun Microsystems campus https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2006/ Xgl,
XDC2007 7–9 February Menlo Park, California, USA TechShop Menlo Park facility https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2007/
XDS2007 10–12 September Cambridge, United Kingdom Clare College https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDS2007/
XDC2008 16–18 April Mountain View, California, USA Google campus https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2008/
XDS2008 3–5 September Edinburgh, United Kingdom Edinburgh Zoo https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDS2008/ XKB, MPX, ...
XDC2009 28–30 September Portland, Oregon, USA University Place Hotel, Portland State University https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2009/
XDS2010 16–18 September Toulouse, France Toulouse 1 University Capitole https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDS2010/
XDC2011 12–14 September Chicago, Illinois, USA McCormick Tribune Campus Center https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2011/
XDC2012 19–21 September Nuremberg, Germany SUSE campus https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2012/
XDC2013 23–25 September Portland, Oregon, USA University Place Hotel, Portland State University https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2013/ DRM, DRI3, XCB, nouveau, etc.
XDC2014 8–10 October Bordeaux, France Laboratoire Bordelais de Recherche en Informatique (LaBRI) https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2014/ Wayland, Tizen, FreeBSD, DragonflyBSD, Mesa 3D, etc.
XDC2015 16–18 September Toronto, Canada Seneca@York campus, Seneca College https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2015/ GLSL compiler, Nouveau, libinput, Freedreno, Etnaviv, amdgpu, drm, etc.
XDC2016 20–22 September Helsinki, Finland Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2016/
XDC2017 20–22 September Mountain View, California, USA Google Bldg 1055 https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2017/
XDC2018 26–28 September A Coruña, Galicia (Spain) Computer Science Faculty of University of A Coruña https://www.x.org/wiki/Events/XDC2018/
XDC2019 2–4 October Montreal, Canada Concordia University Conference Centre [1]
XDC2020 16-18 September Virtual Virtual https://xdc2020.x.org/
XDC2021 15-17 September Virtual Virtual https://indico.freedesktop.org/event/1/
XDC2022 4-6 October Minneapolis, Minnesota University of St. Thomas https://indico.freedesktop.org/event/2/
XDC2023 17-19 October Coruña, Spain PALEXCO https://indico.freedesktop.org/event/4/

X.Org Endless Vacation of Code (EVoC)

The X.Org Endless Vacation of Code (EVoC) is a program that started in 2008. It's like the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) but funded by the X.Org Foundation. EVoC lets students work on X.Org-related projects during their school breaks, at any time of the year. For example, in 2014, one accepted EVoC project was to work on nouveau. This is a free and open-source graphics device driver for GeForce graphics cards.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Fundación X.Org para niños

  • Free and open-source graphics device driver
  • List of free-software events
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