InformIT: Red Hat Linux 7 Unleashed > XFree86 or Another X11?

XFree86 or Another X11?

The X Window System used with most Linux distributions, including Red Hat's, is the collection of programs from The XFree86 Project, Inc.. The version of X11 included with Red Hat Linux is XFree86 4.0.19, and is based on X11R6.4, or X11, revision 6.4.

NOTE

You can verify the version of XFree86 in use, even during an X session, by using the -version command-line option with the XFree86 command like this:

					
      # XFree86 -version
XFree86 Version 4.0.1 / X Window System
(protocol Version 11, revision 0, vendor release 6400)
Release Date: 2 August 2000
        If the server is older than 6-12 months, or if your card is newer
        than the above date, look for a newer version before reporting
        problems.  (see http://www.XFree86.Org/FAQ)
Operating System: Linux 2.2.5-22smp i686 [ELF]
Module Loader present

The current version of XFree86 is the result of a lot of hard work and nearly three years' effort by Open Source programmers and XFree86 developers around the world. One of the advantages of using XFree86 is that currently most, if not all, of the source code to the servers, modules, libraries, clients, and related software is available. However, XFree86 is not distributed under the GNU General Public License. Instead, the distribution is covered by a BSD-style copyright and license, along with licenses from the X Consortium, NVIDIA Corp., GLX Public License (SGI), Bigelow and Holmes, Inc., and Y&Y, Inc. This means that not all the source to the software has to be provided, and vendors may be free to make improvements and distribute binary-only versions.

XFree86 works with an amazingly wide array of video chipsets, graphics cards, and notebook graphics systems, including non-Intel hardware. However, if you have special needs, one of the latest graphics cards, or find that XFree86 will not work with your computer's graphics system, you can turn to alternative sources.

Commercial versions of the X Window System are available from vendors such as Xi Graphics, Inc. (http://www.xig.com) or Metro Link, Incorporated (http://www.metrolink.com). These distributions range in price from $39 to $315.

However, the XFree86 distribution is free, and is included on this book's accompanying CD-ROM. This chapter focuses on configuring and using XFree86's version of X.

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