The Implications of the X Design Philosophy on Development & Usability

The X Window System is a portable, network-transparent and flexible window system. It was developed by MIT’s Project Athena in 1984, and subsequently released as open-source software, greatly accelerating its adoption in the unix world. It is now the standard window system for most unix-like platforms, such as Solaris, the BSDs, Linux, and Minix. A notable exception is Apple’s Mac OS, a BSD-derived system, which uses a proprietary window system. Another competing window system is integrated in Microsoft Windows, the leading desktop and server operating system. Although X is not native to those platforms, it has been ported to them, making X the only window system implemented on all modern platforms, and therefore the best choice for an application which needs to be ported to all major modern platforms. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the X Window System relative to other modern window systems will be discussed. c©2008 David R. Hoski