X Window System, commonly known as X Window or X11, is a widely-used open-source computer software system that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) environment for networked computers. It was developed in the 1980s by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is currently maintained by the X.Org Foundation.
X Window allows users to run applications in a networked environment, where a server (X server) manages the graphical output and user input on one computer, and the clients (X clients) send their requests to the server and receive the output to be displayed. This distributed client-server architecture allows applications to be executed on one machine while displaying their graphical interface on another machine, greatly enhancing the flexibility and versatility of the system.
The X Window System is often used in Unix-like operating systems, such as Linux, allowing users to run graphical applications and manage windows, icons, menus, and other visual elements. It provides a framework for windowing, font handling, device input, and other essential GUI functions, enabling a consistent and customizable user interface experience.
X Window has become the de facto standard for GUI environments in Unix-like systems and has greatly influenced the development of modern windowing systems. It has also been adapted for other platforms, including Microsoft Windows and macOS, with compatibility layers such as Cygwin and XQuartz.
