On Sun, 19 Oct 2003, Sebastian Gomez wrote: >I'm using XFree86 with Debian in a iBook computer, and also in a >iMac running Mac OS X and I think the project name is absolutely >incoherent. I don't understand why the name XFree86 refers to >an specific piece of hardware.
The name is historical. Originally, XFree86 was strictly for Intel x86 (ia32) hardware only. Obviously, when the name was chosen, nobody thought that it might end up being used on non-x86 hardware some time down the road or they would have chosen a name that wasn't linked to x86. >"The primary goal of the XFree86 Project is to produce XFree86™and to >make it the best freely-redistributable Open Source implementation of >the X Window System by implementing it on as many >>hardware<< and >software platforms as possible" > >Launching X11 it's like putting a sticker of "I love intel" on my PPC >computers. It's very easy to think another name less computer specific >like "XFree", "XFreePC" (yes, mac's are also personal computer's) or >something else. XFree86 is not limited to the PC platform either. XFree86 runs on a great number of CPU architectures and computing platforms out there. "XFree" is probably a better name than "XFree86", however changing it would be more cosmetic than anything, not that I'd object to such a name change of course. >Congratulations on your great job and I hope you can solve this >problem ;P I really don't see it as a "problem". The software works, and that is what's important. The amount of effort it would take to go through the entire source code tree, renaming directories containing "XFree86" name to something else, and also renaming all permutations of "XFree86" throughout the code, documentation, website(s) out there would not only probably cause much more confusion to people, but CVS history would be lost on many files, and there's no doubt a number of other problems that would be created for no real major gain other than a cosmetic change. Also "XFree86" is a registered trademark IIRC, and the XFree86 organization is incorporated. It would require reincorporation under a different name probably, and numerous other things. All of the time that numerous people would spend on doing all of that, would most likely be better spent on fixing bugs in the code, and adding new features and improvements. That's my $0.02 anyway... -- Mike A. Harris _______________________________________________ XFree86 mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://XFree86.Org/mailman/listinfo/xfree86
