Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU!jim
From: jim@EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU (Jim Fulton)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: -- Trivia --
Message-ID: <8904261752.AA22449@expo.lcs.mit.edu>
Date: 26 Apr 89 17:52:52 GMT
References: <8904261647.AA01674@unison.larc.nasa.gov>
Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU
Organization: X Consortium, MIT Laboratory for Computer Science
Lines: 28


> I have heard of X10 and X11, but was there ever an X9, X8, ... X0 ???

Yes.  Along with W and V (both from Stanford).

Jim Gettys gives a history of X in his introduction to The Book(*).  Briefly,
the early versions of X were used primarily at MIT Project Athena and a the MIT
Lab for Computer Science.  In the summer of 1985, X6 was licensed to a small
set of companies for $100 (MIT later decided to stop requiring a license and to
not place any restrictions on redistribution).  Non-MIT and non-Digital ports
began with X9 in the late summer and early fall of 1985 (there have been
commercial, third party products based top of X since at least November 1985).
Then along came X10....   Again, see Jim's history for real details.



> Will there be an X12, X13, ...

Not if we can help it.  There will be compatible extensions in the future,
but the core will be called X11 until they run over us with a steamroller.


							Jim Fulton
							MIT X Consortium


(*) "X Window System C Library and Protocol Reference", by Scheifler, Gettys
and Newman, published by Digital Press, ISBN 1-55558-012-2.