ARCHIVED: X Window System basics

The Linux Documentation Project's X Window User HOWTO document is a good introduction to the X Window System. While it emphasizes the Linux operating system and the XFree86 implementation of the X Window System (see below), most of its contents apply to all implementations.

For a list of links to sites providing help with the X Window System, see Technical X Window System and Motif WWW Sites.

XFree86 and Xorg

If you are installing the X Window System on a computer running the Linux operating system, you're probably using XFree86 (or more likely its fork, Xorg), a particular implementation of the X Window System that was originally developed for Intel-compatible PCs. Most of the conf file syntax between XFree86 and Xorg is identical. If you are using XFree86 or Xorg, you may find these other documents useful.

• The Xorg main site
• The Linux XFree86 HOWTO document
• The Linux XFree86-Video-Timings HOWTO