X11Libre X Server — A Modern, Inclusive Xorg Fork
-Xlibre is a fork of the Xorg Xserver, with - major code cleanups and enhanced functionality aimed at modernizing the X11 server - with a focus on security, performance, and maintainability.
-This fork was created because problematic elements within the Xorg project, including - influence from large corporations, were blocking substantial progress. After journalists - began covering the planned Xlibre fork on June 6th, 2025, freedesktop.org administrators - banned the Xlibre founder’s GitLab account, which led to the deletion of repositories, - tickets, and merge requests. Xorg has also removed prior work and contributions from @Metux.
-This is an entirely independent project, contributed to and maintained by a community - of independent developers — anyone who wants to modernize, clean up, document, test, - and advance X11 as the primary graphics and rendering system for UNIX and UNIX-like - operating systems such as: FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, GNU/Linux, Illumos, and even - non-UNIX platforms like Windows (via Cygwin).
-X11 has served as the backbone of many desktop environments since its initial release - in 1984 (as X1), including Xfce, MATE, Trinity, Blackbox, CDE, Lumina, and - many others.
-This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Xorg efforts of freedesktop.org, - Red Hat, or GNOME.
-We believe in equity of opportunity, openness, and community. It doesn’t matter what - country you’re from, what your political views are, your race, gender, age, dietary - habits, fashion style, whether you’re furry, fairy, Conan, McKay, a comic character, - a neurodivergent person, or a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri, you are welcome here. - As long as you treat others with respect, you belong.This is a truly inclusive, - community-led project where everyone gets a fair opportunity to contribute and grow.
-Together we’ll make X great again by modernizing it and making it for everyone.
+XLibre Xserver
+XLibre is a major fork of the Xorg + Xserver, created to push forward X server technology through extensive code cleanups, architectural + improvements, and enhanced functionality. This project was born out of the need to maintain active development and + innovation in the X server ecosystem, ensuring this critical infrastructure continues evolving to meet modern + computing demands.
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Project Background
+The decision to fork from the original Xorg project was driven by a lack of progress and institutional barriers + that were limiting meaningful contributions. After journalists began covering the planned XLibre fork on + June 6th, 2025, the founder's account and infrastructure on freedesktop.org were abruptly + removed — including repositories, merge requests, and issue trackers. This forced the project to relocate + development elsewhere, reaffirming the importance of decentralized infrastructure and open collaboration.
+This project preserves and builds upon prior work by contributors such as @Metux, whose contributions were later removed from the original upstream. +
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Project Philosophy
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- Independence: XLibre is a fully independent project, free from corporate control, political + organizations, and institutional sponsorship. +
- Technical Merit: Development is driven by quality, security, and real-world needs, not by + marketing trends or centralized agendas. +
- Transparency: All decisions and technical discussions are public and community-driven. +
- Focus: Our goal is to build a modern, secure, performant, and maintainable X server for the + UNIX ecosystem. +
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Inclusive and Community-Driven
+We believe that good technology must be built by inclusive communities.
+XLibre welcomes contributors from all backgrounds — regardless of nationality, race, gender, age, political + views, or lived experience. We explicitly welcome those who are neurodivergent (e.g. autistic, + ADHD, etc.) and understand that inclusion means more than just allowing access — it means providing equity + of opportunity, recognizing that some contributors face unique barriers in open source spaces.
+As long as you treat others with respect, you are welcome here. Whether you’re a seasoned systems developer or a + small furry creature from Alpha Centauri — you belong.
+This is a project where everyone deserves a fair chance to learn, contribute, and improve X11 together.
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Technical Vision
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- Modernization: Improve the Xorg architecture while preserving compatibility with existing X11 + clients. +
- Performance: Optimize rendering, reduce latency, and improve throughput across diverse + hardware. +
- Security: Apply modern hardening practices, improve privilege separation, and reduce attack + surface. +
- Code Quality: Clean up legacy code and reduce technical debt accumulated over decades. +
- Portability: Maintain support for UNIX-like systems (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, GNU/Linux, + Illumos), and compatibility layers such as Cygwin for Windows. +
- Stability: Continuous testing and validation to ensure long-term reliability. +
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Together, let’s make X great again — by modernizing it, decentralizing it, and making it for everyone who + wants to build.