2. XFree86

XFree86 is a freely redistributable, open-source implementation of the X Window System that runs on Unix and Unix-like (Linux, the BSDs, Mac OS X (aka Darwin) and Solaris x86 series) operating systems and OS/2. XFree86 has also been ported to Microsoft Windows by building on the Cygwin environment. The "x86" refers to the Intel x86 family of CPUs, but the current release of XFree86 supports other platforms like the Alpha, PowerPC, Sparc and in-the-works MIPS CPU families.

Most distributions of Linux, including RedHat, come with XFree86 and the GUI used, be it GNOME, KDE, GNUStep or other, uses XFree86 as the foundation. We do not discuss XFree86 on Linux further here.

Cygwin/XFree86 is a port of XFree86 to the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems --- it runs on top of the Cygwin environment. Cygwin/XFree86 runs on all recent versions of Windows.

Cygwin is licensed under a modified GNU General Public License. Cygwin/XFree86 is licensed under an X style license. Source code and binaries for both projects are freely available.

To install and run XFree86 on a Windows machine you must first install the Cygwin environment.

2.3. XFree86 Installation on MS Windows

XFree86 is usually installed as part of the Cygwin installation. If you did not choose to install it, simply start setup utility again and add XFree86 (choosing the same installation directory as before).

2.4. Simple Usage of XFree86 on MS Windows

See the online documentation.