Launch of X11Libre: An Independent Fork of X.Org Server Free from Corporate Influence

A new open-source project called [X11Libre](https://github.com/X11Libre/xserver) has been introduced. This fork of the X.org Server aims to clean up the codebase and ensure ongoing development of the X.org functionality.

According to [OpenNET](https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=63369), the project was initiated by Enrico Weigelt ([GitHub profile](https://github.com/metux)), who is the maintainer of the AMD FCH GPIO and VIRTIO GPIO drivers in the Linux kernel, as well as the maintainer of [Xnest](https://www.x.org/archive/X11R7.6/doc/man/man1/Xnest.1.xhtml) and a committed developer for Xorg, with 1831 commits in the past two years.

In the project’s announcement, Weigelt stated that the freedesktop.org project is not independent and is under the control of Red Hat, which he believes is intentionally stalling the development of the X server in an effort to undermine the X11 project. Notably, Weigelt has previously faced criticism from Linus Torvalds for his tendency to entertain conspiracy theories.

Following actions related to creating the fork and efforts to rekindle work on the X server, Karol Herbst, an employee of Red Hat and an advocate for inclusivity in the community, [blocked](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/metux) Weigelt’s access to the freedesktop.org GitLab infrastructure, deleted his repositories, and closed over 140 submitted [merge requests](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/-/merge_requests/?sort=created_date&state=closed&first_page_size=20) (with some concerns regarding their [quality](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/-/merge_requests/1599#note_2790364)). In response, Weigelt [invited](https://lists.x.org/archives/xorg-devel/2025-June/059396.html) anyone interested to join the development of X11Libre on [GitHub](https://github.com/X11Libre/xserver). He believes that there is community interest in continuing the development of X.org, and that during the period of artificial stagnation, a substantial number of [unaccepted changes and improvements](https://github.com/X11Libre/xserver/commits/xlibre/prepare) accumulated within the X.org project.

The inaugural release of X11Libre is expected to be published in the coming days. The project will be entirely independent, free from ties to corporations or activists, and will not be subject to any discriminatory policies, such as DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). Anyone who is respectful and interested in promoting X11 is welcome to participate in the development.

Upcoming changes in the X11Libre release include:

— Support for the X11 extension [Xnamespace](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/-/merge_requests/1865), which provides client isolation via namespace separation;
— Transitioning Xnest to XCB and removing Xlib as a dependency;
— The ability to install different ABI versions simultaneously to enable seamless updates in distributions;
— Ongoing efforts to reduce technical debt within the codebase.

According to community feedback, Weigelt has previously submitted poorly tested changes that, for example, [broke](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/-/issues/1797#note_2799382) the xrandr functionality and led to [hangs](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/-/issues/1760). Other developers expressed [frustration](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/-/issues/1760#note_2631460) with Weigelt’s code cleanup efforts, which frequently altered the ABI in the X.org master branch and caused build failures. Consequently, it was suggested to cease accepting changes from Enrico, as his code cleanup activities did not address specific bugs or resolve existing issues, but rather created new problems.