Why do so many programs use "X" in their title, is this a convention that I am not aware of?

Question

I might be misunderstanding, but OS X as an operating system, as well as programs like X11 (terminal program), Xming (visual interfacing with other servers), Xcode, and countless others that I can't think of at the moment. Is this a convention or some deeper meaning behind it?

X= may the force be with you.... – Moab Jan 12 '16 at 16:58 — Moab, Jan 12 '16 at 16:58

score 4 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 12 '16 at 16:53

4

It refers to the X Window System, one of the first graphical environments on UNIX.

answered Jan 12 '16 at 16:53

Teun Vink

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score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 12 '16 at 17:00

Nothing particular.

X11 is the X Window System, just the name it was given.

Xcode was released in Mac OS X, so likely took it's name from there (a few other theories here)

Mac OS X is using X in the form of the Roman numeral X, meaning 10.

Another notable example, Adobe Reader X (and subsequently XI) are due to the Roman numeral also, being version 10 and 11.

Some utilities will be referencing the X in Mac OS X, others may be the X in X11, others, I guess, just think X is a cool letter to use.

Why do so many programs use "X" in their title, is this a convention that I am not aware of?

2 Answers2