Ximian
Encyclopedia
Ximian was a company that provided free software
desktop applications for Linux
and Unix
based on the GNOME
platform. Ximian (previously called Helix Code, and originally announced as International Gnome Support) was founded by Miguel de Icaza
and Nat Friedman
in October, 1999, and was bought by Novell
on August 4, 2003. Novell intended to continue and extend development of Ximian's original projects, while adding support for its own GroupWise and ZENworks software.
Ximian both developed new products and "polished" existing free software projects to provide more consistent operation. These projects were packaged into its Ximian Desktop
product — a range of integrated applications intended to provide all the tools a typical business user might require. So-called "Ximianized" versions of GNOME
, OpenOffice.org
, and Gaim were released, along with the following completely new products:
Ximian was a founding member of the Desktop Linux Consortium
and drove the development of Mono
, an implementation of the .NET Framework
as free software.
Attachmate
acquired Novell
in April 2011. In May 2011, the Mono development team was laid off, and Miguel de Icaza created the company Xamarin
to continue development of Mono.
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
desktop applications for Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
based on the GNOME
GNOME
GNOME is a desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer operating system. It is composed entirely of free and open source software...
platform. Ximian (previously called Helix Code, and originally announced as International Gnome Support) was founded by Miguel de Icaza
Miguel de Icaza
Miguel de Icaza is a Mexican free software programmer, best known for starting the GNOME and Mono projects.-Early years:Miguel de Icaza was born in Mexico City and studied at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México but never received a degree. He came from a family of scientists in which his...
and Nat Friedman
Nat Friedman
Nathaniel Dourif Friedman , known as Nat, is a programmer who co-founded Ximian along with Miguel de Icaza in 1999, a company that was later bought by Novell in 2003....
in October, 1999, and was bought by Novell
Novell
Novell, Inc. is a multinational software and services company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group. It specializes in network operating systems, such as Novell NetWare; systems management solutions, such as Novell ZENworks; and collaboration solutions, such as Novell Groupwise...
on August 4, 2003. Novell intended to continue and extend development of Ximian's original projects, while adding support for its own GroupWise and ZENworks software.
Ximian both developed new products and "polished" existing free software projects to provide more consistent operation. These projects were packaged into its Ximian Desktop
Ximian Desktop
Ximian Desktop was a GNOME-based desktop environment from Ximian. It was made to be suitable for desktop and office-productivity environment, and it enabled businesses to use Linux and open source software for daily work...
product — a range of integrated applications intended to provide all the tools a typical business user might require. So-called "Ximianized" versions of GNOME
GNOME
GNOME is a desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer operating system. It is composed entirely of free and open source software...
, OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org, commonly known as OOo or OpenOffice, is an open-source application suite whose main components are for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases. OpenOffice is available for a number of different computer operating systems, is distributed as free software...
, and Gaim were released, along with the following completely new products:
- Evolution
- Ximian ConnectorXimian ConnectorXimian Connector was a computer software program created by Ximian in 2001 to link its GNU/Linux groupware client, Evolution, to the popular Microsoft Exchange Server...
- Red Carpet
- Bonobo
- MonoMono (software)Mono, pronounced , is a free and open source project led by Xamarin to create an Ecma standard compliant .NET-compatible set of tools including, among others, a C# compiler and a Common Language Runtime....
Ximian was a founding member of the Desktop Linux Consortium
Desktop Linux Consortium
The Desktop Linux Consortium is a non-profit organization which aims at enhancing and promoting the use of the Linux operating system on desktop computers.It was founded on 4 February 2003.- Members :*ArkLinux*CodeWeavers*Debian*KDE...
and drove the development of Mono
Mono (software)
Mono, pronounced , is a free and open source project led by Xamarin to create an Ecma standard compliant .NET-compatible set of tools including, among others, a C# compiler and a Common Language Runtime....
, an implementation of the .NET Framework
.NET Framework
The .NET Framework is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages which allows language interoperability...
as free software.
Attachmate
Attachmate
Attachmate Corporation is a software company owned by an investment group led by Francisco Partners, Golden Gate Capital, and Thoma Cressey Bravo. Attachmate focuses on terminal emulation, legacy modernization, managed file transfer, and enterprise fraud management software. Attachmate Corporation...
acquired Novell
Novell
Novell, Inc. is a multinational software and services company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group. It specializes in network operating systems, such as Novell NetWare; systems management solutions, such as Novell ZENworks; and collaboration solutions, such as Novell Groupwise...
in April 2011. In May 2011, the Mono development team was laid off, and Miguel de Icaza created the company Xamarin
Xamarin
Xamarin is a company created in May 2011 by the engineers that created Mono, MonoTouch and Mono for Android which are cross-platform implementations of the Common Language Infrastructure and Common Language Specifications ....
to continue development of Mono.