xv (software)

xv is an image viewer and manipulator for the X Window System. It was a popular and widely used program, especially on Unix-like operating systems, during the 1990s and early 2000s. Developed by John Bradley, xv offered a range of functionalities beyond basic image viewing, including image format conversion, color manipulation, and simple image editing.

One of xv's defining characteristics was its simple, Motif-based graphical user interface (GUI). While not aesthetically modern by today's standards, the GUI was functional and allowed users to quickly access the program's features.

xv supported a wide variety of image formats, including GIF, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and PostScript, making it a versatile tool for handling different types of image files. It was particularly well-regarded for its GIF animation support and its ability to display images on 8-bit color displays, which were common at the time of its peak popularity.

The software allowed for basic image manipulation such as cropping, resizing, rotation, and color correction. While not intended to be a full-fledged image editor, xv provided users with the tools to make simple adjustments to their images.

xv was distributed as shareware, requiring users to register and pay a fee after a trial period. While no longer actively maintained, xv remains available from various archive sites and is still used by some individuals, particularly those working with older systems or who prefer its simple interface.