diff --git a/basis/game/input/input.factor b/basis/game/input/input.factor
index a2afbe92a3..923d5d6107 100644
--- a/basis/game/input/input.factor
+++ b/basis/game/input/input.factor
@@ -93,5 +93,6 @@ M: mouse-state clone
 {
     { [ os windows? ] [ "game.input.xinput" require ] }
     { [ os macosx? ] [ "game.input.iokit" require ] }
+    { [ os linux? ] [ "game.input.x11" require ] }
     { [ t ] [ ] }
 } cond
diff --git a/basis/game/input/x11/x11.factor b/basis/game/input/x11/x11.factor
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c54fc4be5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basis/game/input/x11/x11.factor
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+USING: alien.c-types alien.syntax arrays bit-arrays game.input
+kernel namespaces sequences x11 x11.xlib ;
+IN: game.input.x11
+
+SINGLETON: x11-game-input-backend
+
+x11-game-input-backend game-input-backend set-global
+
+LIBRARY: xlib
+FUNCTION: int XQueryKeymap ( Display* display, char[32] keys_return ) ;
+
+CONSTANT: x>hid-bit-order {
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 41 30 31 32 33 34 35 
+    36 37 38 39 45 46 42 43 
+    20 26 8 21 23 28 24 12 
+    18 19 47 48 40 224 4 22 
+    7 9 10 11 13 14 15 51 
+    52 53 225 49 29 27 6 25 
+    5 17 16 54 55 56 229 85 
+    226 44 57 58 59 60 61 62 
+    63 64 65 66 67 83 71 95 
+    96 97 86 92 93 94 87 91 
+    90 89 99 0 0 0 68 69 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 88 
+    228 84 70 0 0 74 82 75 
+    80 79 77 81 78 73 76 127 
+    129 128 102 103 0 72 0 0 
+    0 0 227 231 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
+}
+
+M: x11-game-input-backend (open-game-input) ; ! assume X was already started for now
+M: x11-game-input-backend (close-game-input) ; ! let someone else stop X
+M: x11-game-input-backend (reset-game-input) ; ! nothing to reset at this point
+
+! No controller support yet--if this works, I shouldn't even need to define the other methods
+M: x11-game-input-backend get-controllers f ;
+
+
+: x-bits>hid-bits ( bit-array -- bit-array )
+        256 iota [ 2array ] 2map [ first ] filter [ second ] map
+        x>hid-bit-order [ nth ] with map
+        ?{ } swap [ t swap pick set-nth ] each ;
+        
+M: x11-game-input-backend read-keyboard
+        dpy get 256 <bit-array> [ XQueryKeymap drop ] keep
+        x-bits>hid-bits keyboard-state boa ;
+
+M: x11-game-input-backend read-mouse
+        0 0 0 0 ?{ f f f } mouse-state boa ;
+
+M: x11-game-input-backend reset-mouse ;
\ No newline at end of file