[en] Commissioning of a Fourier Transform Soft X-ray spectrometer (FT-SX) is under way at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as a branch of beamline 9.3.2. The spectrometer is a novel soft x-ray interferometer designed for ultra-high resolution spectroscopy in the photon experimental results which sensitively test models of correlated electron processes in atomic and molecular physics. The design criteria and consequent technical challenges posed by the short wavelengths of x-rays and desired resolving power are discussed. The fundamental and practical aspects of soft x-ray interferometry are also explored