Guide to X11/Window Managers
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[edit] Window Managers
A window manager is a program which draws the frames around windows and allows the user to move, resize, iconify, and otherwise manage windows. Unlike with some other window environments, one can find many window managers for X11.
[edit] Features and Facilities of Window Managers
The features and facilities that are provided by various window managers include:
[edit] autohide
An autohide facility enables menubars to disappear when the pointer is moved away from the edge of the screen.
[edit] borders
A border is a window decoration component provided by some window managers, that appears around the active window. Some window managers may also provide a border around background windows.
[edit]
Some window managers provide a context menu that appears when an alternative click event is applied to a window manager component or desktop application widget.
[edit] iconification
An iconification facility enables running applications to be minimized to a desktop or taskpanel icon.
[edit] joined windows
Some window managers provide a joined windows facility that enables application window frames to be joined together.
[edit] keyboard equivalents
Some window managers provide keyboard equivalents that enables functionality provided by the mouse to be replicated by a keyboard equivalent.
[edit]
Some window managers provide a menubar that gives the facility to launch programs using a menu. The menubar may contain additional facilities including a startbutton, a taskbar, and a systemtray.
[edit]
A menupanel is a component of some window manager systems that provides the facility to launch programs using a menu. The menupanel may contain additional facilities including a startbutton, a taskpanel, and a systemtray.
[edit] mouse focus
The mouse focus model determines how the pointing device affects the input focus within the window manager. A windowmanager can use various focus models to determine which component of the graphical user interface is currently selected to receive input as the pointer is moved around the screen.
[edit] mousewarp
A mousewarping facility centres the mouse pointer on the current application as it is made active.
[edit] multiple desktops
A reparenting window manager may provide a multiple desktop facility. This enables several rootwindows to be used, and a facility to switch between desktops. This prevents clutter of the rootwindow, because applications can be run from different desktops.
[edit] pager
Some window managers provide a pager tool that provides the facility to switch between multiple desktops. The pager may appear as an onscreen window or as a gadget in the taskbar or taskpanel.
[edit] plugins
Some window managers have a modular construction, enabling plugin modules to be used to provide features as required.
[edit]
The root menu appears when the root window or desktop background is touched.
[edit] rollup
A rollup facility enables windows to appear as just a titlebar on the desktop.
[edit] shortcuts
A shortcut facility, enables icons to be placed on the rootwindow, which can be used to access specific programs or facilities.
[edit] start button
A start button is a desktop widget that provides a launch facility via a menu of programs. The start button is typically placed on a menubar at the bottom of the screen.
[edit] system tray
A systemtray is used to displays icons for system and program features that have no window on the desktop. It contains mainly icons to indicate status information and notifications such as arrival of a new mail message. Some systems may also show a clock in the system tray.
[edit] tabbed windows
A tabbed windows facility enables applications to be grouped together to share common frames.
[edit] task switching
The window manager may provide various task switching facilities , to enable selection of the currently focused application, including:
- mousefocus
- keyboard shortcuts
- taskbar
- taskpanel
[edit] taskbar
A taskbar shows running applications. The taskbar may show all applications that are running including those that have been minimized, and may provide the facility to switch focus between them. The taskbar may be incorporated into a menubar on some window managers.
[edit] taskpanel
A taskpanel is similar to a taskbar, but appears as a floating panel, rather than a horizontal or vertical bar.
[edit] title bar
A titlebar is a window decoration component provided by some window managers which appears at the top of each window. The titlebar is typically used to display the name of the application, or the name of the open document.
[edit] title bar buttons
Some window managers provide title bar buttons which provide the facility to minimize, maximize, rollup or close application windows. Some window managers may display the titlebar buttons in the taskbar or taskpanel, rather than in the titlebars.
[edit] virtual desktop
A virtual desktop (also called a scrolling desktop ) is a facility that enables the desktop to be larger than the actual screen.
[edit] wallpaper
A wallpaper facility enables a background picture to be displayed in the root window.
[edit] Using X11 Without a Window Manager
One can also use X11 without a window manager. Typically, one writes a session script which starts an "xterm" at a "-geometry" location. One then starts other X11 clients by giving their "-geometry" explicitly, because there is no window manager
[edit] Temporary Note To Be Removed
Until someone actually runs these window managers and contributes to this book, some of the descriptions are taken from the OpenBSD Ports Collection, specifically the pkg/DESCR files. Others are taken from X11-wm Category of FreeBSD Ports. Some of the OpenBSD descriptions might be from FreeBSD or NetBSD, or from the packages themselves.
[edit] 0-9, a, b, c
- 2wm
- 3dwm 3D Workspace Manager is a compositing window manager by Niklas Elmqvist and Robert Karlsson.
- 4dwm
- 5dwm
- 9wm FreeBSD: "An 8 1/2-like window manager for X"
- awm
- aegis
- aewm OpenBSD: "It has no nifty features, but is light on resources and extremely simple in appearance."
- aewm++ FreeBSD: "The C++ version of aewm"
- afterstep a NextStep-like window manager, OpenBSD: "AfterStep is a continuation of the BowMan window manager... based on the fvwm window manager..."
- ahwm FreeBSD: "An X11 window manager"
- alloywm FreeBSD: "Has title bars, shading, resizing, automatic placement, window list"
- alptwm
- amaterus FreeBSD: "A GTK+ window manager"
- amiwm OpenBSD: "amiwm is an X11 window manager that tries to make your display look and feel like and Amiga Workbench screen."
- anarchy
- antiwm
- asclassic
- awesome] FreeBSD: "a highly configurable, next generation framework window manager primarly targeted at power users, developers"
- awm
- azalea
- badwm FreeBSD: "Window manager based on evilwm"
- beryl Xgl compositing window manager. Has some very interesting effects and animations, but is not practical for daily use on most hardware. Note: Beryl and Compiz have merged as of 2007-08-13.
- blackbox small window manager that avoids the waste of screen space, OpenBSD: "Blackbox is built with C++.... It features small code size, a fast interface with simple menus, multiple workspaces, and decorated windows, built-in graphics code to render solids, gradients and bevels on the fly when needed, and more."
- bluetile
- blwm FreeBSD: "Portuguese derivative of qvwm, simplified to conserve resources"
- braintop
- /bwm
- calmwm
- clementine FreeBSD: "Has title bars, iconizing, and styles (unstable)"
- clfswm
- compiz Xgl accelerated amazing modular window manager, which matches Apple's Expose, uses a cube for the four desktops, and adds neat effects like window fading, transparent alt-tab window selection, and window warping when dragging at high velocity. After installing, look up shortcut keys.
- ctwm OpenBSD: "CTWM is an extension to twm, that support multiple virtual screens, and a lot of other goodies."
- cwm Included in OpenBSD. Excellent code base, very minimal system requirements. OpenBSD: "cwm has several novel features, including the ability to search for windows. It features a very simple and attractive aesthetic."
[edit] d, e, f, g
- dwemo
- dwm
- dxwm
- e17
- echinus
- eclipse
- ecomorph
- ede includes a window manager, FreeBSD: "Equinox Desktop Environment"
- efsane
- enlightenment has expensive graphics, OpenBSD: "Enlightenment goes beyond this, not just Managing Windows, but providing a useful, good looking graphical shell from which to work."
- epiwm FreeBSD: "Another fast, small, configurable window manager"
- evilpoison
- evilwm OpenBSD: "No window decorations apart from a simple 1 pixel border.... Good keyboard control, including repositioning and maximise toggles." (Package size: 18 KiB, has no dependencies (OpenBSD 4.1))
- expocity FreeBSD: "A metacity spin-off with Expose(tm)-like features"
- failsafewm
- firebox
- Fluxbox — "Looks like blackbox and handles styles, colors, window placement and similar thing exactly like blackbox (100% theme/style compability)" http://fluxbox.org/ (Package size: 681 KiB, plus its dependencies (OpenBSD 4.1))
- flwm Minimal, fast, small. Based on wm2. OpenBSD: "A lightweight, fast window manager."
- framer
- fvwm the F Virtual Window Manager (meaning of F is uncertain), a twm derivative with nice appearance, virtual desktops, but obscure text configuration files
- fvwm2 a newer version of fvwm, OpenBSD: "Fvwm... provides a virtual/multiple disjoint desktop, a 3D look for windows decorations, shaped/color icons.... A nice button-bar can be used to provide convenient access to frequently used functions or programs."
- fvwm95 feels like Windows 95 (similar to AnotherLevel for fvwm2), OpenBSD: "It tries to emulate the good features of a well known product without bloating the regular fvwm code."
- fxwm
- golem OpenBSD: "Design goals are that it be fast and lightweight, as well as very customizable in any way that will not prevent the first goal from being realized."
- gwm FreeBSD: "Generic Window Manager"
- gwml
[edit] h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o
- hackedbox FreeBSD: "Hackedbox is a small and fast window manager based on Blackbox"
- haze
- heliwm
- i3
- icewm a small window manager that one configures by editing text files or using third-party tools, OpenBSD: "Optimized for "feel" and speed, not looks. Features multiple workspaces, opaque move/resize, task bar, window list, clock, mailbox, CPU, Network, APM status."
- integrity
- interfacewm
- ion OpenBSD: "Ion is a new kind of window manager that brings a text-editorish, keyboard friendly user interface to window management. Ion simply divides the screen into frames that take the whole screen."
- ion2
- ion3
- jwm Linux: "Joe's window manager". http://joewing.net/programs/jwm/ Used in Puppy Linux.
- kahakai FreeBSD: "Kahakai window manager"
- karmen
- kwin the window manager for KDE (formerly called kwm)
- larswm FreeBSD: "Tiling Window Manager for X"
- lucca
- luminosity
- lwm FreeBSD: "A lightweight window manager"
- maewm
- matchbox FreeBSD: "Window manager suitable for low-resolution screens"
- mavosxwm
- metacity a common GNOME window manager
- miwm
- mlvwm FreeBSD: "Macintosh like window manager for X11"
- monkeywm
- mosquito
- mpwm
- mswm
- multicursorwm
- musca
- mutter
- mvwm
- mwm Motif Window Manager included with Motif or OpenMotif, also found with the commercial Common Desktop Environment (CDE)
- ncdwm
- novawm FreeBSD: "A window manager for X, developed with speed, size, and style in mind"
- olvwm OpenBSD: "OPEN LOOK virtual window manager" (same as olwm, Open Look Window Manager?)
- olwm
- omegawm
- openbox OpenBSD: "Openbox is a standards compliant, fast, light-weight, extensible window manager."
- orion FreeBSD: "An X11 window manager written in Scheme"
- oroborox
- oroborus OpenBSD: "Oroborus is a really minimalistic X11 window manager. It provides good default key bindings, full keyboard controls (in addition to the mouse!), ..."
- oswm
[edit] p, q, r, s, t
- parti
- pawm FreeBSD: "The Puto Amo Window Manager"
- pekwm OpenBSD: "Pekwm is a fork of aewm++ which includes new features such as window grouping (a la fluxbox/pwm) a configurable keygrabber, Xinerama support, pixmap themeing and configurable buttons."
- perlwm
- phluid
- piewm OpenBSD: "This is piewm, a tvtwm with "pie" (i.e., round) menus."
- plwm
- plpwm
- pmwm
- puppet
- pwm OpenBSD: "PWM is a lightweight window manager for X11 with emphasis on usability. It was the first window manager to implement "tabbed frames"."
- pwm2
- pycawm
- pywm PyWM is small, fast and extensible with Python. It's based on flwm. http://www.freenet.org.nz/python/pywm/
- qlwm
- qtile
- qlwm OpenBSD: "A window manager that takes advantage of qt to stay small and maintainable."
- quarkwm
- qvwm OpenBSD: "Qvwm is a Windows 95/98/NT like window manager..."
- ratpoison similar to GNU screen, a tiling window manager which dislikes the mouse (see Wikibook Using Ratpoison)
- rox
- rtl
- sapphire FreeBSD: "Small window manager"
- sawfish an efficient and configurable window manager that was formerly default for GNOME, OpenBSD: "Sawfish is an extensible window manager which uses a Lisp-based scripting language."
- scrotwm
- scwm
- sithwm
- skatoswm
- smallwm
- spookwm
- stumpwm is intended as the successor of ratpoison. Written in Common Lisp, and designed from the ground up to be customizable.
- subtle is a another tiling window manager with a very flexible and dynamical layout, support for window tagging, mouse and keyboard control as well as an extendable statusbar. http://unexist.scrapping.cc/subtle
- sugar
- swm FreeBSD: "Window manager for low-memory systems, with title bars and shading" http://www.small-window-manager.de/
- talwm
- tecwm
- tinywm FreeBSD: "Ridiculously tiny window manager"
- toyd
- treewm OpenBSD: "From the README:... In addition to the client windows the user can create desktops which can themselves contain windows and desktops."
- tritium
- trswm
- tsubasa
- tvtwm OpenBSD: "tvtwm is a version of twm which incorporates virtual desktops, similar to vtwm and swm."
- twm the Tab Window Manager included with X11
[edit] u, v, w, x, y
- uwm a window manager with a unique design (get used to it), developed by the "Unix Desktop Enviroment" project http://udeproject.sourceforge.net/
- vtwm FreeBSD: "Twm with a virtual desktop and optional Motif-like features"
- vuewm
- w9wm FreeBSD: "A hack of 9wm to give virtual screens"
- waimea OpenBSD: "It uses Blackbox image rendering engine (Blackbox styles support) and can use Xft library for font rendering (anti-aliased font support)."
- weewm FreeBSD: "Fast and ultra light windowmanager with total keyboard control"
- whim
- whimsy
- windowlab FreeBSD: "A small window manager for X11"
- windowmaker a NextStep-like window manager that works well with GNUstep and has configurable themes
- wm
- wm2 a very minimal, small, fast window manager
- wmaker
- wmfs
- wmg FreeBSD: "Small GTK-based GNOME-compliant window manager"
- wmi OpenBSD: "WMI... attempts to combine the best features of LarsWM, Ion, evilwm and ratpoison into one window manager.... WMI is the vim among the window managers..."
- wmii FreeBSD: "The next generation of WMI window manager"
- wmx OpenBSD: "It is based on wm2... but in place of wm2's minimal functionality, it offers many of the features of more conventional managers in the most simplistic implementations imaginable."
- xcompmgr
- xd640
- xdswm
- xfce-wm part of desktop environment called XFCE (Cholesterol-Free Desktop Environment which also has a toolbar and file manager, and uses less system resources than GNOME or KDE), FreeBSD: "XFce 4 window manager"
- xige
- xfwm
- xmonad is a tiling window manager for X. Windows are arranged automatically to tile the screen without gaps or overlap, maximising screen use.http://xmonad.org
- xpwm
- xwem
- xwm
- yawm FreeBSD: "Has title bars, iconizing, maximizing, taskbar, placement, clock"
- yeahwm
- zwm
