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crouse
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 Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2025 8:19 pm Post subject: A List of Window Managers for Linux |
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I'm sure it's not complete but I'll start it off for everyone  I'm going to sticky this thread so it's on top. Feel free to add window managers not listed below.
AfterStep
http://www.afterstep.org/
Description: AfterStep is a window manager for the Unix X Window System. Originally based on the look and feel of the NeXTStep interface, it has evolved into its own creature, with interest expressed by GNUstep, to make AfterStep the window manager of choice for X11. These pages provide an introduction to the world of AfterStep, and serve as a distribution point for the latest stable and development releases.
Black Box
http://blackboxwm.sourceforge.net/
Description: What is Blackbox? Blackbox is that fast, light window manager you have been looking for without all those annoying library dependancies. If you have a C++ compiler and the X Window System you can compile and use it.
Enlightenment
http://www.enlightenment.org
Description: Welcome to the Enlightenment Project! Enlightenment is a completely themeable, highly configurable Window Manager for the X Window System, traditionally used in Unix environments.
FluxBox
http://fluxbox.sourceforge.net/
Description: What is FluxBox Fluxbox is yet another windowmanager for X. It's based on the Blackbox 0.61.1 code. Fluxbox looks like blackbox and handles styles, colors, window placement and similar thing exactly like blackbox (100% theme/style compability). So what's the difference between fluxbox and blackbox then? The answer is: LOTS!
FVWM
http://www.fvwm.org/
Description: FVWM is an extremely powerful ICCCM-compliant multiple virtual desktop window manager for the X Window system. Development is active, and support is excellent. Check it out!
Gnome
http://www.gnome.org/
Description: The GNOME project has built a complete, free and easy-to-use desktop environment for the user, as well as a powerful application framework for the software developer. GNOME is part of the GNU project, and is free software (sometimes referred to as open source software). It is included in almost every BSD and GNU/Linux distribution and works on many other UNIX systems.
IceWM
http://icewm.sourceforge.net/
Description: IceWM is a window manager for the X11 Window System. It it has been coded from scratch in C++ for performance and size and attempts to achieve the following goals: Feel good and fast to use, be simple and don't get in the way Default configuration should be fully usable without tweaking Mouse is optional Combine the best features of other window managers and GUIs Themes can customize the look, user can customize the feel. IceWM is release under the terms of the GNU Library General Public License.
KDE
http://www.kde.org/
Description: KDE is a powerful Open Source graphical desktop environment for Unix workstations. It combines ease of use, contemporary functionality, and outstanding graphical design with the technological superiority of the Unix operating system.
OpenBox
http://www.icculus.org/openbox/
Description: What is Openbox? Openbox is a window manager for the X11 windowing system. It currently runs on a large list of platforms. It was originally based on Blackbox and currently remains very similar, even using Blackbox styles (with available extensions) for its themeing. The Openbox project is developed, maintained, and contributed to by these individuals. You can see what Openbox looks like on the screenshots page. Openbox is written entirely in C++ and maintains no dependencies on any libraries other than X11.
Sawfish
http://sawmill.sourceforge.net/
Description: Sawfish is an extensible window manager using a Lisp-based scripting language --all window decorations are configurable and all user-interface policy is controlled through the extension language. This is no layer on top of twm, but a wholly new architecture. Despite this extensibility its policy is very minimal compared to most window managers. Its aim is simply to manage windows in the most flexible and attractive manner possible. As such it does not implement desktop backgrounds, applications docks, or other things that may be achieved through separate applications. All high-level wm functions are implemented in Lisp for future extensibility or redefinition. Currently this includes menus (using GTK+), interactive window moving and resizing, virtual workspaces, iconification, focus/transient window policies, frame theme definitions, and many more standard window-manager functions.
Window Maker
http://www.windowmaker.org/
Description: INTRODUCTION Window Maker is an X11 window manager originally designed to provide integration support for the GNUstep Desktop Environment. In every way possible, it reproduces the elegant look and feel of the NEXTSTEP[tm] user interface. It is fast, feature rich, easy to configure, and easy to use. It is also free software, with contributions being made by programmers from around the world. Window Maker includes compatibility options which allow it to work with other popular desktop environments, namely GNOME and KDE, and comes with a powerful GUI configuration editor, called WPrefs, which removes the need to edit text-based config files by hand. Please see the features section for more specifics on what Window Maker can do, and how it compares with other popular window managers.
XFCE
http://www.xfce.org/
Description: XFce is a lightweight desktop environment for various UNIX systems. The XFce project was first started because I needed a simple, light and efficient environment for my Linux System. There are now a lot of good environments and interfaces for UNIX based systems, but most are too heavy, or too expensive, or even both ! I wanted something easy to use and configure, stable, fast, and, at last but not least, visually appealing... I believe that the desktop environment should be made to increase user productivity. Therefore, the goal is keep most system resources for the applications, and not to consume all memory and CPU usage with the desktop environment. From version to version, XFce became more and more user friendly and easily configurable. As XFce is made for the user, it has to be very simple to configure. That's why everything is driven by the mouse, using buttons, drag and drop, etc., and the configuration files are hidden from the user, although it is plain text.
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jester
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Joined: 19 Apr 2025
Posts: 1166
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| Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2025 5:31 am Post subject: |
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you missed waimea
ok so it's a type of *box, but it's nice
| Quote: | | Waimea is a fast and highly customizable virtual multiple desktop window manager. It supports advanced features like transparent textures and Xft fonts. |
[/quote]
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chessforce
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Joined: 11 Jan 2025
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2025 11:07 pm Post subject: Dropline GNOME |
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| For Slackware users who use GNOME, an alternative is Dropline GNOME.
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Germ
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| Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2025 12:32 am Post subject: |
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openbox
http://freshmeat.net/projects/openbox/
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Dusanyu
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M lane
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Xeroid
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Germ
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nukes
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maillion
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crouse
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2025 6:32 am Post subject: |
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wmi Window Manager Improved
http://wmi.modprobe.de/
| Quote: |
wmi is a very lightweight window manager and comes packed with many special features including:
* no dependencies except Xlib and C++ STL
* multihead support (not tested/experimental)
* Xinerama support (with same resolution on the screens)
* virtual workspaces
* tabbed/tiled frames
* floating clients
* vi-alike input mode
* full keyboard control
* fully customizable (key) bindings
* mouse support
* session management (experimental)
* mini pager for statusbar
* remote tool (status text and action invocation)
* theme support
* optional antialiased fonts support (Xft)
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also see
wmii
http://wmi.modprobe.de/?n=WMII.Overview
| Quote: |
wmii is a lightweight window manager, because one design goal is not to exceed 10.000 lines of code (including wmii, wmibar, wmipager, wmiinput, wmir, wmirat, libixp, libwmii). Thus it'll have one of the highest function/LOC factor ever seen in window managers (also thankfully to the generic interface). However it comes packed with many features:
General
* multihead support
* special xinerama support
Window management
* tabbed window management
* tiled window management
* conventional window management
* customizable border resistance feature
* screen border resistance
Input devices
* full keyboard control
* improved mouse control
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RootLinux
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monsterb
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sargek
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2025 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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Hate to be a stick in the mud, but Gnome and KDE aren't window managers...I know what you mean though! I'm too picky for my own good sometimes...
EDIT --> just noticed you did mention in the text descriptions that these two were DEs, not WMs. Sorry!
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sargek
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2025 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Another lightweight WM is EvilWM. It's 26k and also makes TWM look like KDE. I use EvilWM for my gaming user so I have every available resource free. Works great and even has virtual desktops. Normal use Gnome, but I am on another Fluxbox kick right now. I'll move back to Gnome in a few weeks...always do!
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Xtra Problems.
