Looking for a tiling window manager.

[AllRadioisDead]

Hi guys,
I'm looking for a nice simple tiling window manager. I'm interested in trying one out, I've played with awesome a bit but it's far too complicated for me. With all the widgets, key-bindings and the config file in lua, it's a little bit too complex for me. Not to say there isn't great documentation available, it's just a lot to take on at once. I'd like to get the feel to how one works. Any suggestions? I hope this doesn't turn into a flame war like the browser war threads. :(

[dragos240]

I've played around with DWM. There is a slight learning curve, but you'll get used to it.

[schauerlich]

wmii (http://wmii.suckless.org/)

[m_duck]

I would also recommend dwm (http://dwm.suckless.org/). All of the configuration is done by modifying the config.h source file. This means that to see changes, it must be recompiled, but that takes all of half a second. For that reason I tend not to actually *install* it as such, but download the source, configure it, make, and then run the resulting executable from where it is. Probably bad practice but hey ho.

[n0dix]

The more popular are: awesome, dwm, xmonad, a big etc

[mikkie]

Ratpoison 4 life! It is the most minimalistic and easy to use and configure tiling window manager. Give it a try!

[~sHyLoCk~]

+1 for ratpoison

[AllRadioisDead]

Ratpoison 4 life! It is the most minimalistic and easy to use and configure tiling window manager. Give it a try!
I'll look into it, thanks.

The more popular are: awesome, dwm, xmonad, a big etc
Thanks, but I'm not necessarily looking for the most popular.


I would also recommend dwm (http://dwm.suckless.org/). All of the configuration is done by modifying the config.h source file. This means that to see changes, it must be recompiled, but that takes all of half a second. For that reason I tend not to actually *install* it as such, but download the source, configure it, make, and then run the resulting executable from where it is. Probably bad practice but hey ho.
I'll look into it, thanks.

wmii (http://wmii.suckless.org/)
Reasoning?

[schauerlich]

Reasoning?

Suckless makes good stuff. Small, easily customizable, doesn't require recompiling each time you change something.

[AllRadioisDead]

Suckless makes good stuff. Small, easily customizable, doesn't require recompiling each time you change something.
Fair enough.

However, on my search I ran into a nice window manager called scrotwm, and I must say I love it. It' just what I'm looking for, nice and simple. The keybindings are logical and after printing out the page about it on the archwiki, I'm good to go. It's very easy to use and configure, and doesn't need compiling.

[kk0sse54]

Fair enough.

However, on my search I ran into a nice window manager called scrotwm, and I must say I love it. It' just what I'm looking for, nice and simple. The keybindings are logical and after printing out the page about it on the archwiki, I'm good to go. It's very easy to use and configure, and doesn't need compiling.

I was just about to recommend scrotwm :p. It's a great window manager though and another quality piece of software coming from some of the OpenBSD crew. If I wasn't already in love with awesome I'd use it more extensively.

[RiceMonster]

I like dwm because it's very simple and straight forward. Sure you have to edit a header file and recompile, but the way it's organized, it's not much different than editing a config file.

Scrotwm would be next in line.

[k64]

I would just have bare X and Compiz. I personally LOVE compositing.

[AllRadioisDead]

I was just about to recommend scrotwm :p. It's a great window manager though and another quality piece of software coming from some of the OpenBSD crew. If I wasn't already in love with awesome I'd use it more extensively.
Awesome does look amazing, and I still believe I have to give it a fair chance. I will read some more and maybe give it another try. It looks really extensible.

I like dwm because it's very simple and straight forward. Sure you have to edit a header file and recompile, but the way it's organized, it's not much different than editing a config file.

Scrotwm would be next in line.
DWM looks tempting as well, I will do some reading up on it.

I would just have bare X and Compiz. I personally LOVE compositing.
That's nice, unfortunately that's not what I was looking for.

[schauerlich]

I'm looking for a nice simple tiling window manager.


I would just have bare X and Compiz.

What is this I don't even

[kevCast]

Stumpwm. It's the successor to Ratpoison, and written entirely in Common Lisp.

[k64]

By any luck, I would stick with a full DE, such as GNOME ('apt:/ubuntu-desktop') or KDE ('apt:/kubuntu-desktop')

[~sHyLoCk~]

Omg I almost forgot the epic wm try Musca! It's pretty sweet. Has features from ratpoison and dwm. It's really light and fast, takes like 400Kb of mem.

[AllRadioisDead]

By any luck, I would stick with a full DE, such as GNOME (apt:/ubuntu-desktop) or KDE (apt:/kubuntu-desktop)
That's nice, but once again it has nothing to do with the thread.

Omg I almost forgot the epic wm try Musca! It's pretty sweet. Has features from ratpoison and dwm. It's really light and fast, takes like 400Kb of mem.
I read that musca doesn't have support for floating windows, if this is true I think I'll have to rule it out.

[Greg]

Something you might want to check out is bluetile (just to play with, in case you find ScrotWM not what you were looking for after all).

[AllRadioisDead]

Something you might want to check out is bluetile (just to play with, in case you find ScrotWM not what you were looking for after all).
Looks cool, I didn't know anything like that existed. I wanted to get away from gnome though, looks cool. I definitely will try it.

[Greg]

Looks cool, I didn't know anything like that existed. I wanted to get away from gnome though, looks cool. I definitely will try it.

It would probably work nicely en route to pure Xmonad...

[n0dix]

It would probably work nicely en route to pure Xmonad...

+1 agree. Xmonad ftw. :lol:

[AllRadioisDead]

I'm playing with dwm right now, it works the same way as scrotwm so it feels familiar.
Also, since there's no system tray, I need to use a third party app like trayer right?
I know openbox has an autostart.sh, but how can I autostart applications in dwm/scrotwm?
Sorry, I know this isn't support, and I know I'm nub.
Thanks :D

[AllRadioisDead]

I'm officially addicted to dwm. I love it.
I've installed a crunchbang lite system, and removed all the openbox stuff, it comes preinstalled with dwm, so I removed it and then downloaded the source, customized the config file and compiled. Works great!

[m_duck]

How are you starting dwm? Via xinitrc and startx or a login manager (... or some other way)? If via xinitrc there are a couple of possibilities, both amounting to being almost the same.

The first is just add the programs you want autostarted before the exec dwm line, such as:
# Wallpaper
eval `cat $HOME/.fehbg` &
pidgin &
exec dwmThe second is to move all that into a script to keep xinitrc looking nice, so you don't need to comment a bunch of stuff if you change window managers. So .xinitrc would look like:
exec $HOME/scripts/startdwmThen you need to write a script called (in the case of the above) ~/scripts/startdwm:
#!/bin/bash
eval `cat $HOME/.fehbg` &
pidgin &
exec dwmOnce you have written the script, make it executable and you're good to go:
chmod +x ~/scripts/startdwmNote that if you have not installed dwm as I mentioned in an earlier post (I think), where I have written exec dwm, it would need to be exec /path/to/dwm.

If you use a login manager... I'm not sure as I've not used one in a while. I should imagine the same basic idea would apply. Possibly you have to make a new .desktop file, and where the command /usr/bin/dwm would go, just point it to the script.

[n0dix]

I'm officially addicted to dwm. I love it.


I recommend you to use for a while and then change to another tiling. In my case i started to use awesome, then change to dwm, and i'm trying xmonad. I think this is the way you can form an opinion yourself.

Btw, to customize dwm: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=642808

[AllRadioisDead]

How are you starting dwm? Via xinitrc and startx or a login manager (... or some other way)? If via xinitrc there are a couple of possibilities, both amounting to being almost the same.

The first is just add the programs you want autostarted before the exec dwm line, such as:
# Wallpaper
eval `cat $HOME/.fehbg` &
pidgin &
exec dwmThe second is to move all that into a script to keep xinitrc looking nice, so you don't need to comment a bunch of stuff if you change window managers. So .xinitrc would look like:
exec $HOME/scripts/startdwmThen you need to write a script called (in the case of the above) ~/scripts/startdwm:
#!/bin/bash
eval `cat $HOME/.fehbg` &
pidgin &
exec dwmOnce you have written the script, make it executable and you're good to go:
chmod +x ~/scripts/startdwmNote that if you have not installed dwm as I mentioned in an earlier post (I think), where I have written exec dwm, it would need to be exec /path/to/dwm.

If you use a login manager... I'm not sure as I've not used one in a while. I should imagine the same basic idea would apply. Possibly you have to make a new .desktop file, and where the command /usr/bin/dwm would go, just point it to the script.
I am using a login manager, gdm. Upon compiling dwm for the first time, I did create a .desktop file for dwm and it works fine. If I'm using a login manager, will .xinitrc not work? I've done a little bit of digging but I can't find anything.

I recommend you to use for a while and then change to another tiling. In my case i started to use awesome, then change to dwm, and i'm trying xmonad. I think this is the way you can form an opinion yourself.

Btw, to customize dwm: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=642808
Thanks for the thread, I've already been reading it. The thread's a bit dated, but helpful nonetheless. :P

[RiceMonster]

I am using a login manager, gdm. Upon compiling dwm for the first time, I did create a .desktop file for dwm and it works fine. If I'm using a login manager, will .xinitrc not work? I've done a little bit of digging but I can't find anything.

Create a script, like so

#!/bin/bash
# Add whatever you want to autostart here (don't forget the & after each program)
trayer &
nitrogen --restore &
super-cool-awesome-autostart-this &

# THE BELOW LINE MUST BE LAST
exec dwm

Now edit the .desktop file you created, and point to the script at Exec=

[AllRadioisDead]

Create a script, like so

#!/bin/bash
# Add whatever you want to autostart here (don't forget the & after each program)
trayer &
nitrogen --restore &
super-cool-awesome-autostart-this &

# THE BELOW LINE MUST BE LAST
exec dwmNow edit the .desktop file you created, and point to the script at Exec=
Thanks RiceMonster!
Worked like a charm.