Anyone know some old, exotic WMs?

[zombifier25]

I'm feeling adventurous today and has decided to install twm, but I'm wondering if there are any other cooler, harder to use WMs out there :popcorn: So please give me your opinions :D

[kc1di]

I'm feeling adventurous today and has decided to install twm, but I'm wondering if there are any other cooler, harder to use WMs out there :popcorn: So please give me your opinions :D

ICEWM is a good one but not that exotic believe it's still used by puppy and some other lightweight distros.

here's a page with a list of many of the old ones fluxbox was one of my favorites used it for quite a while a few years ago. but most of these old ones haven't seen much developement in years.
http://xwinman.org/

[chamber]

Subtle, AwesomeWM, xmonad, dwm, i3, monsterwm, scrotwm etc.

[Lucradia]

The *box WMs are also quite exotic if you don't know how the hell to utilize them. However, if you get stalonetray and get xmessage to accept sudo input (for shutdown and logoff commands), you pretty much have what other WMs have.

[samalex]

How about GNUStep... It's a somewhat iconic WM given it evolved from NExTStep which is also what Apple's OSX evolved directly from. NExTStep was the OS created by Steve Jobs and his team at NExT after he left Apple, and OpenStep was the GUI that sat on top of NeXTStep which was later ported to other systems.

In recent years OpenStep evolved into GNUStep which is still around, though I'm not sure how viable it is compared to other WM's. Personally OpenStep was the first WM I used in the mid-90's on Linux, so it's very nostalgic for me. I might just have to install it myself now :)

Update, according to http://wiki.gnustep.org/index.php/Main_Page GNUStep is still very much in active development with an update released just a few days ago. I definitely need to check this out.

Sam

[ceratophyllum]

For a truly terrible user interface try UDE:

http://udeproject.sourceforge.net/index.shtml


Also, if you want to suffer try using GNUStep on a netbook! Did NeXT machines come with huge monitors back in the 90s? Gnustep/windowmaker is remarkable in its clunktackularly inefficient use of screen real estate.

[Brimwylf]

LarsWM and WindowMaker

[HansKisaragi]

Xmonad springs to mind and Bluetile.

[snowpine]

Gnome 2

[diesch]

Fvwm (http://fvwm.org/) is one of the great old Window managers that are still around. By default it comes with a small GUI for some basic configuration, but for the real things you need to edit the config file.

Fvwm allows you to configure about anything, but I may get you some time to explore its configuration language and all the possibilities.

The configuration GUI is actually written in Fvwm's configuration language so you can extend or modify it to fit your needs.

[Redblade20XX]

E17
http://www.enlightenment.org/

-Red

[BrokenKingpin]

++ WindowMaker.

[ugm6hr]

Austrumi is the only distro I know that comes with fvwm-crystal... Honestly - it's incredibly fast and looks and functions brilliantly. If it was Ubuntu-based, it would be on my netbook.

Fvwm (http://fvwm.org/) is one of the great old Window managers that are still around.

[diesch]

Austrumi is the only distro I know that comes with fvwm-crystal... Honestly - it's incredibly fast and looks and functions brilliantly. If it was Ubuntu-based, it would be on my netbook.

In Ubuntu you can install fvwm-crystal from the package sources and then choose at login.

[MG&TL]

Don't think anyone's mentioned this one yet: http://www.nongnu.org/ratpoison/

[LiamOS]

I'm a lover of i3, which is a relatively easy tiling WM to get used to.

I think somebody mentioned UDE, so give that a look if you want a bit of a laugh. Also, xmonad is supposed to be pretty cool, but I never got it working and couldn't really have been bothered, since I had i3 working.

[Brimwylf]

Don't think anyone's mentioned this one yet: http://www.nongnu.org/ratpoison/
Probably because it's too well known to really fall under the exotic category. I myself have used Ratpoison more than I've used all other WMs combined. That's quite a few years. On the matter, why are xmonad and DWM considered "exotic" I wonder?! Sure, they might seem weird to the average joe, but that goes for all tiling WMs. I wouldn't really call these exotic.

OP, have a look here for a rather comprehensive list -> http://xwinman.org/
Most of those are oldish and some are damn straight weird.

[szymon_g]

For a truly terrible user interface try UDE:

http://udeproject.sourceforge.net/index.shtml

jesus, when i've clicked on "screenshots" i felt like i would be in 90' again...


Gnustep/windowmaker is remarkable in its clunktackularly inefficient use of screen real estate.

WindowMaker was my first WM I saw on linux :P

[HappinessNow]

New and Exotic category:

Aura on ChromeOS by Google ("hardware accelerated window manager and desktop" - http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/10/chrome-os-update-pushes-aura-desktop-ui-to-devs/ )

[Bandit]

How about GNUStep.............


I was going to say Windowmaker. Its solid and work great. Its the first WM on linux that I used since its so light weight it worked great for my first linuxbox running Slack7.

[roelforg]

mwm (pkg: motif-clients)

I actually lived using it for a few months, wasn't that bad at all.

[MG&TL]

Probably because it's too well known to really fall under the exotic category. I myself have used Ratpoison more than I've used all other WMs combined. That's quite a few years. On the matter, why are xmonad and DWM considered "exotic" I wonder?! Sure, they might seem weird to the average joe, but that goes for all tiling WMs. I wouldn't really call these exotic.

...and fvwm and enlightenment are "exotic" by your definition? I was just going by "not used by general population". :)

[black veils]

In Ubuntu you can install fvwm-crystal from the package sources and then choose at login.


that was the craziest desktop/window manager for me

[ugm6hr]

Ahhh... Yes.
But it looks and functions nothing like the Austrumi version - and I don't have the knowledge to replicate:
http://cyti.latgola.lv/ruuni/screenshoots/a-240.jpg


In Ubuntu you can install fvwm-crystal from the package sources and then choose at login.

[urukrama]

Is Sithwm (http://sithwm.darkside.no/sithwm.html) obscure enough? (This (http://urukrama.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/lighthouse_hue02.png) is how my desktop looked for a while)

For the most comprehensive list of window managers, see http://gilesorr.org/wm/table.html

[|{urse]

https://www.pekwm.org/projects/pekwm <-- not old but it's fast and rocks!

[Porcini M.]

Using the script from here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=8310283&postcount=29

..we get the following installed in the repositories:

9wm
aewm
aewm++
afterstep
awesome
blackbox
bluetile
clfswm
compiz
ctwm
dwm
e16
e17
evilwm
fluxbox
fluxconf
flwm
fvwm
fvwm1
herbstluftwm
i3
icewm
ion3
jwm
kwin
larswm
lwm
metacity
miwm
mutter
olvwm
olwm
openbox
oroborus
pekwm
ratpoison
sapphire
sawfish
scrotwm
stumpwm
subtle
tinywm
tritium
twm
ude
uwm
vtwm
w9wm
windowlab
wm2
wmaker
wmakerconf
wmanager
wmii
wmii2
xfwm4
xmonad

[fuzzyworbles]

back when slackware was king, i used enlightenment. ah, memories. when i was your age, i had to startx by hand!

[scoon]

back when slackware was king, i used enlightenment. ah, memories. when i was your age, i had to startx by hand!

Yes, those were the days.

[HappinessNow]

Using the script from here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=8310283&postcount=29

..we get the following installed in the repositories:

9wm
aewm
aewm++
afterstep
awesome
blackbox
bluetile
clfswm
compiz
ctwm
dwm
e16
e17
evilwm
fluxbox
fluxconf
flwm
fvwm
fvwm1
herbstluftwm
i3
icewm
ion3
jwm
kwin
larswm
lwm
metacity
miwm
mutter
olvwm
olwm
openbox
oroborus
pekwm
ratpoison
sapphire
sawfish
scrotwm
stumpwm
subtle
tinywm
tritium
twm
ude
uwm
vtwm
w9wm
windowlab
wm2
wmaker
wmakerconf
wmanager
wmii
wmii2
xfwm4
xmonad no Aura?

[ninjaaron]

herbstluftwm

[Porcini M.]

no Aura?

The script uses the output of "debtags search x11::window-manager", maybe the aura package doesn't meet that criterion?

[roelforg]

Yes, those were the days.

LOL, I actually used mwm... In 2010-2011 for a few months as only wm.

[zombifier25]

I'm typing on fvwm-crystal right now and... it's definitely weird.
Elementary is really cool and pretty though.

[HermanAB]

Exotic, clunky and unusable? Try Gnome 3 or Unity...

Oh, you said old.
;)

[roelforg]

Exotic, clunky and unusable? Try Gnome 3 or Unity...

Oh, you said old.
;)

Nah, just do without one!

[zombifier25]

Exotic, clunky and unusable? Try Gnome 3 or Unity...

Oh, you said old.
;)

They can't beat a full screen terminal.

[roelforg]

They can't beat a full screen terminal.

Yeah, but then you don't have a WM (which is the point here).

I totally agree with you though.

[diesch]

that was the craziest desktop/window manager for me

It's a bit like it used to be before Windows95/MacOS9 style took over the mainstream Linux desktop. Quite impressive what they did on top of Fvwm.

[diesch]

Ahhh... Yes.
But it looks and functions nothing like the Austrumi version - and I don't have the knowledge to replicate:
http://cyti.latgola.lv/ruuni/screenshoots/a-240.jpg

Looks nice. Due to the modularity used by the fvwm-crystal configuration replication may be a bit difficult. In Ubuntu fvwm-crystal stores its system defaults in /usr/share/fvwm-crystal/fvwm/ - it should be a similar path in Austrumi. You'll ned to find out which folders are different in Austrumi and Ubuntu and how to copy and activate them in Ubuntu.

[Artemis3]

Another vote for Windowmaker.

http://www.bristolwireless.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Windowmaker.jpg

[Frogs Hair]

E17 is alive and updated regularly.