From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Aug 5 23:40:32 2011 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 86B6C106564A for ; Fri, 5 Aug 2011 23:40:32 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from perrin@apotheon.com) Received: from oproxy9.bluehost.com (unknown [IPv6:2605:dc00:100:2::a2]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 479278FC12 for ; Fri, 5 Aug 2011 23:40:32 +0000 (UTC) Received: (qmail 13100 invoked by uid 0); 5 Aug 2011 23:40:32 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO box543.bluehost.com) (74.220.219.143) by oproxy9.bluehost.com with SMTP; 5 Aug 2011 23:40:31 -0000 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; q=dns/txt; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=apotheon.com; s=default; h=In-Reply-To:Content-Type:Mime-Version:References:Message-ID:Subject:To:From:Date; bh=1GwX+LUoh2Dw18n3fZwrqxKVzEvBBO9J4QfrYv5dzW0=; b=kuahFkfXzPDmrOwiVCNXakQqyk4BPDhghJ548xAYDnDt+p5AGKKXIqWU11rrRaz7Fk4i6WGZNgk/wXRCXp3kL4F4Be3ZU7nlxyLMrgvqVYw1acHR49dJapibUvt3MLS+; Received: from c-24-8-180-234.hsd1.co.comcast.net ([24.8.180.234] helo=kukaburra.hydra) by box543.bluehost.com with esmtpsa (TLSv1:AES256-SHA:256) (Exim 4.76) (envelope-from ) id 1QpU0E-00052A-Jm for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:40:31 -0600 Received: by kukaburra.hydra (sSMTP sendmail emulation); Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:23:08 -0600 Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 17:23:08 -0600 From: Chad Perrin To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Message-ID: <20110805232308.GC44875@guilt.hydra> Mail-Followup-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org References: <20110805191214.GA19848@kar.user-mode.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="9Ek0hoCL9XbhcSqy" Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20110805191214.GA19848@kar.user-mode.org> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.3i X-Identified-User: {2737:box543.bluehost.com:apotheon:apotheon.org} {sentby:smtp auth 24.8.180.234 authed with ren@apotheon.org} Subject: Re: Alternative windowmanagers X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:40:32 -0000 --9Ek0hoCL9XbhcSqy Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Fri, Aug 05, 2011 at 09:12:14PM +0200, Christian Barthel wrote: >=20 > I read on slashdot that Linus Torvalds moved from Gnome 2.3x to Xfce. It > seems that he isn't thrilled by xfce, but it's far better than Gnome3.=20 As I recall, he made the switch from KDE to GNOME because of KDE 4 being a steaming turd, too. He must be getting tired of his favorite desktop environments going south on him. >=20 > As a Gnome 2.3x user too, I am also a bit nervouse. Gnome 3 is a big > mistake. And there are also rumors that Gnome will be Linux only. Maybe, > we will never see Gnome3 under FreeBSD, but this is not a tragedy :) >=20 > I am not very interested in eyecandy: I want a stable and fast wm (less > memory and cpu, quick access to important places), different workspaces, > and it should be configurable with ordinary files. Of course, It must > run under FreeBSD.=20 With these preferences, I wonder why you ever used GNOME at all. I commend your evolving preferences, though. I, too, like a window manager that stays out of my way and offers what I need to boost productivity rather than to coddle a desire for bells and whistles. Spinning cubes, menu fade effects, and panels/bars/docks strewn about the edges of my display do not serve those needs. >=20 > I sniffed into AfterStep, fvwm2 and fluxbox (I don't want to use KDE). I > think, fluxbox is a nice wm and for my future, it will be the default wm > for me. It's also very fast and easy to configure.=20 Fluxbox is definitely a step in the direction you seem to want to take with your future selection of window managers. It tends to be very "intuitive" to people who are familiar with the Windows, Icons, Menus, and Pointers model, including taskbars -- even though it does not by default support desktop icons (thank goodness). As a way to move toward less cluttered working environments, it is something I am often compelled to recommend for those who are used to the common style of UI dominated by panels/bars/docks and menus. I don't think of Fluxbox as a destination, though, so much as a stepping stone. >=20 > Are there any other window manager worth looking?=20 FreeBSD, last I checked, has a rare window manager called AHWM in ports. For floating window environments that interact well with the mouse, but are lightweight, with heavy support for keyboard-driven operation (in fact it leaves menu management up to third-party utilities, and otherwise assumes you will configure keyboard shortcuts; I skipped the menu and went with the keyboard shortcuts for everything), it is about as good and get-out-of-the-way efficient as a window manager can get. I'd bet money it involves fewer lines of code, smaller binary size, fewer dependencies, and smaller memory footprint than your terminal emulator; it's fast, stable, and flexible, and pretty much offers no eye candy at all whatsoever. After a long path from KDE through a dozen or so window managers over the years, I ended up with AHWM in 2005 or 2006, and stuck with it until the beginning of this year. As floating window environments go, it is easily my favorite window manager, period. This year, though, I finally started using a tiling window manager heavily. >=20 > What is your window manager?=20 I use i3 these days. It has some similarities to wmii, but i3 is pretty much the ideal introductory window manager for someone new to tiling window managers. That doesn't mean it's only good for beginners, though; it's really quite nice in its own right. If you aren't ready for a tiling window manager, or just don't like the tiling model, I refer you back to Fluxbox and AHWM, depending on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go. I hope that helps. --=20 Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ] --9Ek0hoCL9XbhcSqy Content-Type: application/pgp-signature Content-Disposition: inline -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.14 (FreeBSD) iEYEARECAAYFAk48e1wACgkQ9mn/Pj01uKW6HACeO6VsR8nFjPgEtRhLXvIQMGTc L30An2uJzuEi5sSQV25tyj5Y5ech1SH+ =U9/S -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --9Ek0hoCL9XbhcSqy--