Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 17:27:05 -0700 From: Ivan Frosty <ivanfrosty@gmail.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Alternative windowmanagers Message-ID: <CAHJzb-dAYvZxgERbNo2C7dRp5hPdNyssFXYzbUu8UOXc66zn3g@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <20110805232308.GC44875@guilt.hydra> References: <20110805191214.GA19848@kar.user-mode.org> <20110805232308.GC44875@guilt.hydra>
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On Fri, Aug 5, 2011 at 4:23 PM, Chad Perrin <perrin@apotheon.com> wrote: > On Fri, Aug 05, 2011 at 09:12:14PM +0200, Christian Barthel wrote: >> >> 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. > > As I recall, he made the switch from KDE to GNOME because of KDE 4 being > a steaming turd, too. =A0He must be getting tired of his favorite desktop > environments going south on him. > > >> >> 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 :) >> >> 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. > > With these preferences, I wonder why you ever used GNOME at all. =A0I > commend your evolving preferences, though. =A0I, too, like a window manag= er > that stays out of my way and offers what I need to boost productivity > rather than to coddle a desire for bells and whistles. =A0Spinning cubes, > menu fade effects, and panels/bars/docks strewn about the edges of my > display do not serve those needs. > > >> >> 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. > > Fluxbox is definitely a step in the direction you seem to want to take > with your future selection of window managers. =A0It 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). =A0As a way to move towar= d > 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. =A0I don't think of Fluxbox as a > destination, though, so much as a stepping stone. > > >> >> Are there any other window manager worth looking? > > 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. =A0I'd bet mone= y > 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. =A0As floating window environments go, it is easi= ly > my favorite window manager, period. =A0This year, though, I finally start= ed > using a tiling window manager heavily. > > >> >> What is your window manager? > > I use i3 these days. =A0It has some similarities to wmii, but i3 is prett= y > much the ideal introductory window manager for someone new to tiling > window managers. =A0That doesn't mean it's only good for beginners, thoug= h; > it's really quite nice in its own right. =A0If 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. > > -- > Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ] > fvwm2 anytime. --=20 Frosty-456
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