What is a WM (Window Manager)?
A window manager, known by its acronym WM, is the component responsible for placing, resizing, and decorating the windows of applications in a graphical environment. Unlike a full desktop environment, which includes panels, menus, and applets, a WM focuses exclusively on window management, which allows for much lower resource consumption and greater flexibility to customize how we interact with our desktop.
Types of window managers
- Stacking WM: Windows are drawn on top of each other, as in traditional systems. Classic examples are Openbox and Fluxbox.
- Tiling WM: Windows are automatically arranged in a grid without overlapping, optimizing screen space usage. i3, Awesome WM, and Xmonad belong to this category.
- Compositing WM: In addition to managing position, they add visual effects such as transparency, shadows, and animations. Compton and Picom are examples of compositors that can work alongside any WM.
Advantages of using a lightweight WM
By dispensing with the heavy components of a full desktop environment, a lightweight WM consumes significantly less RAM and CPU. This translates into faster startup, greater responsiveness on older or limited hardware, and a smoother experience even when running multiple demanding applications. Moreover, most WMs allow configuration via simple text files, making it easy to create custom keyboard shortcuts and workflows tailored to each user.
The most popular WMs in the Linux community
- i3: A tiling WM highly appreciated for its simple configuration and focus on productivity via keyboard shortcuts.
- Awesome WM: Based on the Lua widget framework, it offers high customizability and informative widgets in the status bar.
- Openbox: An extremely lightweight stacking WM, ideal for users who prefer a minimalist environment without giving up the possibility of using external menus and panels.
- Xmonad: Written in Haskell, it combines the tiling philosophy with strong static typing, resulting in a very safe and predictable configuration.
- Fluxbox: Similar to Openbox but with an integrated taskbar and support for more elaborate graphical styles.
How to choose the right WM for you
The choice depends on several factors: your comfort level with the command line, how much you value aesthetics versus efficiency, and the type of hardware you use. If you are new to WMs and want a smooth
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