We all go through various decisions being GNU/Linux users...one of the biggest ones we must each make, is what Window Manager to use. Some people go the way of a Desktop Environment, such as GNOME or KDE. Well, those are not Window Managers, they are desktop environments. They contain a Window Manager of some form, but come on, when it comes to monitor real estate, (and resource usage) less is more. For the daring (not really that daring) people who are happy with just a Window manager, what do you use?

To me, that window manager is WindowMaker. It's just so much cleaner..second, would be AmiWM, and as strange as it may sound, I do have a soft spot for TWM. I tried many, but I will use no other than these two.

This post has been edited by miCRoSCoPiC^eaRthLinG: Jan 8 2006, 05:34 AM

I choose desktop environments and KDE is my choice.

xboxrulz

>shakes head<

I was not asking about Desktop Environments. I was asking about Window Managers. Please read the post with care before response.

well, in that case, kwin.

xboxrulz

I like KDE on Linux systems, and CDE on other Unix systems.
And, of course, standard X11 in failsafe mode is useful un case of trouble.

probably means TWM.
for the hard core *nix hackers

In the oldern days, for gaming i used to squease everything out of my ssytem by running the games as window managers.

its quite funny, an usually works quite nicely.

shutdown all x cliebnts and servers.

echo "ut2003" > ./.xinitrc
startx

sets unreal tournament as the window manager application.

its not a window manager of-cource.

but it them means that the game is the only X client running.

for when every frame per second , and every kb memory is crucial

nope, I use mwm, which came fare before twm, and some "standard unix" users use it, not only hackers.
the difference I mean between standard unix and hackers, is in the deepness of their Unix kernel knowledge. standard unix only need to know how to use it.

A happy fluxbox user here!

A really nice lightweight window manager but with really handy features..the tabbed windows for example is a useful feature which is well implemented..the menu system is easy to figure out, and then quickly modify with a text editor.

Definetly worth putting on slower or older computers.

Lately, I've been playing around with OLVWM and FVWM...Although I do love TWM I just recently got an old Compaq Armada with a P166-MMX and 64M RAM. The thing actually flys pretty good as a Debian system, and it's funny seeing people get confused because it's using TWM.

Hmm... does Fluxbox count as a window manager? Coz, that's what I use. I've also used a bit of ratpoison, it's a little inconvenient but nice all the same.

I still don't understand the difference between a desktop environment and window manager. Could anyone make a listing of what comes under window manager and desktop environment? What about XFCE?