Developed by Suckless Tools (creators of dmenu, which is used in dwm), dwm is written (and configurable) through 2,000 lines of C code. Having a Dynamic Window Manager named DWM is like having a bread store named BS. Otherwise, you’re stuck with the default tiling options, which are pretty similar to DWM’s. Configuration file in LUA, extensible by LUAĪwesome will give you full control if you know LUA.Built-in “Run Command” interface with tab completion.There are many reasons to use it, but some highlights are:

If someone brags about using a tiling window manager, chances are they’re using awesome. However, in i3, the user controls an infinite number of containers, where Windows can be placed inside of one another indefinitely.Īwesome is one of the most popular window managers out there.

In Awesome, Windows are tiled to a “Master” pane and the rest of the Windows are sent to the stack. Some Window managers (namely i3) do not create tiling layouts, but rather allow the user to determine the tiling pattern. Stick-shift drivers in automobiles would describe driving an automatic car as “boring”. Most of these dynamic window managers (xmonad, awesome, dwm, i3) can even handle floating Windows.

Layouts are algorithms that determine how to tile Windows. Most tiling window managers are really Dynamic Window Managers, which means there are multiple “Layouts” to choose from. “Tiling” has come to be synonymous with “Can tile” in the Window Manager world. If all of these Window Managers handle clients the same way, what are the differences between them? One niche group of Window Managers, the tiling Window Managers, are powerful amongst power users for their ability to be controlled fully through a keyboard, use of full screen real-estate, and highly customizable nature. Unlike Windows, with just a few Window Managers (called “Shells”, by Windows users), Linux is a highly fragmented bazaar of Desktop Environments, Window Managers, and tools tied to these environments.

Tiling window manager windows