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kimchi_sg Advocate
Joined: 26 Nov 2004 Posts: 3038
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Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 1:09 am Post subject: The x11-wm/twm appreciation thread |
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x11-wm/twm is probably the most unappreciated window manager.
However, I feel quite confident using it now whereas formerly I was used to full-fat desktop environments.
This is my collection of tips to get the most out of the window manager that most people only use to verify their Xorg is working.
To maximise your enjoyment of twm, please read "man twm".
Disadvantages of twm:
- No Unicode support, e.g. titlebars and menus only in ASCII
- No taskbar, use icon managers instead
- No tray, install your own
- Menus cannot be displayed via keystroke, only via mouse clicks
Things to try in .twmrc:
- Window decorations can be removed totally for the ultimate minimalistic look
Code: |
NoTitle
BorderWidth 0
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Titlebars can be squeezed in adjustable ways, no other Wayland/X DM does this
Code: |
NoTitleHighlight
SqueezeTitle
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Title bar buttons adjustments:
Code: |
LeftTitleButton ":dot" f.exec "xmessage hello &"
LeftTitleButton ":menu" f.menu "TwmWindows"
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Use the built-in windows menu "TwmWindows". It can be accessed from any button (as above) or mouse binding, but not key-press.
Recommended programs to go with twm
For a old-fashioned full xorg install:
Code: | # emerge xorg-apps xorg-fonts |
For XDG-autostart, strongly recommended if you use pipewire, bluetooth, or other programs that depend on startup services:
Code: | # emerge x11-misc/dex |
For a system tray, there are several alternatives, I use stalonetray but there's trayer, peksystray and possibly more:
Code: | # emerge stalonetray |
More tips as I can think of them...
Last edited by kimchi_sg on Sat Sep 30, 2023 12:36 am; edited 2 times in total |
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irets Apprentice
Joined: 17 Dec 2019 Posts: 228
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Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:39 pm Post subject: |
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twm is running on X11?
I thought it was for getting a better experience in the TTY, hence the name. (Terminal Window Manager) |
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kimchi_sg Advocate
Joined: 26 Nov 2004 Posts: 3038
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Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2023 12:18 am Post subject: |
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Irets wrote: | twm is running on X11?
I thought it was for getting a better experience in the TTY, hence the name. (Terminal Window Manager) |
Originally the T was for Tom Lastrange, twm's creator.
The manpage says "Tab Window Manager" but I daresay the T has stood for a lot of things to a lot of people... |
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kimchi_sg Advocate
Joined: 26 Nov 2004 Posts: 3038
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 1:23 am Post subject: twm menu everywhere |
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Additional tip:
In contrast to most other WMs and DEs which need a ton of key and mouse bindings, TWM does not need any bindings to show its menu.
To show the menu on any unrecognized mouse click, put the following options in .twmrc:
Code: |
DefaultFunction f.menu "twm"
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Assuming you have Menu "twm" defined. |
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