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defenderBG
l33t
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 817
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 Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:02 pm Post subject: [Discussion] Lightweight WMs |
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Ok, I finally thought I should switch to a lightweight wm, i was thinking about xfce/fluxbox/e17. post any wm that I have misted, pls
I don't want a flame war, pls!
I would like to ask about the following aspects:
1. usability
2. options for configuring
3. easiness of configuring
4. docs about configuring
5. themes
6. feature outlook from each wm
7. compability with other programs (for example qt/gtk based)
8. other extras (full support of transperancy, etc) |
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i92guboj
Bodhisattva
Joined: 30 Nov 2004
Posts: 10315
Location: Córdoba (Spain)
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| Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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This topic is one of the most recurrent ones. Next time, try to search first. If you use "lightweight wms" (the title of this post) in the search box, you will get quite a few of similar posts. Besides that, this kind of threads ends always being a place where everyone tells how cool their wm is without considering the concrete needs that the user who asked had. So, other user's input is rarely relevant. Use "ls /usr/portage/x11-wm/" to see all the available choices, visit their home site, search info about them, and try them yourself. There is no other way around, really.
Luck. |
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Rukie
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Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 692
Location: SE Wi, Home of cheese and cowtippers.......
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 12:33 am Post subject: |
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Well E17 is amazing effects, but its a bit more intensive than Xfce, but definitely less resource intensive than KDE/Gnome. I personally use Xfce4 because it has a little more to offer than that multiple forms of Boxes, fluxbox, blackbox, etc. However, when I want cool effects I either use beryl/xgl with Xfce4 or E17 with addons.
I'd like to know what kind of system you'll be doing this on, desktop,laptop, 1ghz, 2ghz, dual core, single core, etc. 256mb Video card, 32mb Video card, etc. All those factors can make a big difference on best operability.
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Dralnu
Veteran
Joined: 24 May 2006
Posts: 1919
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 12:46 am Post subject: Re: [Discussion] Lightweight WMs |
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| defenderBG wrote: | Ok, I finally thought I should switch to a lightweight wm, i was thinking about xfce/fluxbox/e17. post any wm that I have misted, pls
I don't want a flame war, pls!
I would like to ask about the following aspects:
1. usability
2. options for configuring
3. easiness of configuring
4. docs about configuring
5. themes
6. feature outlook from each wm
7. compability with other programs (for example qt/gtk based)
8. other extras (full support of transperancy, etc) |
You need to define some of these better. Example:
I like the keyboard, so I like keyboard-based WMs. I don't mind a quick recomplie to configure my WM, and I have little problem messing with C code (a header, anyways). This brings me to dwm - one of the lightest WMs I've found thus far.
If you like the mouse, then I'd say XFCE/E1? would be a good option, as they seem fairly mouse-based.
If you like really flashy graphics (fading and whatnot), E1? will work. You could also try a *box w/ xcompmgr and transset.
Please be more specific, or someone might suggest you use ion3...
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defenderBG
l33t
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 817
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:18 am Post subject: |
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@6thpink: i did before starting, but there was not a specific answer to those questions, and there might be a wm outside the portage, that is woth a try.
| Rukie wrote: | | I'd like to know what kind of system you'll be doing this on, desktop,laptop, 1ghz, 2ghz, dual core, single core, etc. 256mb Video card, 32mb Video card, etc. All those factors can make a big difference on best operability. |
my laptop is an overkill for that: 512 MB ram, amd64 - 1,6Ghz, ati radeon mobility x600
@Dralnu: i am not the best programmer, but as long as there is somekind of docs about it, i can handle it. I have no problems messing with config files as well (i am a gentoo user after all  ) and i dont want a wm, that is console + functionless mouse.
1. I would like the wm to have some eyecandy but offer stability and minimalismus. I would like having icons on my desktop... just read that xfce4 can do it per default, fluxbox needs a few tweeks and what about e17 (i read that e16 is not half that good)
usability: i am not affraid of having initial problems with working with a wm, but i am not quite found of the idea of working on a wm, that does not support resize good (just tested fluxbox and after changing from the default theme i was unable to change the size of the windows)
2. options for configuring: i like having stuff woriking my way, so the more options to configure the better.
3&4. either having gui or having some kind of docs, both fine with me
5. i am not good at making themes, so i would like to use an existing theme, thus a better choise i when there are a lot of themes to choose from. for example xfce can use gnome themes, so it is a plus
6. just to know that the wm i use is not going to die soon and that i will not start searching for a new wm and getting used to it again, configuring/etc
7. xfce is gtk+ based, so there should be 100% compability, what i was asking for is if i run under xfce/e17 a qt application, will it work 100% without a problem (not like the problem with azureus and xfce, that i have seen in a few places)
8. well... something that makes the wm special... good comunity, free beer, supports transperancy, 99% of users are chicks, etc
i have just finished trying fluxbox... and i am not setisfied, i would like to continue with the others, cant i cant (traffic max reached) |
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Dralnu
Veteran
Joined: 24 May 2006
Posts: 1919
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 2:30 am Post subject: |
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| defenderBG wrote: | @Dralnu: i am not the best programmer, but as long as there is somekind of docs about it, i can handle it. I have no problems messing with config files as well (i am a gentoo user after all ) and i dont want a wm, that is console + functionless mouse.
1. I would like the wm to have some eyecandy but offer stability and minimalismus. I would like having icons on my desktop... just read that xfce4 can do it per default, fluxbox needs a few tweeks and what about e17 (i read that e16 is not half that good)
usability: i am not affraid of having initial problems with working with a wm, but i am not quite found of the idea of working on a wm, that does not support resize good (just tested fluxbox and after changing from the default theme i was unable to change the size of the windows)
2. options for configuring: i like having stuff woriking my way, so the more options to configure the better.
3&4. either having gui or having some kind of docs, both fine with me
5. i am not good at making themes, so i would like to use an existing theme, thus a better choise i when there are a lot of themes to choose from. for example xfce can use gnome themes, so it is a plus
6. just to know that the wm i use is not going to die soon and that i will not start searching for a new wm and getting used to it again, configuring/etc
7. xfce is gtk+ based, so there should be 100% compability, what i was asking for is if i run under xfce/e17 a qt application, will it work 100% without a problem (not like the problem with azureus and xfce, that i have seen in a few places)
8. well... something that makes the wm special... good comunity, free beer, supports transperancy, 99% of users are chicks, etc
i have just finished trying fluxbox... and i am not setisfied, i would like to continue with the others, cant i cant (traffic max reached) |
If you want eyecandy, there is a patch for Opnebox in their bugzilla to give it trans capability (its a rbga patch). There is a program you can run to handle desktop icons, as well.
If you want something highly configurable, e1?, xfce, and (yes, I'm saying it people) kwin (the KDE wm).
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ppurka
Advocate
Joined: 26 Dec 2004
Posts: 3256
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:38 am Post subject: Re: [Discussion] Lightweight WMs |
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| defenderBG wrote: | Ok, I finally thought I should switch to a lightweight wm, i was thinking about xfce/fluxbox/e17. post any wm that I have misted, pls
I don't want a flame war, pls!
I would like to ask about the following aspects:
1. usability |
Very much so, but you will need some modules to be loaded,- ibar for launcher icons (default), taskbar for a list of tasks (or the more recent and better itask module which is not in cvs, clock(default) / tclock module for a clock, pager module for a desktop pager (default), and some other modules (temperature, weather, mail, etc) as needed. Also, you will need to use an external systemtray (stalonetray, or trayer).
| Quote: | | 2. options for configuring |
Loads of options! Even the amount of cache e17 uses, etc.
| Quote: | | 3. easiness of configuring |
Majority of configuration options have a gui. An the configuration center is one of the better laid out among most DEs.
| Quote: | | 4. docs about configuring |
Don't really require, there aren't many either. Two useful sites, www.get-e.org , web.enlightenment.org
A few of them at present (available at get-e). Sometimes they get broken due to cvs changes.
| Quote: | | 6. feature outlook from each wm |
Quite a bunch of unique features! Screenshots don't do justice.
| Quote: | | 7. compability with other programs (for example qt/gtk based) |
Qt program's systray doesn't work properly. Sometimes they are captured by the external systray, and sometimes they aren't. The windows themselves work fine.
| Quote: | | 8. other extras (full support of transperancy, etc) |
E17 supposedly has full transparency support (but not compositing support). However, there is a bling module which gives some of the compositing transparency effects.
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avx
Advocate
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 2152
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | 2. options for configuring: i like having stuff woriking my way, so the more options to configure the better. |
There isn't really much which can't be done with fvwm, but depending on your wishes it needs a lot of reading. I loved it for about the last two years, but I also spent more time configuring it than doing my scheduled work - once you get into it, it's like a drug
Right now I use wmii together with a ruby-based config which pretty much satisfies me - although I wish I would know how to get rid of these damn titlebars  |
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Earthwings
Bodhisattva
Joined: 14 Apr 2003
Posts: 7753
Location: Germany
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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Moved from Desktop Environments to Duplicate Threads, see Common Threads
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