[wuug-list] [wuug-forum] ezod: Standalone WM, anyone?

[Xavier Spriet]

I've used blackbox/fluxbox for a couple of years and ended up going back
to Gnome... been a very happy Gnome user for a few years now.
In my case, every single app I use is GTK-based, so it makes sense. I
use firefox, evolution, pidgin, liferea, tomboy and eclipse full-time.

Robust dual-head handling is also something that's critical for me in my
current config, and I wasn't very happy with how other window managers
were handling this, but Metacity handles it extremely well. I find Gnome
to be relatively non-bloated and intuitive (especially compared to KDE),
and well integrated and more complete than, say, XFCE.

My setup might not be ideal for everyone, but it works remarkably well
for me. I have a great window manager, automatic support for my phone,
ipod, USB keys, etc... once I connect them, tightly integrated desktop
that is snappy and works remarkably well in dual-head setup, and very
little clutter, so there's not much more I could ask for.

Xavier

On Mon, 2008-01-21 at 07:37 -0800, Windsor UNIX Users Group wrote:

> Author: ezod
> Username: ezod (206-248-181-13.dsl.teksavvy.com)
> Subject: Standalone WM, anyone?
> Forum: Software
> Link: http://www.wuug.org/read.php?13,91,91#msg-91
> Approved: Yes
> 
> In recent years, I frequently see people commenting that the standalone window manager paradigm is dead and that integrated desktop environments like Gnome, KDE, XFCE, et al are where it's at.
> 
> I'm just curious if anyone else out there still prefers a more basic approach. I originally got familiar with Open Look on Sun machines, and I haven't felt the need for much more. I've been using Blackbox standalone for years, doing most stuff in terminal windows (vanilla xterm). Recently, I installed ROX to use as a standalone filer as well. I find this setup very productive, particularly since it doesn't hide my system behind abstraction layers and wizards, and to boot, it's incredibly fast and resource-efficient.
> 
> I've tried Gnome, KDE, and XFCE, along with CDE on Solaris, and nothing really stood out other than (a) somewhat tighter integration between applications, although nothing that can't be done with a little grease in a standalone WM, and (b) the ease of setting up otherwise complicated things, like CUPS printers. I should mention that none of my pet applications are married to Gnome or KDE libraries.
> 
> For those who do find desktop environments indispensable, what features make it worth the bloat and restriction?
> 
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