NationMaster - Encyclopedia: X window manager

An X window manager is software that controls the placement and appearance of windows under the X Window System, a windowing system mainly used on Unix-like systems. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Computer program. ... An example of a graphical user interface in Windows XP, with the My Music window displayed In computing, a window is a visual area, usually rectangular in shape, containing some kind of user interface, displaying the output of and allowing input for one of a number of simultaneously running computer... KDE 3. ... A windowing system is a graphical user interface (GUI) which uses the window as one of its primary metaphors. ... Diagram of the relationships between several Unix-like systems A Unix-like operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, while not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification. ...

Unlike the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows platforms, which have historically provided a vendor-controlled, fixed set of ways to control how windows and panes display on a screen, and how the user may interact with them, window management for the X Window System was deliberately kept separate from the software providing the graphical display. The user can choose between various third-party window managers, which differ from one another in several ways, including: The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... A paned window is a window that is divided into sections known as panes. ... A computer display monitor, usually called simply a monitor when the meaning is clear from the context, is a piece of electrical equipment which displays viewable images generated by a computer without producing a permanent record. ...

customizability of appearance and functionality:
- textual menus used to start programs and/or change options
- docks and other graphical ways to start programs
- multiple desktops and virtual desktops (desktops larger than the physical monitor size), and pagers to switch between them
consumption of memory and other system resources
degree of integration with a desktop environment, which provides a more complete interface to the operating system, and provides a range of integrated utilities and applications.

Alternative shells for Microsoft Windows have also emerged. For example, LiteStep can replace the user interface on Windows 95, 98, or NT with an Afterstep style. OS/2 ships with Presentation Manager as the default shell, but third party sources can supply alternatives. Tailoring specifically to an individual. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Mac OS X Dock OPENSTEP Dock The Dock is a graphical user interface feature first introduced in the NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP operating systems, and radically changed and refined in Mac OS X, where it behaves more like the Apple Newtons Newton OS Dock. ... A virtual desktop is a term used, usually within the WIMP paradigm, to describe ways in which a computers desktop environment is expanded through the use of software. ... It has been suggested that Desktop metaphor,Paper paradigm be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Shell_(computing). ... screenshot of a LiteStep enabled Windows computer, running the NonStep II theme LiteStep is a Windows shell replacement licensed under the GPL, for Windows 9x and up. ... The user interface is the part of a system exposed to users. ... In Unix computing, AfterStep is a window manager for the X Window System. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Presentation Manager (PM) was the name given to the Graphical User Interface (GUI) which IBM introduced in version 1. ...

1 How X window managers work
2 Specialised types of window managers
- 2.1 Virtual window managers
- 2.2 Tiling window managers
3 Popular X window managers
4 Other X window managers
5 See also
6 External links

How X window managers work

When a window manager is running, some kinds of interaction between the X server and its clients are redirected through the window manager. In particular, whenever an attempt to show a new window is made, this request is redirected to the window manager, which decides the initial position of the window. Additionally, most modern window managers are reparenting, which usually leads to a banner being placed at the top of the window and a decorative frame being drawn around the window. These two elements are controlled by the window manager rather than the program. Therefore, when the user clicks or drags these elements, it is the window manager that takes the appropriate actions (such as moving or resizing the window). The X Window System logo In computing, the X Window System (commonly X11 or X) is a network-transparent windowing system for bitmap displays. ... In the X Window System, every window has a parent window. ...

Window managers are also responsible for icons. Indeed, icons do not exist at the X Window core protocol level. When the user requests a window to be iconified, the window manager unmaps it (makes it non-visible) and takes the appropriate actions to show an icon in its place. Some window managers do not support icons. Nuvola icons for KDE are available in PNG format, which come in six sizes, and SVG format, which is scalable On computer displays, a computer icon is a small pictogram. ... The X Window System logo The X Window core protocol[1][2][3] is the base protocol of the X Window System, which is a networked windowing system for bitmap displays used to build graphical user interfaces on Unix, Unix-like, and other operating systems. ...

While the main aim of a window manager is, as suggested by its name, to manage the windows, many window managers have additional features such as handling mouse clicks in the root window, presenting panes and other visual elements, handling some keystrokes (e.g., Alt-F4 may close a window), deciding which application to run at start-up, etc. In the X Window System the background or desktop i. ...

Specialised types of window managers

Several specialised types of window manager exist.

Virtual window managers

A virtual window manager is a window manager that uses virtual screens, whose resolution can be higher than the resolution of one's monitor/display adaptor. This environment is very useful when one wishes to have a large number of windows open at the same time. A number of virtual window managers have been made, including FVWM, Tvtwm, HaZe and others. FVWM with internationalization features and some additional modules. ... tvtwm is virtual window manager, derived from twm. ... Severe haze affecting Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August 2005 Moon over red and blue haze For other uses, see Haze (disambiguation). ...

Tiling window managers

A tiling window manager is a window manager with an organization of the screen into mutually non-overlapping frames (hence the name tiling), as opposed to the traditional approach of coordinate-based stacking of objects (windows) that tries to emulate the desk paradigm. A tiling window manager is a window manager with an organization of the screen into mutually non-overlapping frames, as opposed to the traditional approach of coordinate-based stacking of objects (windows) that tries to emulate the desk paradigm. ... In geometry, a tiling (also called tessellation, mosaic or dissection) of a given shape S consists of a collection of other shapes which precisely cover S. Often the shape S to be tiled is the Euclidean plane, but other shapes and three-dimensional objects are considered as well. ...

The first approach to this new window manager model was larswm followed later by Ion. The following is a list of tiling window managers. The larswm tiling window manager is a rewrite of 9wm that adds automatic tiling, virtual desktops and many more features to make it a highly productive user environment. ... Categories: Software stubs | Free software | X window managers ...

The larswm tiling window manager is a rewrite of 9wm that adds automatic tiling, virtual desktops and many more features to make it a highly productive user environment. ... Categories: Software stubs | Free software | X window managers ... TrsWM is a tiling window manager based on or inspired by Ion. ... StumpWM is a tiling X window manager implemented in Common Lisp, using the CLX library. ... The correct title of this article is . ... . The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions. ... In Unix computing, Ratpoison is a minimalist window manager for the X Window System. ... XWEM is the XEmacs Window Manager written in Emacs Lisp and run in XEmacs. ...

Popular X window managers

AfterStep
Blackbox (minimalist)
evilwm
Enlightenment
Fluxbox (lightweight, based on Blackbox)
FVWM (a virtual window manager, derived from twm)
IceWM
Ion tiling tabbed window manager designed with keyboard users in mind
KWin (originally called KWM, default for KDE)
Metacity (default for GNOME since version 2.2)
MWM (Motif Window Manager), Motif Window Manager
Sawfish (a past default for GNOME, originally called Sawmill)
twm (default for the X Window System since version X11R4)
Window Maker
Xfwm, default for Xfce

In Unix computing, AfterStep is a window manager for the X Window System. ... In Unix computing, Blackbox is a window manager for the X Window System. ... evilwm is a minimalist window manager for the X Window System. ... Enlightenment, also known simply as E, is a free software/open source window manager for the X Window System which can be used alone or in conjunction with a desktop environment such as GNOME or KDE. It has a rich feature set, including extensive support for themes and advanced graphics... }} }}{{#if:|}}{{#if:Unix-like|}}{{#if:|}} }}{{#if:MIT|}} In Unix (and others including GNU/Linux) computing, Fluxbox is a window manager for the X Window System based on Blackbox 0. ... FVWM with internationalization features and some additional modules. ... A virtual window manager is a window manager that uses virtual screens, whose resolution can be higher than the resolution of ones monitor/display adaptor. ... In Unix computing, IceWM is a window manager for the X Window System graphical infrastructure, written by Marko MaÄek. ... Categories: Software stubs | Free software | X window managers ... In Unix computing, Kwin is a window manager for the X Window System. ... KDE (K Desktop Environment) (IPA: ) is a free software project which aims to be a powerful ecosystem for an easy-to-use desktop environment. ... Metacity is the default window manager for the GNOME desktop environment. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Screenshot of an application that uses the Open Motif toolkit Motif (or capitalized MOTIF) is a graphical widget toolkit for building graphical user interfaces under the X Window System on Unix and other POSIX-compliant systems. ... In Unix computing, The Motif Window Manager (MWM), is an X window manager based on the Motif toolkit. ... In Unix computing, Sawfish is a window manager for the X Window System. ... twm desktop In computing, twm (Toms Window Manager or Tab Window Manager) is the standard window manager for the X Window System, version X11R4 onwards. ... Window Maker is a window manager for the X Window System, which allows graphical applications to be run on Unix-like operating-systems. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Xfce screenshots featuring the use of Xfwm In Unix computing, Xfwm is a window manager for the X Window System. ... Xfce ([1]) is a free software desktop environment for Unix and other Unix-like platforms, such as Linux, Solaris and BSD. Its configuration is entirely mouse-driven and the configuration files are hidden from the casual user. ...

Other X window managers

4dwm
5Dwm (derived from mwm, true SGI look&feel)
9wm [1] (clone of the original windowing system of Plan 9)
aewm [2]
amiwm [3] Amiga workbench unix clone.
Compiz (a compositing window manager) and Beryl (window manager) an under development fork of it
CTWM
dwm
EvilPoison [4] (a fork of evilwm with Ratpoison-like keybindings)
FVWM95
HaZe
JWM (Joe's Window Manager)
Kahakai
larswm
Luminocity (experimentation in compositing)
LWM [5]
Matchbox [6]
olwm (and olvwm [7] with virtual desktops, OPEN LOOK window managers)
Openbox
hackedbox [8]
Oroborus
PekWM
PLWM
PWM
Qvwm (Windows 95/98 look-alike) [9] (list of forks)
Ratpoison
Scwm (the Scheme constraints window manager)
Orion A nested (tiled or floating) window manager written in Scheme and scsh
swm (the original virtual desktop implementation)
Toy'd (HomePage GoogleProject a portable window manager for MS-Windows & UNIX / Linux platforms)
TrsWM
uwm
Waimea [10]
WindowLab
wm2
WMI
wmii
XPwm (for XPde, Windows XP Look alike) - now defunct
XMonad (A rewrite of dwm in Haskell)

4dwm is a window manager normally used on Silicon Graphics workstations running IRIX. 4dwm is derived from the older mwm window manager and uses the Motif widget toolkit on top of the X Window System found on most Unix systems. ... Plan 9 from Bell Labs is a distributed operating system, primarily used as a research vehicle. ... In computing, the AMIga Window Window (amiwm) is a for the X Window System. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Beryl (window manager). ... Beryl is a compositing window manager for the X Window System. ... In Unix computing, CTWM is a window manager for the X Window System in the twm family of window managers. ... . The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions. ... EvilPoison is a minimalist window manager for the X Window System. ... FVWM95 is a window manager for the X Window System based on the popular FVWM2 window manager. ... Severe haze affecting Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August 2005 Moon over red and blue haze For other uses, see Haze (disambiguation). ... JWM (Joes Window Manager) is a window manager for the X Window System. ... In Unix computing, Kahakai was supposed to be a language agnostic scriptable window manager for X11, but development ceased before it achieved this goal. ... The larswm tiling window manager is a rewrite of 9wm that adds automatic tiling, virtual desktops and many more features to make it a highly productive user environment. ... Luminocity is a window manager for the X Window System. ... Matchbox is an open source window manager for the X Window System. ... olwm (OPEN LOOK Window Manager) was the default window manager for OpenWindows, the original X11 windowing environment included with SunOS and Solaris. ... OPEN LOOK or OpenLook was an early graphical user interface (GUI) specification developed by Sun Microsystems and AT&T in the early 1990s for UNIX workstations. ... Openbox is a free window manager for the X Window System, licensed under the GNU General Public License. ... Hackedbox is a stripped down version of the Blackbox minimalist window manager for the X Window System. ... In Unix computing, Oroborus is a minimalist window manager for the X Window System. ... In Unix computing, Pekwm is a small, fast, functional, and flexible window manager for the X Window System. ... In Unix computing, PLWM (The Pointless Window Manager) is a Python package, containing classes suitable for implementing an X window manager, and also a window manager created using the PLWM package. ... In Unix computing, PWM is a lightweight X11 window manager, and the first to feature tabbed windows at the window manager level. ... In Unix computing, Ratpoison is a minimalist window manager for the X Window System. ... Scwm or Scheme Constraints Window Manager is a window manager for the X Window System. ... swm (the Solbourne window manager) is an X Window System window manager developed by Tom LaStrange in the late 1980s. ... TrsWM is a tiling window manager based on or inspired by Ion. ... In computing, the name uwm can refer to two different X window managers: most commonly the very early Ultrix Window Manager, released in 1985, which was the standard window manager for the X Window System from X10R3 through to X11R3; and the later UDE Window Manager, released in 1998. ... screenshot In Unix computing, Waimea is a light-weight window manager for the X Window System, designed somewhat in the vein of Blackbox. ... In the field of computing, WindowLab is a small and simple window-manager of novel design. ... A screenshot of wm2 running wm2 is a minimalistic window manager for the X Window System written by Chris Cannam, author of Rosegarden. ... In Unix computing, Window Manager Improved (WMI), is a lightweight window manager for the X Window System. ... The correct title of this article is . ... XMonad is a tiling window manager for X Windows, written in the functional programming language Haskell. ... // Haskell may refer ro: Haskell (programming language), a standardized pure functional programming language with non-strict semantics Haskell Indian Nations University, a four year degree granting university in Lawrence, Kansas which offers free tuition to members of registered Native American tribes in the United States Haskell Free Library and Opera...

External links

Window Managers for X by Matt Chapman
Window Managers - list of window managers with minimal comments (2004)
Software List:Window Managers - list of window managers with summaries

Categories: X window managers | X Window System | Graphical user interface

Results from FactBites:

X window manager - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (375 words)
	A window manager is software that controls the placement and appearance of application windows under the X Window System, a graphical user interface on Unix systems that enables a user to interact with a number of application programs simultaneously.
	Each one typically has its own independent window, and when a window manager is available, interaction between the X server and its clients is redirected through the window manager.
	Unlike the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows platforms, which have historically provided a vendor-controlled, fixed set of ways to control how windows and panes display on a screen, and how the user may interact with them, window management for the X Window System was an afterthought.

Through an X Window Darkly (2373 words)
	X clients, on the other hand, are the applications programs that tell your X server what to draw and where to draw it.
	The window manager is the X client program that puts a frame around a window, and takes care of moving, resizing, and iconifying the window when you give the proper commands.
	In other words, X provides the means for clients and servers to communicate, but lets each window manager and each application make its own decisions about what a button does, how to move or resize a window, how to determine which window grabs the keyboard input, and so forth.

More results at FactBites »

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