Window Managers for Linux

Window Managers   Ice Window Manager |  Enlightenment

FAQs
• What is a Window Manager?

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Ice Window Manager

IceWM (Ice Window Manager) is a simple lightweight window manager that was made to look like Windows 95. It is not a full fledged Desktop Environment like GNOME or KDE but does offer the same amount of eye candy. It looks good, is simple to configure and use and there are third party tools (IceConf2 / IceCP) that can help you configure it. Its look and feel are controlled by a handful of text files, so you wouldn't really need those configuration tools. It is themable and there are many good looking themes available for download. The best part of using IceWM is the speed and simplicity. You will have to download a good file manager (click here for file managers) to use with IceWM. You also need seperate program to provide desktop icons and menus, but you can easily do without this - this little shortcoming is outweighed by IceWM's advantages.

Merits:
• Simple, very fast and efficient
• Easy to install, learn and use
• Looks similar to Windows 95.
• Theme support
• Configuration files are few and easy to edit

Demerits:
• Not a full-fledged desktop environment
• Lacks built-in File Manager
• Lacks built-in configuration tools
• Lacks built-in desktop
• Script to paint desktop color/wallpaper has to be explicitly started

Learn more about IceWM and download it from their website.

Website: http://freshmeat.net/projects/icewm

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Enlightenment

Enlightenment is a well supported, powerful and good looking window manager. The project aims to provide a full desktop without speed or stability loss. Its totally different in looks and the way it requires you to use it, so you'll take some time figuring it out. But it is a really good experience after the initial confusion. I myself haven't figured this one properly as yet, so I can't write about its advanced features (it seems to have quite a few). But with its designer looks and liberal use of skillful animation, it looks good - really good. Animation is used everywhere - even when you switch desktops, they slide gracefully in and out of view!

Merits:
• Very powerful and highly configurable
• Utterly good looks - high on eye candy
• Unusually high use of animation - surprisingly this doesn't overload the system.
• Easy to install

Demerits
• You need to get used to it to really appriciate it

Learn more about Enlightenment and download it from their website.

Website: http://www.enlightenment.org

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The whats and whys:

• What is a Window manager?
  Window Manager is the program which takes control of the display and allows programs to display content their window. Use of window to display content is integral to today's graphical user interfaces (you probably know why).

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