Install window manager linux

Window manager

A window manager (WM) is system software that controls the placement and appearance of windows within a windowing system in a graphical user interface (GUI). It can be part of a desktop environment (DE) or be used standalone.

Window managers are unique to Xorg. The equivalent of window managers on Wayland are called compositors because they also act as compositing window managers.

Contents

Overview

Window managers are X clients that control the appearance and behaviour of the frames («windows») where the various graphical applications are drawn. They determine the border, title bar, size, and ability to resize windows, and often provide other functionality such as reserved areas for sticking dockapps like Window Maker, or the ability to tab windows like Fluxbox. Some window managers are even bundled with simple utilities like menus to start programs or to configure the window manager itself.

The Extended Window Manager Hints specification is used to allow window managers to interact in standard ways with the server and the other clients.

Some window managers are developed as part of a more comprehensive desktop environment, usually allowing the other provided applications to better interact with each other, giving a more consistent experience to the user, complete with features like desktop icons, fonts, toolbars, wallpapers, or desktop widgets.

Other window managers are instead designed to be used standalone, giving the user complete freedom over the choice of the other applications to be used. This allows the user to create a more lightweight and customized environment, tailored to their own specific needs. «Extras» like desktop icons, toolbars, wallpapers, or desktop widgets, if needed, will have to be added with additional dedicated applications.

Some standalone window managers can be also used to replace the default window manager of a desktop environment, just like some desktop environment–oriented window managers can be used standalone too.

Prior to installing a window manager, a functional X server installation is required. See Xorg for detailed information.

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How to Install i3 Window Manager in Linux

i3 is a tiling window manager intended for advanced users and developers. It is extremely lightweight and fast. One of its main characteristics is that it is a text-oriented and keyboard-oriented window manager, which makes the experienced users be able to manage the windows in a very speedy way. Yes, it has a counterpart: Its learning curve is a bit steep, but once you get used to it, your productivity will increase significantly.

Prominent features

• Shortcut-controlled
• Correctly implemented multi-monitor mode
• Simple and lightweight
• Highly customizable
• Space-efficient

Installation steps

Arch Linux

The tutorial was made using the following Arch Linux build:

• Release: 2017.11.01
• Kernel: 4.13.9
• Architecture: x86_64

1. Install i3

Type the following command in the terminal:

When it asks which packages to install, showing the possible options, only hit enter and it will install all the necessary ones.

2. Edit Xinitrc

Type the following command in the terminal:

If you have another window manager or desktop environment installed, you may be able to choose i3 as a window manager via the desktop manager.

If you don’t have a desktop manager to choose i3, or you want it as your unique window manager, remove or comment the lines of the other window managers/desktop environments installed in your system. They are placed in Xinitrc too.

3. Install Xorg

4. Start i3

Fedora

The tutorial was made using the following Fedora build:

• Release: Fedora 27 Workstation
• Kernel: 4.13.9-300.fc27.x86_64
• Architecture: x86_64

1. Install i3

Type the following command in the terminal:

2. Reboot and select i3 in the display manager

It should look like this:

Select i3, sign in and enjoy!

Ubuntu

The tutorial was made using the following Ubuntu build:

• Release: Xubuntu 17.10
• Kernel: 4.13.0-16-generic
• Architecture: x86_64

1. Install i3

Type the following command in the terminal:

2. Deactivate Xubuntu window manager (may vary depending on the distribution)

Open «Session and Startup» and go to the «Session» tab.

For xfwm4, change ‘Immediately’ option to ‘Never’.

For xfdesktop, change ‘Immediately’ option to ‘Never’.

Click ‘Save session’

3. Activate the i3 window manager

Now, stay in «Session and Startup» and go to «Application Autostart» tab.

Click the «Add» button and fill the form as in the image:

4. Remove keyboard shortcuts from other window managers

Open «Keyboard» dialogue and select «Application Shortcuts» tab:

Remove all the shortcuts and close.

5. Configure i3

1. Create a folder in your home directory named «.i3». The path should look like: /home/»yourUsernameHere»/.i3
2. Create a new file in the «.i3» directory named «config»
3. Open the file with a text editor and paste the following text:

6. Reboot and enjoy!

This looks difficult, how do I use it?

As I said before, i3 has a steep learning curve. But don’t panic! The official website has a lot of documentation: i3 User’s Guide

Opening applications

The way to open applications in i3, is pressing the assigned Mod button plus another key. In my case, I have set the Windows key as the Mod button. So, for example, if I want to open a Terminal, I just press WindowsKey + Enter.

All the windows that you open will tile, rearranging themselves over the screen, so this is what having some open windows looks like:

Of course you can set i3 to arrange the windows in a different way, just take a look at the official documentation :).

Closing windows

To close windows, you have to hit: Mod + Shift + Q. In my case: WindowsKey + Shift + Q.

Using workspaces

To change workspaces, just hit: Mod + Num. Where Num the number of the target workspace. For example, if I want to go to the workspace 2, I have to press: WindowsKey + 2.

Wrapping up

After reviewing i3, I can say it’s a really nice window manager. I can feel the lightness and manage the windows in a blazing-fast way! Of course, I have to spend a bit of my time reading the documentation, but believe me it’s really worth it. I recommend you at least have a look at it.

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How to Install and Use i3 Window Manager on Linux

Written in C language, the i3wm ( i3 Windows Manager ) is a lightweight, easy-to-configure, and hugely popular tiling windows manager. Unlike the conventional desktop environment, a tiling manager provides just sufficient functionality to arrange windows on your screen in an easy and appealing manner suited for your workflow.

i3 is a minimalist tiling manager that intelligently arranges the windows on your screen in a seamless non-overlapping manner. Other tiling managers include xmonad and wmii.

In this guide, we will explain how to install and use the i3 Windows manager on Linux desktop systems.

Benefits of i3 Windows Manager

Unlike X windows managers such as Fluxbox, KWin, and enlightenment, i3 comes with a bag of goodies that we have listed below for a smooth desktop experience.

1. Resource Friendly

Unlike the fully-featured desktop environments such as GNOME, i3 windows manager is quite minimalistic and is designed for simplicity and efficiency. With low resource utilization, it makes up for a fast tiling Windows manager and leaves your system with plenty of RAM and CPU for other applications.

2. Flexibility

Apart from having the ability to automatically arrange windows in a neat and organized manner, i3 is fully configurable and you can tweak a few settings to match your preferred screen layout. Using external tools, you can enhance the appearance by selecting the background image, adjusting the transparency and window fading effect, and enabling desktop notifications.

3. Easy to Navigate Between Workspaces

The i3 tiling manager provides an easy and quick way to switch between workspaces thanks to a wide array of keyboard shortcuts that you can easily configure. You can seamlessly group Windows to suit your workflow, which enhances your productivity.

Installing i3 Window Manager on Linux

The i3 tiling manager is available in Debian, Ubuntu, and Linux Mint repositories and can be installed using the apt package manager as follows.

On Fedora distribution, you can install i3 using dnf package manager as shown.

Once installed, you will need to restart your system and click on the small gear wheel at the login window and select the ‘i3’ option as shown.

Select i3 Window Manager

Once logged in, you will be prompted to either generate the config file which will be saved in your home directory

/.config/i3/config, or use the defaults which will save the file in the /etc/i3 directory.

In this guide, we will go with the first option so we are going to hit ENTER to place the configuration file in our home directory.

Create i3 Configuration File

Next, you will be required to define the i3 wm modifier key also known as the $mod key which can either be the Windows Logo key or the Alt Key. Use the arrow up or down keys to select your preferred modifier key.

Set i3 Modifier Key

Once you are done with the initial setup. There isn’t much to do with the default i3 window, it saves as a blank screen with a status bar at the very bottom of the screen.

i3 Window Status Bar

How to Use i3 Window Manager in Linux

Having installed the i3 tiling manager, here are a few keyboard combinations that you can use to get off the ground and use the tiling manager with ease.

Launch a terminal: $mod + ENTER .

Launching application using the menu: $mod + d – This opens up a menu at the top of your screen that allows you to search a specific application by typing a keyword at the text field provided.

Launch Applications in i3 Window

• Enter a fullscreen mode – on and off: $mod + f .
• Exiting an application window; $mod + Shift + q .
• Restarting i3: $mod + Shift + r .
• Exiting i3 windows manager: $mod + Shift + e .

Manipulating Windows

When launching applications, they are usually tiles as shown below. Obviously, the workspace looks so cramped with multiple tiled windows and makes you feel overwhelmed.

Manipulating Windows i3 Window Manager

For a better experience, you can detach a window and bring it into the foreground to have a ‘floating’ experience. This can be achieved by pressing the $mod + Shift + Space combination.

In the example below, the terminal window is seen in the foreground instead of being tiled.

Detach Window in Foreground

Additionally, you can make the window go fullscreen by hitting the $mod + f combination and repeating the same to revert to the tiling mode.

i3 Status Bar

This is one of the most important yet overlooked section of the i3 tiling manager. It displays information such as the available disk space, IP address & bandwidth rate, Battery level, date, and time.

i3 Window Status Bar

i3 Basic Configurations

If you didn’t generate the configuration file in your home directory, you can find it in the /etc/i3/config path. To copy it to your home directory

Then change the ownership to your user

The configuration file comes with numerous settings that you can tweak to your preference to alter the look and feel of the tiling manager. You can change the colors of workspaces, change the layout of windows, as well as resize windows. We will not dwell so much on that or now. The aim of this guide was to give you a decent introduction to the i3 tiling manager and the basic functionalities to get you started.

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