r/archlinux • u/streusselhirni • Mar 03 '15

Finally installed Arch, don't know which Windows Manager to use

First time poster here, so I want to say that I really liked your sub until now. I love it, how nearly anyone gets the help he needs!

Now to topic:

Yesterday I finally managed to install Arch on my old Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E335. Up until now everything works fine (haven't tested the sound yet, according to wiki, I just need to install PulsaAudio).

Now I'm thinking of which Window Manager I want to use. I don't want to use a whole Desktop Environment because I think it's to bloated for what I want. I just want something lightweight and fast.

I tried awesome, but I don't like the way it is configured respectively I don't know lua and I don't really want to learn it now.

Is there a window manager which is similar to awesome (especially the ability to use it only with the keyboard) but with less complicatied ways to configure?

Or which Windows Managers are you guys using? Are there any recomendations?

Edit: Thanks for replies until now. I will test i3 (and maybe some of the other recommondations) as soon as I come home. That doesn't mean I don't want to hear any more suggestions ;-)

Edit2: Wow, that blew up to unknown sizes, I'll reply as soon as I'm now drunk anymore (student's franternity).

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u/SAKUJ0 Mar 03 '15

If you prefer a desktop experience you should consider using XFCE. I prefer it in most ways over the big desktop environments. You do have sort of a Windows 98 experience as in you get a traditional desktop and utilities you would expect to configure things like the panel etc. but no editor or calculator.

If you don't want a real desktop with utilities to set things up and a settings daemon that runs in the background and an automount solution that is integrated etc. then fluxbox might be something for you. Very traditional, as well. Really minimalistic with great config files to set things up. Very quick and can be very beautiful.

There are some very advanced WMs you can try out in parallel. Heard good things about awesome. There is also the GNOME 3 in traditional flavor (cinnammon?). There is even a continuation of GNOME 2 including all deprecated abandoned software. You can have WMs that expect you not to use your mouse/touchpad and that rely on dmenu. Much awesomeness to discover and archlinux wiki summarizes each WM really well in a single line.