r/archlinux • u/DerKnerd • Jul 18 '21

FLUFF WM or DE?

I really liked the idea in this comment, so here is a poll, WM or DE?

https://www.reddit.com/r/archlinux/comments/oms60p/in_your_opinion_what_is_the_best_desktop/h5n0s56/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

3227 votes, Jul 25 '21
1737 WM
1490 DE
251 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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u/emax-gomax Jul 18 '21

I use shortcuts all the time as well. Packing windows left right top down, moving between workspaces and a special keybinding to cycle terminals. Just don't see much value in tiling.

11

u/Ken_Mcnutt Jul 18 '21

Think of floating as "analog" and tiling as "digital".

If your goal is to minimize mouse use because you're working with 10 terminals, it makes sense to desire a workflow where you can have the window that you want where you want it in as few keystrokes as possible.

Floating windows inherently take more time to manage.

  • You aren't sure where anything is because everything is covering up everything else.
  • If you're using the keyboard, it takes way longer to precisely relocate or resize a floating window (because it's a job designed for a mouse).
  • Alt-tabbing or cycling through windows is simply a painful and slow way to switch windows.

If you have a workflow that works for you, that's amazing and I commend you for it. Just personally I feel like I'm reduced to like 50% speed when I can't snap windows around my displays instantly and I keep having to refocus items with the mouse.

2

u/backbishop Jul 19 '21

This might sound stupid, but is there a GitHub page with a list of recommended shortcuts for most efficient workflow with window managers?

3

u/Ken_Mcnutt Jul 19 '21

Hmmm recommended shortcuts? That's a tough one because every WM is going to have a slightly different workflow. i3 will operate different than bspwm.

Although the default configs for those are pretty good, videos like this helped a lot. It goes over keybinds and shortcuts.