Quest for the perfect window manager
As any linux user, the window management system is what makes it more useful and user friendly. I wouldnt mind using just a text based system, lynx for web browing, naim for instant messenging, and vim for all my writing applications, but its just not user friendly. I used to be a Gnome only person. It seems to be too much for me, takes up too much resources and is quite bloated. At the time, KDE was the next choice, some love it, others hate it. I didnt quite like it due to it toy like feel, simply it was just too user friendly.
Then there were the alternatives, the small, the simple, the lightweights. My first choice was simply to open up a tab in firefox for each of the different window managers and compare the features, looks, usabilities, and reviews. So I started out with Enlightenment. I am currently using it as my primary window manager, what I really like about it is its so simple, nothing more to it. Has a really beatiful way to switching desktops smoothly when you move and push the edje of the current desktop using the mouse. This was really handy. And it was clean. I have every one installed, and working stable. All the versions installed are the latest stables.
The other window managers I am playing around with are WindowMaker, Blackbox, Fuxbox, and IceWM. Out of these listed above, and including gnome and kde, I am out to find the perfect one for my self, with the right balance of usability, ease, and stability. Eyecandy is also something I look for, but this comes second.
So far I have used gnome the longest, and its been good, except it takes are way too much resources along with metacity. I know gnome isnt a window manager, but since I have no expectation of running gnome and using a sepearte window manager with it, I am going to consider gnome as one of the options right now. The maturity of gnome is probably the most attractive, since its been worked for so long, everything is usable and useful.
Secondly, it was Enlightenment, which I am using rght now. Its really clean, nothing in the desktop except for the virtual desktop pager, with 6 vitual desktops. I had the set up where for my browing I use one, gaim takes up one more, music for another, and the rest doing other randon thing. As described above, the ability to move your mouse to the edge of the screen and have the desktops switch is defintly very helpful.
Next off it was the Fluxbox. Wow, simple. I havnt had time to play with it enough, so I am not going to talk about it much more. Same applies to Blackbox and IceWM.
Last but not least, is WindowMaker. I have used windowmaker in many other places and systems, but never in my personal machine before. At the first glance looking at the naked WindowMaker, it displays a professional look. Everything seems to be systamatic. The Preferences dialog with all the settings including the menu edit was just beatiful and extremly easy to use. The masses and masses of dockapps out there to be used with it, seems like the answer. I just got this compiled, and working since yesterday, so havent had time to mess with it too much.
Expect a full review of each window manager in the future. I was too lazy to take screen shots for this post, but be sure to expect eye candy dripping screen shots of the final window manager I finally pick, as well as the boring vanilla screen shots of the ones I reject.