Introduction to Window Managers
Source: Freshmeat.net
The freedom of choice offered by GNU and Linux, combined with the technological design of the X Window System, gives desktop users a windowing environment with a flexibility and capability that is unrivaled. In recent times, the desktop Linux world has been enriched beyond recognition by the KDE and GNOME projects, but window managers are still at the heart of these environments, as well being used widely on their own. In this review, I'll delve into this exciting world and look at the development and the state of the art of some of the most significant and most popular window managers. Given the volume of entries in this category, I can't hope to cover all of them in any sort of detail, so instead I will concentrate on a select few in more detail. I've tried to pick a selection representing a range of styles and philosophies, weighted by their current popularity and importance in the development of windowing technologies. Many of the features explained along the way are found in other window managers, and each window manager's level of support for the GNOME and KDE environments is also discussed. I'll offer my apologies in advance to all those great window managers that haven't been mentioned in this article.
