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## Auto-converted by kwiki2moinmoin v2005-10-07
See WindowManagers		 #language en

'''Translation(s):''' [[fr/WindowManager|Français]]

In the [[XWindowSystem|X Window System]], the X Server itself does not give the user the capability of managing windows that have been opened. Instead, this job is delegated to a program called a ''window manager''.

The window manager gives windows a border and allows you to move them around and maximize/minimize them. The user interface for these functions is left up to its author.

This proves to be quite confusing for the new user of a X windowing environment because most other environments simply use one window manager and give the user no choice. In this sense, X is much more versatile and allows more tailoring of the environment to whatever the user wants. It allows the creation of an xterminal, a diskless workstation which runs only an X server (out of ROM) and leaves all user interface implementation to a central compute server.

Common Linux window managers are:

 * AmiWM (Amiga Lookalike)

 * Sawfish [[http://sawmill.sourceforge.net/]]

 * Windowmaker [[http://www.windowmaker.org/]]

 * Metacity [[http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/gnome/sources/metacity]] (for DebianGnome ).

 * Blackbox [[http://blackboxwm.sourceforge.net/]]

 * Fluxbox [[http://fluxbox.sourceforge.net/]]

 * IceWM (A popular window manager written in C++)

 * JWM (A footprint efficient window manager)

 * Openbox [[http://www.icculus.org/openbox/]]

 * Enlightenment [[http://www.enlightenment.org/]]

 * XFCE [[http://www.xfce.org/]]

 * Kwm (The window manager used for the KDE desktop)

 * Twm (an old window manager dating back to the beginnings of X windows)

 * Fvwm [[http://www.fvwm.org/]] (an old but useful window manager - still in constant development!)

see DebPkg:x-window-manager packages descriptions

If you use startx rather than a login manager, you'll probably want to choose a default Window Manager. To change the default window manager use{{{
  update-alternatives --config x-window-manager
}}}

( See {{{update-alternatives}}} manpage).

Window Managers must not be confused with [[Desktop_environment]]s such as GNOME, KDE, XFce. These three environments use a window manager as a __single__ part of a much larger system. And to make things much more complicated, GNOME doesn't force you to use any one window manager. They have a list of "supported" window managers that you can choose from.

Afterstep should be mentioned - (and fvwm is actually fvwm2 whereas fvwm1 already had/has lots of "functionality" and lives on a smaller foot-print)


== See also ==
 * [[display_manager|Display manager]]s: (gdm, kdm, xdm ..).
 * [[WikiPedia:GUI|GUI]]
-------
 * http://xwinman.org/ for a more comprehensive list of window managers for X.
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/window_manager
 * [[http://markhobley.yi.org:8000/xwincompare|Comparison of X Window Managers at the Mark Hobley's Open Source Laboratory]]
----
CategoryDesktopEnvironment | [[CategoryXWindowSystem]]

Translation(s): Français

In the X Window System, the X Server itself does not give the user the capability of managing windows that have been opened. Instead, this job is delegated to a program called a window manager.

The window manager gives windows a border and allows you to move them around and maximize/minimize them. The user interface for these functions is left up to its author.

This proves to be quite confusing for the new user of a X windowing environment because most other environments simply use one window manager and give the user no choice. In this sense, X is much more versatile and allows more tailoring of the environment to whatever the user wants. It allows the creation of an xterminal, a diskless workstation which runs only an X server (out of ROM) and leaves all user interface implementation to a central compute server.

Common Linux window managers are:

see x-window-manager packages descriptions

If you use startx rather than a login manager, you'll probably want to choose a default Window Manager. To change the default window manager use

  update-alternatives --config x-window-manager

( See update-alternatives manpage).

Window Managers must not be confused with ?Desktop_environments such as GNOME, KDE, XFce. These three environments use a window manager as a single part of a much larger system. And to make things much more complicated, GNOME doesn't force you to use any one window manager. They have a list of "supported" window managers that you can choose from.

Afterstep should be mentioned - (and fvwm is actually fvwm2 whereas fvwm1 already had/has lots of "functionality" and lives on a smaller foot-print)

See also

CategoryDesktopEnvironment | CategoryXWindowSystem