From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Sep 3 02:44:40 2005 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6534316A41F for ; Sat, 3 Sep 2005 02:44:40 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from youshi10@u.washington.edu) Received: from mxout5.cac.washington.edu (mxout5.cac.washington.edu [140.142.32.135]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0DD7C43D48 for ; Sat, 3 Sep 2005 02:44:40 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from youshi10@u.washington.edu) Received: from smtp.washington.edu (smtp.washington.edu [140.142.32.139]) by mxout5.cac.washington.edu (8.13.4+UW05.04/8.13.4+UW05.07) with ESMTP id j832idlP026942 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=OK) for ; Fri, 2 Sep 2005 19:44:39 -0700 X-Auth-Received: from [192.168.11.6] (YahooBB219010032025.bbtec.net [219.10.32.25]) (authenticated authid=youshi10) by smtp.washington.edu (8.13.4+UW05.04/8.13.4+UW05.07) with ESMTP id j832ibxb000388 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=RC4-SHA bits=128 verify=NOT) for ; Fri, 2 Sep 2005 19:44:38 -0700 Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v734) In-Reply-To: <20050903015658.GB99371@keyslapper.net> References: <90056E03-651E-431A-9D87-5F89C5F6CCE7@cc.usu.edu> <20050903015658.GB99371@keyslapper.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Message-Id: <292F9E38-E7CB-4F6E-BC16-F02AED7D5FB5@u.washington.edu> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From: Garrett Cooper Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 11:45:24 +0900 To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.734) Subject: Re: FreeBSD vs. window managers X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 03 Sep 2005 02:44:40 -0000 On Sep 3, 2005, at 10:56 AM, Louis LeBlanc wrote: > None of the window managers are difficult to install on FreeBSD, but > some may be tricky to configure. Maybe most. > > If you want a window manager, not a desktop, you don't want KDE. > That's a desktop/WM. My personal favorite for more than 6 years now > is FVWM2. Flexible, fast, supports all kinds of cool things, like > fancy key and mouse bindings, Xinerama, etc. > > Still, lot's of people like KDE, enlightenment(?), IceWM, the Gnome > Desktop, etc. > > My advice is try a few different ones before deciding. See how > intiutive or simple you find configuration (I like FVWM2 because it's > simple text file configuration, and manpages are quite thorough). > Just remember, you will probably get a basic configuration set up the > way you want and not really touch it for a long time. Then one day, > you'll look at it to tweak some behavior. My config has only changed > a little over the last 6 years, and only one or two small tweaks at a > time. Lots of times, I have to go back to reread documentation or > commentary in the config to figure out what it's doing. > > So, two things that are important: ease of configuration and > flexibility. You want those small tweaks to be painless, but you also > want the WM to be able to do what you want it to. So far, I've not > found anything I wanted that FVWM2 couldn't do. Documentation (man > pages) are well written enough that tweaks are pretty easy to manage > now too. > > BTW, I'm fairly mouse averse, so I have my config set up to allow me > to keep my hands on the keys until I go into a browser, unless I > decide to exercise the mouse for some reason. This includes switching > pages on the desktop, switching desktops, switching apps, etc.. If I > go to the mouse, it all works pretty much the same. Key bindings > allow me to use the fancy buttons on my fancy keyboard to control > audio and video playback, volume - including mute, and window layering > (move to top, bottom, etc.) among many other things. > > Good luck. > Lou > -- > Louis LeBlanc FreeBSD-at-keyslapper-DOT-net > Fully Funded Hobbyist, KeySlapper Extrordinaire :) > Please send off-list email to: leblanc at keyslapper d.t net > Key fingerprint = C5E7 4762 F071 CE3B ED51 4FB8 AF85 A2FE 80C8 D9A2 > > VMS, n.: > The world's foremost multi-user adventure game. All depends on your taste, like Louis and others have been saying. If you want a complete desktop system (has a variety of tools, etc), try straight Gnome or KDE. As you've discovered though, compiling them takes quite a while as they are quite large. If you just want a WM (a means to view X programs), there are a variety of different choices: TWM (prepackaged, ugly), FVWM2, IceWM, Enlightenment, Fluxbox, XFCE4.2, and quite a few others exist for your X use. No one can really say which is best, I think, as it all depends on your choice and preference in terms of interfacing with X and programs, as well as how much resources you want to use, etc. There are also lighter versions of the KDE and-I think it's in the ports tree-Gnome meta builds which come with a lot less programs if you wish to only install needed and certain components to your system. -Garrett