`The 11 - Files`

Last update: Saturday, 1 Jul 2000 11:59:31pm

Window manager

To use XFree86/OS2 you will need additional programs, the so-called window managers. These programs determine the look of window title bars and frames as well as reaction to certain events like mouse clicks and keyboard presses. The window managers can roughly be compared to the WPS, though they don't provide its functionality by far.
To reach that level of functionality the use of so-called desktops like KDE or GNOME which are far more complex becomes necessary. An interesting fact is that the goal of the GNOME project is to bring the functionality of OS/2's Workplace Shell to UNIX systems. Most of the GNOME parts have been ported to OS/2 meanwhile. The port of KDE is still in alpha phase.

The following paragraphs give you an overview on some of the available window managers. Which one you are going to use is a question of personal taste and the computational resources. Most of the window managers but Enlightenment can be aquired from The Poweruser's BBS.

XFree86/OS2 comes with two window managers, twm and IceWM, with IceWM activated as default. twm is so feature-poor that you won't be interested. IceWM can look quite Warp-like, but it doesn't provide the functionality of larger WMs. Any configuration has to be set by editing configuration files by hand. (Be sure to use only suitable editors!)
fvwm2 could be called the classic of window managers. It offers features like virtual desktops, a display for minimized windows and buttonbars. There are several flavours of this window manager available, each with a certain look & feel. E.g. there are version resembling the CDE desktop and Windows 95. fvwm also has to be configured by hand editing configuration files. (Be sure to use only suitable editors!)
WindowMaker is a step forward in terms of user friendliness. It resembles the look & feel of the NeXT desktop and for settings can be configured using a GUI and drag & drop. Additionally it's look can be changed by using so-called themes (colours, background, etc.). Another advantage of WindowMaker is its interface for GNOME and KDE so it can be used as a replacement for their window managers. This can come in very handy if your system suffers form low available RAM and/or CPU power.
In case you have enough RAM (64MB minimum) and enough CPU power (Pentium 100 class minimum) have a look at Enlightenment. This is the GNOME projects' official window manager. Most parts of Enlightenment can be easily configured using a GUI. In terms of customizability Enlightenment beats anything I have seen so far. Using themes its look & feel can be completely changed. The internet site e.themes.org holds most available themes. You can get Enlightenment itself at the offcial GNOME/2 and Enlightenment/2 Homepage.