Window Manager Recommendations

Users recommend and discuss various lightweight, simple, tiling, and non-tiling window managers like StumpWM, Ratpoison, FVWM, WindowMaker, and others, often in response to a post about minimal or alternative WMs.

➡️ Stable 0.6x Open Source
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Keywords

IMHO rubyflow.com MailTool GP XCB WindowMaker E.g GUI KDE archive.org window window manager manager managers gnome desktop tiling terminal windows dock

Sample Comments

cup-of-tea • Jun 1, 2018 • View on HN

There is a window manager called stumpwm like that.

Rebelgecko • Jun 11, 2025 • View on HN

You already can if you're not picky about window manager features

thesuperbigfrog • Nov 24, 2022 • View on HN

You might find Rio interesting:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_(windowing_system)

feel-ix-343 • Jun 13, 2024 • View on HN

Will this one not try to be a window manager?

Fidelix • Jul 9, 2025 • View on HN

Try Niri or PaperWM. A scrolling window manager.

ethanpailes • Jun 14, 2024 • View on HN

Not trying to be a window manager is pretty much the reason it exists!

ptman • Jan 14, 2019 • View on HN

There are window managers like that for linux. E.g. http://notion.sourceforge.net/ or https://github.com/pekdon/pekwm or http://www.fluxbox.org/

technoir • Nov 6, 2013 • View on HN

Too bad they didnt switch to windowlab. Now that is a lightweight window manager. Amiga style window management!

almost • Apr 28, 2009 • View on HN

For those who wish their window manager was more like screen I recommend strongly recommend the ratposion WM.

gps0 • Dec 18, 2022 • View on HN

What are some DEs / window managers you think are quite simple and let you focus?