We have already mentioned that Window Maker is a window manager. There are
other window managers out there, such as the infamous FVWM, Enlightenment,
AfterStep, and the list goes on. All window managers perform the same basic
tasks, which are to create, place, keep track of, and draw borders around
the windows on the screen. Beyond this, they can become quite different in
their various abilities.
Window Maker firmly adheres to the behavior and functionality of the
NEXTSTEP[tm] user interface. The
developers have put forth a great deal of effort in capturing the essense
and beauty of the original design, and have incorporated some new ideas of
their own. This has always followed the philosophy of keeping to those
features which fit well into the overall design, while limiting the amount
of "feature creep" that tends to bloat other window managers. A summary of
the main Window Maker features are presented below.
Core (usability)
- almost complete ICCCM compliance
- national language I18N support (over 11 locales)
- built-in icon dithering with support for 4bpp and 8bpp displays
- popup menus that support keyboard traversal, which can be "pinned"
to the root window
- support for
GNUstep,
GNOME, and
KDE window hints to
better integrate with those desktop environments
- support for Motif[tm] and
OPEN LOOK[tm] window hints
to better interface with applications based on those toolkits
- built-in GUI configuration utility that eliminates the need to
hand edit config files
- application Dock (similar to NEXTSTEP/MacOS X Dock) that can be
configured using drag and drop
- workspace Dock (aka Clip/Fiend) which is a workspace specific Dock
extender
- support for rudimentary session management
- support for dockapps
(equivalent of applets or epplets)
- ability to change all preferences and menus on-the-fly without
having to restart the window manager
- support for multiple workspaces (aka "virtual desktops")
Extras (eye candy)
- built-in themes support
- over 13 types of window decorations, including custom defined
- support for XPM, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, GIF and PPM icons (no conversions
with external programs) with an alpha-channel
- support for setting the root window background (via the wmsetbg
utility)
- optional superfluous animations, such as window shading,
customizeable icon miniturization effects, slide/scrolling menus,
and much more
Despite all of these features, Window Maker is not resource intensive and
remains stable across many UNIX varients. It is extremely flexible, and
many options can be included or excluded at compile time. This means
that you can easily tailor Window Maker to meet your needs; whether you're
a minimalist wanting to save resources, or an extremist that likes to theme
everything in sight.
Visit the links below to learn more about this versatile window manager.
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