I3: Improved Tiling Window Manager

You see, I don't need to be able to position them the way I want. I have a python script that does it for me.

It recognizes apps that I have open and I wrote an algorithm to place them on the screen the way I want.

It also creates what I call scenes, which allows me to select from couple different dynamic arrangements of windows depending on what I work on.

I can also able to instantly decide what windows are on both monitors by having a simple script when I select a desktop and it is being brought to primary monitor and contents of primary monitor is pushed to secondary monitor. By pressing two key shortcuts in short succession I can almost instantly set any arbitrary windows on both monitors without moving my mouse.

Now, this would be difficult to organize on another WM, but is a breeze on i3.

> You are forgetting that you actually can sandbox and contain apps. Under X11, doing that and then giving the app access to the display is dangerous. Under Wayland it is not. This matters for Flatpak, Snap, firejail, etc.

I addressed this in my very post and forgot no such thing.

Firejail can and does sandbox X11.

> I have seen multiple such arguments that you can “sandbox” X11 access, with no proof or really bad compromises; I don’t believe it.

How is there no proof? it exists in Firejail at this moment..

The compromises are those which one has to live with on Wayland per sē: naturally things that need access don't work, and Nvidia card acceleration does not work.

https://firejail.wordpress.com/documentation-2/x11-guide/

This existed and happened long ere Wayland was even conceived.

well some people make fancy borders and the like. a tiling window manager shouldn't look like anything really just your programs. its very utilitarian i like i3 but am still partial to dwm; i3 has a lot more out of the box and probably easier to configure for most until you want to add your own patches then dwm is a lot easier imo.

I have been using i3 now for many years now and like it a lot. Thank you developers! It's easy to configure and well documented, plus there are many nice extensions (like status bars).

With tiling window managers, for me it really is the predictability of where things are (e.g. emails are always on desktop 2 for me, browser on 1, etc.), keyboard navigation and the ability to configure all window related things in a single place / config file. Not requiring to think much about how to organize windows to quickly have a useful view lowers the cognitive load for me (possibly not a problem for others). It also allows me to quickly build pseudo-IDEs, e.g. have a left pane with vim to edit a latex file while having a split pane on the right where in the top terminal I'd call "lualatex " and have the evince/zathura output of the file visible below and live-update.

Some random config details I use all the time:

  # Lock screen with Ctrl+meta x, have background image
  bindsym Control+$mod+x exec i3lock -i 
  
  # Show a floating calc terminal with Mod+c
  for_window [instance="termite" title="My Calculator"] floating enable
  bindsym $mod+c exec termite -t "My Calculator" -e calc
  
  # Show a floating units terminal with Mod+u
  for_window [instance="termite" title="My Units"] floating enable
  bindsym $mod+u exec termite -t "My Units" -e units
  
  # Allow quick back and forth (First Meta+Workspace-ID goes there, second goes back)
  workspace_auto_back_and_forth yes
  
  # Use rofi to launch programs and find windows
  bindsym $mod+d exec --no-startup-id i3-dmenu-desktop --dmenu='rofi -i -show run -dmenu'
  bindsym $mod+o exec --no-startup-id i3-dmenu-desktop --dmenu='rofi -i -show window'
  
  # switch between the current and the previously focused workspace
  bindsym $mod+b workspace back_and_forth
  bindsym $mod+Tab workspace back_and_forth
  
  # invert the screen with Mod+i
  bindsym $mod+i exec xrandr-invert-colors
  
  # toggle tiling / floating for window with Mod + Shift + Space
  bindsym $mod+Shift+space floating toggle
  
  # rename workspaces with Mod+t
  bindsym $mod+t exec i3-input -F 'rename workspace to %s' -P ' New name: ' -f '-*-*-*-*-*-*-28-*-*-*-*-*-*-*'
  
  # Gnome settings daemon helps us with keyrings and GTK themes
  exec --no-startup-id /usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon/gnome-settings-daemon
  
  # calendar with Mod+p
  bindsym $mod+p workspace calendar; exec termite -e 'ikhal
  
  # Make the currently focused window a scratchpad (a hidden floating desktop) with Mod+Shift+Minus
  bindsym $mod+Shift+minus move scratchpad
  
  # Show the first scratchpad window (on any desktop show the first floating hidden window) with Mod+Minus
  # Normally there is a floating terminal with vimwiki in the scratchpad
  bindsym $mod+minus scratchpad show

Almost like reading my story...

I used to be all in on Apple, using their iMac G4 and later on the Intel iMacs at home, but needed a beefier machine. So when I started in a new job, instead of getting a macBook, I asked the company IT to build me a workstation (and been asking for it from the companies I worked for after that). Installed Arch Linux and i3 to it, and never looked back. Did run Linux and i3 in the macs I owned for a while, until I built myself a home desktop and replaced my laptop with a ThinkPad, all running Arch Linux and either i3 or sway as a window manager.

This is the end game for me. Emacs, Alacritty and Firefox with a rolling release distribution. The same configuration with even the same wallpaper for the past 10 years that follows me from Gitlab.

Thanks, i3 and sway!