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kimchi_sg
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Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 3038

PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 1:09 am    Post subject: The x11-wm/twm appreciation thread Reply with quote

x11-wm/twm is probably the most unappreciated window manager.
However, I feel quite confident using it now whereas formerly I was used to full-fat desktop environments.

This is my collection of tips to get the most out of the window manager that most people only use to verify their Xorg is working.
To maximise your enjoyment of twm, please read "man twm".

Disadvantages of twm:

  • No Unicode support, e.g. titlebars and menus only in ASCII
  • No taskbar, use icon managers instead
  • No tray, install your own
  • Menus cannot be displayed via keystroke, only via mouse clicks


Things to try in .twmrc:

  • Window decorations can be removed totally for the ultimate minimalistic look
    Code:

    NoTitle
    BorderWidth 0

  • Titlebars can be squeezed in adjustable ways, no other Wayland/X DM does this
    Code:

    NoTitleHighlight
    SqueezeTitle

  • Title bar buttons adjustments:
    Code:

    LeftTitleButton ":dot" f.exec "xmessage hello &"
    LeftTitleButton ":menu" f.menu "TwmWindows"

  • Use the built-in windows menu "TwmWindows". It can be accessed from any button (as above) or mouse binding, but not key-press.


Recommended programs to go with twm

For a old-fashioned full xorg install:
Code:
# emerge xorg-apps xorg-fonts


For XDG-autostart, strongly recommended if you use pipewire, bluetooth, or other programs that depend on startup services:
Code:
# emerge x11-misc/dex


For a system tray, there are several alternatives, I use stalonetray but there's trayer, peksystray and possibly more:
Code:
# emerge stalonetray


More tips as I can think of them...


Last edited by kimchi_sg on Sat Sep 30, 2023 12:36 am; edited 2 times in total
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irets
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Joined: 17 Dec 2019
Posts: 228

PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

twm is running on X11?
I thought it was for getting a better experience in the TTY, hence the name. (Terminal Window Manager)
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kimchi_sg
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2023 12:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Irets wrote:
twm is running on X11?
I thought it was for getting a better experience in the TTY, hence the name. (Terminal Window Manager)

Originally the T was for Tom Lastrange, twm's creator.

The manpage says "Tab Window Manager" but I daresay the T has stood for a lot of things to a lot of people...
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kimchi_sg
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 1:23 am    Post subject: twm menu everywhere Reply with quote

Additional tip:

In contrast to most other WMs and DEs which need a ton of key and mouse bindings, TWM does not need any bindings to show its menu.
To show the menu on any unrecognized mouse click, put the following options in .twmrc:
Code:

DefaultFunction f.menu "twm"

Assuming you have Menu "twm" defined.
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