The x11-wm/twm appreciation thread

[kimchi_sg]

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:

[irets]

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

[kimchi_sg]

[kimchi_sg]

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: