So for a long time pretty much every computer used the traditional like windows layout with moveable windows that minimized or maximized and had a taskbar and start menu and whatnot. You had some minor changes with Mac and stuff, but now you can really have some radically different ways to use a computer.
Personally I have differing preferences if I’m using a laptop or a desktop.
On my desktop I prefer a dock and to use the mouse to click around. More of the windows style. Then on a laptop (which I use most often) I use a heavily gesture based navigation.
Currently I have Gnome modified so that when I am in a program, like the web browser I’m in typing this, it is full screen. The top bar is hidden, and there’s no dock of any kind. Not even one that pops up when I move the mouse to the edge of the screen. Instead I have everything for navigation hidden inside the task view. I swipe up on the trackpad with 3 fingers to bring it up. That’s how I see time, battery life, and the other topbar stuff too. If switching quickly between two things I put one of them in a 2nd desktop and use a 3 finger side swipe to move back and forth.
I’m curious to know what other unique or highly custom navigation methods people are using on Linux. I know tiling window managers are pretty popular. Is there a general consensus on what’s best these days? Or is everyone doing slightly different things?
I’ve tried a window manager once and now can’t go back. It’s to a point where I start using my Linux keybinds on my Windows laptop at work.
I tried KDE and Gnome but those weren’t really for me. I did like the polished end-to-end experience you get with those desktop environments though.
I was tiling window manager user too (mainly qtile), nowadays I’m on KDE using extensions to emulate those tiling features. Krohnkite is pretty good, once setup with all the keys and other optional stuff like removing window titles and so on. Recently even switch to a Niri like extension, called Karousel, but this one doesn’t support multi monitors. So I end up getting the KDE set with a tiling experience.
COSMIC will have a builtin support for tiling too, with a seamless integration. So maybe this could be something you explore too.
How much “r” are in Strawberrystrudel?
Writing two paragraphs qualifies someone as an AI?
Well, i guess there’s a misinderstanding about what a wm is (a stacking one, like Gnome, KDE, XFCE, is also one just like a tiling one like i3) so i was not sure if you’re a bot. No offense intended.
People typically distinguish between “window managers” which are usually pretty barebones and “desktop environments” like Gnome and KDE. Also Gnome’s and KDE aren’t actually the window managers, Mutter and KWin are (respectively)