Re: Poll: best hackable window manager or DE for Emacs-loving freedom activists

[Samuel Banya]

Also, if you suck at 'xrandr' like me, you can always use 'arandr' to view your 
multiple monitor setups and save an 'xrandr' config accordingly for multiple 
monitor setups:
https://christian.amsuess.com/tools/arandr/

Sure, you can then learn the config syntax and go from there, but I get too 
frustrated at times with stuff like this when I wish Linux would "just work" 
with this kind of mentality in mind. However, that's the fun part too as you 
kind of make it into your own thing.

Not sure about everyone else on here, but even when I like minimal DE or WM 
setups, I just expect a couple things to work on Linux as a user:
- Sound ('pavucontrol' if I'm using PulseAudio)
- Video ('arandr' for multiple monitors)
- Networking ('nmtui')

For this reason alone, I actually prefer GUI or curses type apps for these 
three components as its always a pain to try to configure either of these just 
to get a basic OS working when it should just work.

I know that's a bit of a segway, but it might help you with your WM choice and 
config.

Sincerely,

Sam

On Thu, Nov 4, 2021, at 7:58 PM, Jorge P. de Morais Neto wrote:
> Hi.  I love digital ethics, GNU and Emacs!  Which keyboard-driven
> hackable window manager (WM) or desktop environment (DE) do you
> recommend?  I currently use GNOME 3 DE.  Years ago I used Enlightenment,
> Xfce and Fluxbox but then I migrated to GNOME to learn a good libre and
> user friendly DE so I could assist unskilled users such as my family.
> 
> I have now reconsidered---I want a hackable keyboard-driven WM or DE.
> I'll keep GNOME installed as plan B for difficulties with the hacker WM.
> Also, once in a while I will use GNOME just to preserve useful knowledge
> for assisting unskilled users.
> 
> I also want to remap keys, so for example in IceCat and Gajim C-n will
> mean <down> as in Emacs.  I have read this is easy on StumpWM, I hope it
> is also easy in i3 and EXWM.  I would also prefer a WM with a system
> tray, so it is easy (for example) to check for new messages on Gajim.
> 
> So far I am divided between i3 and EXWM.  EXWM would likely be cooler
> and more hackable but lacks Wayland support, and Wayland is the near
> future.  I don't want to have to learn another hacker WM for Wayland.
> So the leading candidate is i3, since Sway implements i3 concepts on
> Wayland.  I read it even accepts i3 config files.  Thus:
> 
> * Poll: best hackable and keyboard-driven WM/DE for sw freedom activists
> 
> 1. i3/Sway
> 2. EXWM
> 3. Ratpoison
> 4. StumpWM
> 5. Awesome
> 6. bspwm
> 7. xmonad
> 8. GNOME
> 9. Mate
> 10. XFCE
> 11. LXDE
> 12. Other---specify:
> 
> Should support key remapping and be future-proof (Wayland).  Ideally
> hackable in Elisp, Guile Scheme, Common Lisp or Bash; Python and C OK.
> Low resource usage is desirable but good features take priority.
> 
> Regards
> 
> -- 
> - Many people hate injustice but few check the facts; this causes more
>   injustice.  Ask me about <https://stallmansupport.org>
> - Please adopt free/libre formats like PDF, Org, LaTeX, ODF, Opus, WebM and 
> 7z.
> - Libre apps for AOSP (Replicant, LineageOS, etc.) and Android: F-Droid
> - https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html "What is free software?"
> 
>