Fluxbox is my choice!

Fluxbox is my choice!

When I started using Linux a few years ago, I chose GNOME for its looks and above all because it came with a few useful applications. Later I tried KDE, but only from version 3 onward. The earlier versions just looked awful to me. That was the only reason :).
By way of the Waimea window manager I moved to Fluxbox, and I’ve stuck with it. Compared with KDE and GNOME, Fluxbox is tiny. The latest version is 367 KB. It’s fast, has lots of features and, above all, supports themes :)). Seriously, though, Fluxbox probably isn’t for total beginners. You need to put together your own menu. There’s a menu of sorts already, but a beginner has no idea how many applications the system has tucked away. KDE is handy for that, with a well-developed menu that’s probably ideal when moving over from Windows. Apart from menu configuration, which is simple in your favorite editor and can be copied from someone else anyway, I see almost nothing but advantages. You can read the feature list on the official site. I’ll just sketch what I like about Fluxbox.

Like other window managers, Fluxbox can manage several virtual desktops. That’s a given on Unix-like systems. On Windows you have to install something extra, and we could argue about the reliability and stability of those add-ons. You can set up pretty much as many desktops as you like. Six works well for me. With an official patch, Fluxbox can remember which desktop you want each application on. So I have the web on the second, mail on the third, and ICQ or IRC chat on the fourth. Then there are tabs, a neat way to tuck several applications into one. It saves space and keeps things organized. When administering several computers remotely, for instance, just group your xterms using tabs and you’re done. Fluxbox has lots of other tricks, but there’s no point going on. Try it and see. The same goes for Linux. That’s enough for today. Have a look at the screenshots on the official site and at one of mine :)