Desktop environments and Window managers: Difference between revisions

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Do not add any content about specific desktop environment or window manager in this page. Please add all the content to the respective wiki pages. If wiki page does not exist for the specific window manage, please create and add the content.
Do not add any content about specific desktop environment or window manager in this page. Please add all the content to the respective wiki pages. If wiki page does not exist for the specific window manage, please create and add the content.


This page lists only the window managers and desktop environments for which packages are available in Alpine Linux. Do not add unsupported software here
This page lists only the window managers and desktop environments for which packages are available in Alpine Linux. Do not add unsupported software here.
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'''Alpine Linux''' has no official desktop and setting up a graphical environment is not even part of [[Installation]]. All window managers and desktop environments that are available in Alpine Linux are listed in this page. Quick installation using [[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-desktop|setup-desktop]] script is available for few [[Setup-desktop|desktops]].


'''Alpine Linux''' has no official desktop and setting up a graphical environment is not even part of [[Installation]]. All window managers and desktop environments that are available in Alpine Linux are listed in this page. Quick installation using [[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-desktop|setup-desktop]] script is available for few [[Setup-desktop|desktops]]. For servers consider [[Alpine_Configuration_Framework_Design#Starting_ACF|Alpine Configuration Framework(ACF)]].
{{Tip|For servers consider using [[Alpine_Configuration_Framework_Design|Alpine Configuration Framework(ACF)]] for security reasons.}}


== Desktop Environments ==
== Desktop environments ==


Desktop environment (DE) is made of a bundle of programs that share a common graphical user interface (GUI), sometimes described as a graphical shell. A desktop environment typically consists of icons, windows, toolbars, folders, wallpapers desktop widgets and might also provide drag and drop.
* [[Xfce]]
* [[Xfce]]
* [[LXQt]]
* [[LXQt]]
Line 19: Line 20:
* [[MATE]]
* [[MATE]]


== Window Managers ==
== Window managers ==
 
===  [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacking_window_manager Stacking window managers] ===
(also known as '''floating window managers''')
* X11:
** [[Openbox]]
** [[Fluxbox]]
 
* Wayland:
** [[Weston]]
** [[LabWC]]
**  {{Pkg|wayfire|arch=}}
 
=== [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiling_window_manager Tiling window managers] ===
(also known as '''Dynamic window managers''')
* X11:
** {{Pkg|bspwm|arch=}}
** {{Pkg|herbstluftwm|arch=}}
** [[twm]]
** [[dwm]]
** [[I3wm|i3]]
** [[AwesomeWM|Awesome]]
** {{Pkg|ratpoison|arch=}}
** {{Pkg|spectrwm |arch=}}
** {{Pkg|qtile |arch=}} 


* Wayland:
A window manager is software that controls the placement and appearance of windows within a windowing system in a graphical user interface. In case of [[Wayland]], these are called  compositors because they additionally perform the task of a compositing window manager.
** [[Sway]]
** [[River]]
** {{Pkg|cagebreak|arch=}}
** {{Pkg|dwl|arch=}}
** [[Hyprland]]


=== Other Window Managers ===
Almost all components of a desktop needs to be added manually by the user. A [[Alpine_Linux:Glossary#S|stacking]] a.k.a. floating or [[Alpine_Linux:Glossary#T|tiling]] a.k.a. dynamic layout is commonly used for window management.


* Wayland
{|class="wikitable sortable" align="center" style="width:100%; border:1px #0771a6 solid; background:#f9f9f9; text-align:left; border-collapse:collapse;"
** {{Pkg|cage |arch=}} ('''kiosk''' mode)
! WM Name !! Protocol!! Style !! Toolkit!!class="unsortable"|Inspiration
|-
| [[AwesomeWM|Awesome]] ||X11  || Tiling || Lua ||
|-
| {{Pkg|berry|arch=}} || X11 || Stacking || C ||
|-
| {{Pkg|bspwm|arch=}} || X11 || Tiling || C ||
|-
|  {{Pkg|cage |arch=}} || Wayland || Kiosk || C/wlroots || ratpoison
|-
| {{Pkg|cagebreak|arch=}} || Wayland || Tiling ||C/wlroots || ratpoison and cage
|-
| {{Pkg|cwm|arch=}} || X11 || Stacking || C ||
|-
| {{Pkg|dwl|arch=}}  || Wayland || Tiling || C/wlroots||[[dwm]]
|-
| [[dwm]] || X11 || Tiling || C ||
|-
| [[Fluxbox]] || X11 || Stacking || C++ ||Blackbox
|-
| {{Pkg|herbstluftwm|arch=}} || X11 || Tiling || C++ ||
|-
| [[Hyprland]] || Wayland || Tiling || C++ ||
|-
| [[I3wm|i3]] || X11 || Tiling || C ||
|-
| {{Pkg|jwm|arch=}} || X11 || Stacking || C ||
|-
| [[LabWC]] || Wayland || Stacking || C/wlroots||[[Openbox]]
|-
| {{Pkg|mwm|arch=}} || X11 || Stacking || C ||
|-
| [[Openbox]] || X11 || Stacking || C ||
|-
| [[Qtile]] || Both || Tiling || Python ||
|-
| {{Pkg|ratpoison|arch=}}  || X11 || Kiosk || C ||
|-
| [[River]] || Wayland || Tiling || Zig || [[dwm]] and xmonad
|-
| {{Pkg|spectrwm |arch=}}  || X11 || Tiling || C||xmonad and [[dwm]]
|-
| [[Sway]] || Wayland || Tiling || C/wlroots || [[I3wm|i3]]
|-
| [[twm]] || X11 || Tiling || C ||
|-
| {{Pkg|wayfire|arch=}} || Wayland || Stacking || C++/wlroots || Compiz
|-
| [[Weston]] || Wayland || Stacking ||  C ||
|}


== See Also ==
== See also ==
* [[:Category:Desktop Environments|Desktop Environments]]
* [[:Category:Window Managers|Window Managers]]
* [[Installation#Post-Installation|Post Installation]]
* [[Installation#Post-Installation|Post Installation]]
* [[Seat_manager#Input_and_video_groups|Input and video groups]]
* [[Fonts]]
* [[Wayland]]
* [[Wayland]]
* [[Xorg]]
* [[Xorg]]
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[[Category:Desktop]]
[[Category:Desktop]]
[[Category:Newbie]]
[[Category:Desktop Environments]]
[[Category:Desktop Environments]]
[[Category:Window Managers]]
[[Category:Window Managers]]
[[Category:Compositor]]

Latest revision as of 10:38, 10 March 2025

Alpine Linux has no official desktop and setting up a graphical environment is not even part of Installation. All window managers and desktop environments that are available in Alpine Linux are listed in this page. Quick installation using setup-desktop script is available for few desktops.

Tip: For servers consider using Alpine Configuration Framework(ACF) for security reasons.

Desktop environments

Desktop environment (DE) is made of a bundle of programs that share a common graphical user interface (GUI), sometimes described as a graphical shell. A desktop environment typically consists of icons, windows, toolbars, folders, wallpapers desktop widgets and might also provide drag and drop.

Window managers

A window manager is software that controls the placement and appearance of windows within a windowing system in a graphical user interface. In case of Wayland, these are called compositors because they additionally perform the task of a compositing window manager.

Almost all components of a desktop needs to be added manually by the user. A stacking a.k.a. floating or tiling a.k.a. dynamic layout is commonly used for window management.

WM Name Protocol Style Toolkit Inspiration
Awesome X11 Tiling Lua
berry X11 Stacking C
bspwm X11 Tiling C
cage Wayland Kiosk C/wlroots ratpoison
cagebreak Wayland Tiling C/wlroots ratpoison and cage
cwm X11 Stacking C
dwl Wayland Tiling C/wlroots dwm
dwm X11 Tiling C
Fluxbox X11 Stacking C++ Blackbox
herbstluftwm X11 Tiling C++
Hyprland Wayland Tiling C++
i3 X11 Tiling C
jwm X11 Stacking C
LabWC Wayland Stacking C/wlroots Openbox
mwm X11 Stacking C
Openbox X11 Stacking C
Qtile Both Tiling Python
ratpoison X11 Kiosk C
River Wayland Tiling Zig dwm and xmonad
spectrwm X11 Tiling C xmonad and dwm
Sway Wayland Tiling C/wlroots i3
twm X11 Tiling C
wayfire Wayland Stacking C++/wlroots Compiz
Weston Wayland Stacking C

See also

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