awesome is an open source and tiling window manager initially based on a dwm code rewriting. It has a small codebase and footprint, it’s extremely fast, stable, dynamic, and above all, awesome. It can be installed on any Linux distribution, directly from the default software repositories.
The window manager does not recognizes between tiled and floating layouts. It applies the layout on the fly, optimizing the environment for the application in use and the task performed, and uses tags instead of virtual workspaces.
It is the first window manager that uses asynchronous XCB libraries, instead of the old synchronous Xlib (also known as libX11) library. In addition, it very well documented and does not require a mouse for basic operations, but only a keyboard.
Features at a glance
Key features include real multi-head support with tags (Xinerama, Zaphod or XRandR modes), D-Bus support, as well as support for many Freedesktop standards, including XDG Base Directory, EWMH, XEmbed, System Tray or Desktop Notification.
While the project comes with a very stable, minimal and extremely fast footprint and codebase, it tries to be highly configurable and extensible through Lua extensions, which can add dynamic tagging, layouts, tabs, or even widget feeding.
It provides users with fine-grained control over their desktop sessions, allowing them to place clients on various tags, as well as to display multiple tags at the same time. Additionally, it supports themes that can be created in the Lua programming language.
Another interesting feature is the ability to act as a framework window manager. It has been engineered to automatically discover your installed applications, and uses panels for interacting with running applications, tags, and the system tray area.
Bottom line
In conclusion, awesome is an awesome window manager, but only for programmers and power users who prefer a minimal desktop session instead of one of those full featured desktop environments.
