58 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
58 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
# Description
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*awesome* is a floating and tiling window manager initialy based on a [dwm](http://www.suckless.org/wiki/dwm) code rewriting.
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It's extremely fast, small, dynamic and awesome.
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Windows can be managed in several layouts: tiled, maximized, dwindle, spiral, floating…
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Each layout can be applied on the fly, optimizing the environment for the application in use and the task performed.
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Managing windows in tiled mode assures that no space will be wasted on your screen. No gaps, no overlap.
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Other layouts can be used for different purpose.
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If you do not want to use the tiling management, you can use the floating layout wich will let you organize your windows as you wish, like any other window manager.
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# Concepts
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## Tiled layout
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With tiled layout, windows are managed in a master and a stacking area.
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The master area contains the windows which currently need most attention, whereas the stacking area contains all other windows.
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The master area can be splited in several rows and column, as you want.
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## Maximized layout
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Each window is resized to take full screen space.
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## Floating layout
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In floating layout, windows can be resized and moved freely, just like a usual window manager.
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Dialog windows are always managed floating, regardless of the layout selected.
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## Tags
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Windows are grouped by tags. Each window can be tagged with one or multiple tags.
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Selecting certain tags displays all windows with those tags. Each tag can have its own layout.
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Tags can be compared to virtual desktops, but it's more powerful: you can quickly merge and show several tags at the same time,
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and go back to only one tag after.
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## Status bar
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awesome contains a small status bar which can contain a lot of widget: display all available tags, current layout, tasklists, texts, icons, graphs, progress bars. Each widget can have its own configuration and mouse bindings.
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*awesome* draws a small border around windows to indicate their focus state.
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## Configuration
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Every aspect of *awesome* is configurable via a configuration file: **awesomerc**.
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# Features and non-features
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In contrast to ion, larswm, wmii, or dwm, awesome is much, pick 2 from that list: smaller, faster, simpler or awesome.
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* Very stable.
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* No mouse needed: everything can be performed with keyboard.
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* Multihead support (XRandR, Xinerama or Zaphod mode).
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* EWMH support.
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* Some real transparency support (using Composite extension and xcompmgr for now).
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* No Lua integration, no 9P support, no editable tagbars.
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* No limit on its source size: *awesome* has features we want.
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* Doesn't distinguish between layers: there is no floating or tiled layer. Whether or not the clients of currently selected tag(s) are in tiled layout, you can rearrange them on the fly. Popup and fixed-size windows are always floating, however.
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* Customized through editing a configuration file, which makes it extremely easy to configure. You don't have to learn Lua/sh/ruby or some weird configuration file format (like X resource files), or recompile source code each time you do something: just edit the configuration file, for god's sake.
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* Each function for manipulating environment is bindable to keys shortcut, mouse buttons or executable remotely via a socket (*awesome-client*).
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This gonna be LEGEN... wait for it... DARY!
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