Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

dwm VS monsterwm

Compare dwm VS monsterwm and see what are their differences

dwm logo dwm

dwm is a dynamic window manager for X. It manages windows in tiled, monocle and floating layouts. All of the layouts can be applied dynamically, optimising the environment for the application in use and the task performed.

monsterwm logo monsterwm

tiny but monstrous tiling window manager. Contribute to c00kiemon5ter/monsterwm development by creating an account on GitHub.
  • dwm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-12
  • monsterwm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-26

dwm features and specs

  • Lightweight
    dwm is extremely lightweight, resulting in minimal use of system resources. It is designed to have no unnecessary bloat, making it suitable for older hardware or low-spec systems.
  • Customizable
    dwm is highly customizable, with the configuration being done through editing the C source code. This allows for deep customization to meet specific user preferences.
  • Simplicity
    The software is designed with simplicity in mind. It has a straightforward design and a gentle learning curve for users familiar with tiling window managers.
  • Tiling Window Management
    dwm automatically arranges windows in a tiling format, which can help improve productivity by making better use of screen real estate and reducing the need to manually arrange windows.
  • Community Support
    A robust community following and good documentation provide ample support for troubleshooting and extending dwm. Many patches and tips are shared among users.

Possible disadvantages of dwm

  • Steep Initial Learning Curve
    For users not familiar with tiling window managers or who are used to traditional desktop environments, the initial setup and usage might be challenging.
  • Manual Compilation for Configuration
    Configuration changes require editing the source code and recompiling the window manager. This can be inconvenient for users who prefer a dynamic configuration option.
  • Limited Out-of-the-Box Functionality
    dwm does not come with many features available in other window managers by default. Users might need to apply patches or write custom scripts to get additional functionality.
  • Fewer Graphical Tools
    Since dwm focuses on simplicity and minimalism, it lacks graphical configuration tools, which might deter non-technical users or those who prefer GUI-based management.
  • Compatibility
    Some applications may not play well with dwm's tiling mechanism, requiring additional configuration or even the use of floating mode for specific apps.

monsterwm features and specs

  • Lightweight
    monsterwm is designed to be a minimalistic and lightweight window manager, which means it has a small memory footprint and can run efficiently on older or resource-constrained systems.
  • Minimal Dependencies
    It has very few dependencies, which simplifies installation and reduces bloat. This makes it appealing for users who want to maintain a clean and efficient system.
  • Customizable
    Despite its minimal nature, monsterwm is customizable. Users can edit the source code directly to adjust the layout, appearance, and behavior to their liking.
  • Tiling Support
    monsterwm supports various tiling layouts out of the box, providing effective management of open windows and improving workspace organization.

Possible disadvantages of monsterwm

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its minimalistic design, new users might find monsterwm challenging to configure and use, especially if they are accustomed to more feature-rich or user-friendly window managers.
  • Lack of Features
    monsterwm intentionally lacks many features found in other window managers, which might not cater to users who need more comprehensive functionality like integrated status bars or GUI configuration tools.
  • Manual Configuration
    Configuration requires altering the source code and recompiling, which might be daunting for users who are not comfortable with coding.
  • Limited Community and Support
    As a relatively niche project, it has a smaller user base and community, which can result in less available support, documentation, and fewer community-contributed patches or extensions.

dwm videos

dwm (suckless) - why I prefer it to i3 [ricing FreeBSD & OpenBSD]

More videos:

  • Review - Super MINIMALIST tiling window manager - dwm
  • Review - Suckless's dwm: So easy even a caveman could do it!

monsterwm videos

A VERY quick look at MonsterWM

More videos:

  • Review - Window Manager (monsterwm) event

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to dwm and monsterwm)
Linux
100 100%
0% 0
Window Manager
81 81%
19% 19
Tool
0 0%
100% 100
Utilities
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare dwm and monsterwm

dwm Reviews

Top 13 Best Tiling Window Managers For Linux In 2022
Spectrwm is a fast, compact, and brief reparenting and tiling window manager for X11 that is inspired by xmonad and dwm. It was created to address the problems that xmonad and dwm have. Also check Fulfillify alternatives
Source: www.hubtech.org
13 Best Tiling Window Managers for Linux
spectrwm is a small, dynamic, xmonad, and dwm-inspired reparenting and tiling window manager built for X11 to be fast, compact, and concise. It was created with the aim of solving the issues of xmonad and dwm face.
Source: www.tecmint.com
5 Great Tiling Window Managers for Linux
DWM is, well, a dynamic window manager. Tiling isn’t the only way you can manage your windows. It’s also possible to lay the windows out in a floating or monocle style. All modifications to DWM can be done within its source code. Easy keyboard shortcuts allow for a great navigation experience while managing windows.

monsterwm Reviews

We have no reviews of monsterwm yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, dwm seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 67 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

dwm mentions (67)

  • The Future Is Niri
    Hm, I am using [dwm](https://dwm.suckless.org/) with a custom keybinding to shift to the left or right workspace. That seems similar enough, other than the fact that changing the split ratio will affect all workspaces on dwm while on Niri it most likely will not ... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Shifted 3 Shapes – Making a w3M Logo
    I associate this style with the suckless foundation, even though it is distinct from e.g. The dwm logo. https://dwm.suckless.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • AT&T says criminals stole phone records of 'nearly all' customers in data breach
    Https://dwm.suckless.org/ > This keeps its userbase small and elitist.. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Tinygrad 0.9.0
    The only one I can think of the dwm window manager (https://dwm.suckless.org/), that used to prominently mention a SLOC limit of 2000. Doesn't seem to be mentioned in the landing page anymore, not sure if it's still in effect. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Show HN: Hancho – A simple and pleasant build system in ~500 lines of Python
    This is sort of the suckless approach. Most (all?) of their projects are customized by editing the source and recompiling. From their window manager, dwm: dwm is customized through editing its source code, which makes it extremely fast and secure - it does not process any input data which isn't known at compile time, except window titles and status text read from the root window's name. You don't have to learn... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
View more

monsterwm mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of monsterwm yet. Tracking of monsterwm recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing dwm and monsterwm, you can also consider the following products

i3 - A dynamic tiling window manager designed for X11, inspired by wmii, and written in C.

pekwm - pekwm is a window manager that once up on a time was based on the aewm++ window manager, but it has...

bspwm - A tiling window manager based on binary space partitioning

Compiz - Project information. Maintainer: PS Project Management Team. Driver: Compiz Maintainers. Licence: GNU GPL v2, GNU LGPL v2. 1, MIT / X / Expat Licence.

awesome - A dynamic window manager for the X Window System developed in the C and Lua programming languages.

xfdashboard - xfdashboard provides a GMONE shell dashboard like interface for use with the Xfce desktop.