dwm VS Xmonad

Compare dwm VS Xmonad and see what are their differences

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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.

Xmonad

xmonad is a dynamically tiling X11 window manager that is written and configured in Haskell.

Landing page //
2021-09-12

Landing page //
2022-04-01

dwm

Website: dwm.suckless.org
$ Details: -

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Xmonad

Website: xmonad.org
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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.

Xmonad features and specs

Highly Customizable
Xmonad is written in Haskell and allows for extensive customization. Users can write custom configurations and extensions to tailor the window manager to their exact needs.
Efficient and Minimalist
Xmonad is designed to be efficient and lightweight. It uses minimal system resources, making it ideal for older hardware or systems where performance is a priority.
Keyboard-Centric
Xmonad is optimized for keyboard operation, providing a highly efficient and fast way to manage windows without relying on a mouse, which can improve productivity.
Tiling Window Manager
As a tiling window manager, Xmonad automatically arranges windows to use screen space efficiently, reducing the need to manually resize and position windows.
Stable and Reliable
Xmonad is known for its stability and reliability, with a strong track record of stable releases and robust performance.

Possible disadvantages of Xmonad

Steep Learning Curve
New users may find Xmonad difficult to learn due to its reliance on Haskell for customization and a lack of graphical configuration tools.
Limited Out-of-the-Box Functionality
Xmonad comes with a very basic setup by default, requiring significant configuration and customization to fully utilize its capabilities.
Haskell Knowledge Required
Customization of Xmonad requires knowledge of Haskell, which can be a barrier for users unfamiliar with the language.
Sparse Community and Documentation
Compared to more popular window managers, Xmonad has a smaller community and less extensive documentation, which can make troubleshooting and learning more challenging.
Not Newbie-Friendly
Xmonad is not the most user-friendly option for beginners. Its lack of GUI tools and reliance on command-line configuration can be intimidating for new users.

dwm videos

+ Add

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

Xmonad videos

+ Add

Xmonad Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to dwm and Xmonad)

dwm

Xmonad

Linux

67 67%

Linux

33% 33

Window Manager

62 62%

Window Manager

38% 38

Utilities

62 62%

Utilities

38% 38

Productivity

61 61%

Productivity

39% 39

User comments

Share your experience with using dwm and Xmonad. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews

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

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.

Source: www.maketecheasier.com

Xmonad Reviews

Top 13 Best Tiling Window Managers For Linux In 2022

XMonad is a dynamic tiling X11 window manager that allows you to automate window finding and alignment. It may be customised with its own extension library, which includes choices for status bars and window decorations. It’s also simple to set up, stable, and minimal.

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

Xmonad is a tiling window manager written in Haskell. Like most (if not all) window managers, it comes with no frills or window decorations. The keyboard shortcuts are top notch. It works out-of-the-box and is very user friendly. On top of all that, Xmonad sports a fairly big extension library (which can add on even more functionality).

Source: www.maketecheasier.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, dwm should be more popular than Xmonad. 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

Xmonad mentions (15)

Rubywm: An X11 window manager in pure Ruby
If you want tiling, but i3 requires too much manual work, you might like the more managed layouts that are the default in XMonad: https://xmonad.org/ XMonad works fine with multiple monitors. Each monitor displays one of the many virtual desktops. The normal keys for desktops and for windows work pretty intuitively with multiple monitors. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
[Media] shrs: a shell that is configurable and extensible in rust
Hey everyone 👋 ! I'm currently working on a rust library for building and configuring your own shell! It's inspired by projects like xmonad and penrose where the configuration of the program is done in code. This means that for example, instead of using Bash's arcane syntax for configuring the prompt, it can be configured instead using a rust builder pattern! The project itself is still at a very young stage, so... Source: about 2 years ago
What LaTeX setup do you use?
There are a few other things I could mention, but there are more like side issues, and not relevant to my actual LaTeX setup. First and foremost—and thus perhaps noteworthy after all—is bibliography management with arxiv-citation (see here for more words). This is integrated very well with the XMonad window manager, which makes it even more of a joy to use. Source: about 2 years ago
How to map arrows keys to CapsLock+(h,i,j,k) shortcuts in i3
Another way to do it (and works on Linux and other platforms) is with XMonad, defining Caps Lock as a layer key. Source: almost 3 years ago
Can ISTP like abstract things and theories?
I tried it once, it was alright. https://xmonad.org/ But I prefer to build my own. Source: almost 3 years ago