Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Ly VS Openbox

Compare Ly VS Openbox and see what are their differences

Ly logo Ly

TUI (ncurses-like) display manager

Openbox logo Openbox

Openbox is a highly configurable, next generation window manager with extensive standards support.
  • Ly Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-23
  • Openbox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-06

Ly features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Ly is a lightweight display manager designed to be simple and efficient, with low resource consumption compared to other display managers.
  • Console-based
    Since it runs in the console, Ly does not require a graphical environment to operate, which can be advantageous for systems with limited resources or users preferring a minimal setup.
  • Customization
    Ly allows for a high degree of customization, enabling users to adjust its configuration to meet their specific needs and preferences.
  • Fast
    Due to its simplicity and minimal dependencies, Ly offers a fast startup and login experience.
  • Supports Wayland
    Ly includes support for Wayland, making it versatile for users who choose to use Wayland over X11.

Possible disadvantages of Ly

  • Limited Features
    Compared to more feature-rich display managers, Ly may lack certain functionalities, such as session management and advanced graphical configurations.
  • Console Operation
    Being console-based, Ly might be less intuitive for users who are accustomed to graphical user interfaces, requiring familiarity with command-line operations.
  • Manual Configuration
    Ly often requires manual configuration for some settings, which may not be as user-friendly for those unfamiliar with configuration files.
  • Niche User Base
    Due to its minimalistic nature and specific use case, Ly has a more niche user base, which can result in less community support and documentation compared to mainstream solutions.

Openbox features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Openbox is a highly efficient window manager that requires minimal system resources, making it an excellent choice for older hardware or systems with limited resources.
  • Customizable
    Openbox offers extensive customization options, allowing users to tailor the look and feel of their desktop environment to their specific preferences.
  • Fast Performance
    Due to its lightweight nature, Openbox provides fast and responsive performance, resulting in quicker application launches and smoother overall desktop experience.
  • Comprehensive Keybindings
    Openbox supports complex keybindings, enabling power users to create efficient workflow setups through keyboard shortcuts.
  • Extensible
    Openbox can work seamlessly with other tools and additional software, allowing users to extend its capabilities with tools like panels, widgets, and additional plugins.

Possible disadvantages of Openbox

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Openbox requires a more hands-on approach and can be challenging for beginners to set up and configure due to its extensive customization options.
  • Limited Out-of-the-box Features
    Unlike full desktop environments, Openbox does not come with many built-in features, requiring users to install and configure additional software to achieve a fully functional desktop.
  • No Desktop Icons by Default
    Openbox does not support desktop icons natively, so users need to rely on additional tools like 'xfdesktop' or 'pcmanfm' to add this functionality.
  • Minimalistic Appearance
    While some users appreciate the minimalistic look, others might find it too bare-bones compared to more feature-rich environments like GNOME or KDE.
  • Manual Configuration
    Most customizations in Openbox require editing configuration files manually, which can be time-consuming and error-prone for users unfamiliar with text-based configurations.

Analysis of Openbox

Overall verdict

  • Openbox is a great choice for users seeking a lightweight and highly customizable window management solution. Its performance benefits on lower-end hardware and flexibility make it a valuable tool for power users and enthusiasts alike.

Why this product is good

  • Openbox is a highly configurable and lightweight window manager for the X Window System. It's known for its speed and simplicity, allowing users to control their desktop environment efficiently. It provides a blank canvas for users wanting to customize their workspace, making it ideal for those who prefer a minimalist setup or have limited system resources. The configuration is done through plain text files, offering flexibility for advanced users who wish to personalize their user experience meticulously.

Recommended for

  • Advanced users looking for customization options
  • Users with older or less powerful hardware
  • Minimalists who prefer a robust yet simplistic interface
  • Linux enthusiasts who enjoy configuring their desktop environment
  • Developers and programmers who want a distraction-free workspace

Ly videos

Đồ Bạn Thích Ly Review 😜♡ REVIEW Subscriber Best Beauty Favorites ♡ Pretty.Much

More videos:

  • Review - Bắp Nướng Cát Thy Diva Review Ly Bắp Đầu Tiên Giáng Tiên Khai Trương l vlogs trúc ngân

Openbox videos

Get Rid Of That Bloated Desktop Environment And Install Openbox

More videos:

  • Review - Manjaro Openbox: First Impressions and Review
  • Tutorial - Openbox V8S Review- How to get Free TV!!!
  • Review - Open Box Review (Bx8 M-Audio Speakers) #Openbox #SpeakerReview
  • Review - Openbox A1 - Review
  • Review - OPEN BOX - @ikmultimedia TONEX #fyp #opening #openbox #review #guitar

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ly and Openbox)
Linux
25 25%
75% 75
PHP Framework
100 100%
0% 0
Window Manager
0 0%
100% 100
Operating Systems
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 Ly and Openbox

Ly Reviews

We have no reviews of Ly yet.
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Openbox Reviews

Top 10 Best Desktop Environments in 2020
People who’re deep into Linux, love Openbox’s simplicity. It’s extremely lightweight, and comes with only a text-based right-click menu that lists all your applications. The menu is customizable too, and you can add scripts or functions within the menu as a link.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ly seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 7 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.

Ly mentions (7)

  • Ly display manager issues!
    After building & installing ly demonstrate manager (https://github.com/nullgemm/ly) I can't‏‏‎‏‏‎‏‏‎‏‏‎­seem to start it as there is no entry in /etc/sv to start. I then came across this: https://github.com/drozdowsky/ly-void. A build of ly that supports runit & sure enough it has a service to start however when I restart my pc and ly display manager starts, even with the right credentials it does not log in, only... Source: about 3 years ago
  • Bloated base install?
    I definitely know what you mean; I used to use ly (and haven't been able to figure out how to write a package/service for it, yet) and would love to use that, again. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Display Managers and TTY
    Yes, actually! Ly is a console-based display manager that allows you to select your login target between any of the standard sessions (KDEs, GNOMEs, and what have you), explicit launching of .xinitrc, or just dropping straight into terminal. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Which DE do you prefer?
    What DM are you using? I tried to compile both ly-void and normal ly according to this guide. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • i feel deeply betrayed.
    On the github page there is an instruction to build it manually, but idk whether that works on fedora :/. Source: about 4 years ago
View more

Openbox mentions (0)

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

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ly and Openbox, you can also consider the following products

LightDM - A lightweight display manager

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

SDDM - QML based X11 and Wayland display manager. Contribute to sddm/sddm development by creating an account on GitHub.

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.

CDM - Console Display Manager. Contribute to evertiro/cdm development by creating an account on GitHub.

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