Openbox VS Ratpoison

Compare Openbox VS Ratpoison and see what are their differences

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Openbox

Openbox is a highly configurable, next generation window manager with extensive standards support.

Ratpoison

Ratpoison is a simple window manager with no fat library dependencies, no fancy graphics, no window...

Landing page //
2023-09-06

Landing page //
2018-12-30

Ratpoison

Website: ratpoison.nongnu.org

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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.

Ratpoison features and specs

Minimalistic Design
Ratpoison is a minimalist window manager that requires very little system resources, making it ideal for users seeking a lightweight environment or working on older hardware.
Keyboard Efficiency
It is heavily keyboard-centric, allowing users to manage windows and navigate the system efficiently without lifting their hands off the keyboard, resulting in faster workflows.
Tiling Window Management
Ratpoison automatically tiles windows and avoids overlapping, helping users manage multiple windows simultaneously and making effective use of screen real estate.
No Window Decorations
By not rendering window decorations and borders, Ratpoison maximizes the usable screen space, offering an uncluttered desktop environment.
Customization
Users can customize keybindings and configuration files to tailor Ratpoison to their preferences, offering a personalized and flexible experience.

Possible disadvantages of Ratpoison

Steep Learning Curve
The lack of graphical user interface elements and reliance on keyboard commands can be intimidating for new users, requiring dedicated time to learn and adapt.
Limited Support for GUI
Ratpoison's minimalist approach can mean limited support for graphical applications or desktop environments that rely on complex GUIs, which might not be suitable for all users.
Lack of Visual Appeal
Its minimalist interface may lack the visual polish and modern aesthetics that some users prefer in a window manager.
Sparse Documentation
While basic documentation is available, users may find it insufficient for advanced configuration tasks, often requiring further research or community support.
Not Suitable for All Users
Ratpoison is primarily targeted at power users who appreciate minimalism and efficiency, which may not align with the preferences of users who favor more conventional graphical interfaces.

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

Openbox videos

+ Add

Get Rid Of That Bloated Desktop Environment And Install Openbox

Ratpoison videos

+ Add

Windows 10... or ratpoison?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Openbox and Ratpoison)

Ratpoison

Linux

80 80%

Linux

20% 20

Window Manager

71 71%

Window Manager

29% 29

Utilities

77 77%

Utilities

23% 23

Productivity

54 54%

Productivity

46% 46

User comments

Share your experience with using Openbox and Ratpoison. 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 Openbox and Ratpoison

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.

Source: www.journaldev.com

Ratpoison Reviews

Top 13 Best Tiling Window Managers For Linux In 2022

Ratpoison is a lightweight Window Manager that is free of elaborate visuals, window decorations, and dependencies on other programmes. It is based on the GNU Screen, which is widely used among virtual terminal users.

Source: www.hubtech.org

13 Best Tiling Window Managers for Linux

Ratpoison is a lightweight Window Manager designed to be simple and without fancy graphics, window decorations, or dependence on any other projects. It is modeled after the GNU Screen which is very popular in the virtual terminal community.

Source: www.tecmint.com

5 Great Tiling Window Managers for Linux

Ratpoison is a simple window manager that has “no fat library dependencies”. The developers boast that it has no “fancy graphics” or “decorations” of any kind, just a straight-up tiling window setup. Ratpoison is easy to get around in. All of the interactions with your windows are done with keyboard shortcuts.

Source: www.maketecheasier.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ratpoison seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 3 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.

Openbox mentions (0)

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

Ratpoison mentions (3)

FancyZones fork which maximizes windows properly
- AquaSnap (paid) - https://www.nurgo-software.com/products/aquasnap As a ratpoison [https://ratpoison.nongnu.org/] user, a decade ago, returning to the rigid window management of i3-based window managers, no longer appealed to me. MaxTo provided much of the experience I was looking for, but random crashes when using multiple desktops and my inability to get custom recipes triggering correctly had me look... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
It do be like that tho
Or, the alternative is, use a completely command line operating system. No mouse required, ever. Easy peasy! Or, you could just use ratpoison. Source: almost 4 years ago
Any tips for my first set up?
I actually use an UI that has no taskbar, buttons, icons, etc. It's called ratpoison. I definitely don't think so, but hey, maybe thats what we are seeing here! Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

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

bspwm - A tiling window manager based on binary space partitioning

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.

Fluxbox - Fluxbox is a window manager for X that was based on the Blackbox 0.61.1 code.

qtile - Qtile is a full-featured, hackable tiling window manager written in Python.

Hyprland - Hyprland is a dynamic tiling Wayland compositor that doesn't sacrifice on its looks. - GitHub - vaxerski/Hyprland: Hyprland is a dynamic tiling Wayland compositor that doesn't sacrifice on ...

Hyprland vs Ratpoison