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Xmonad VS Wayland

Compare Xmonad VS Wayland and see what are their differences

Xmonad logo Xmonad

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

Wayland logo Wayland

Wayland is intended as a simpler replacement for X, easier to develop and maintain.
  • Xmonad Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-01
  • Wayland Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-30

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.

Wayland features and specs

  • Improved Performance
    Wayland provides a more efficient and direct communication between applications and the display server, reducing latency and improving performance by minimizing protocol overhead.
  • Reduced Complexity
    Wayland simplifies the graphical stack by eliminating the need for an X server, reducing the overall complexity and potential for bugs or errors that can arise from more complex architectures.
  • Security Enhancements
    Wayland offers better isolation and security by design, as applications only have access to their own buffers and cannot snoop on input events from other applications.
  • Modern Features
    Wayland supports contemporary features such as high-DPI displays and fractional scaling, providing a better experience on modern devices and screens.
  • Consistency
    Wayland ensures more consistent rendering across different applications, as it standardizes the rendering pipeline and reduces inconsistencies caused by different toolkits trying to work with X11.

Possible disadvantages of Wayland

  • Compatibility Issues
    Wayland is not backward compatible with X11, so older applications that rely on X11-specific features may not work correctly without modification or through compatibility layers like XWayland.
  • Limited Customization
    Some users may find Wayland's reduced ability to configure and customize the windowing system compared to X11 to be a disadvantage, as X11 provides extensive customization options.
  • Driver Support
    Wayland's functionality can be limited by the availability and maturity of graphics drivers, as driver support is crucial for optimal performance and features.
  • Adoption and Maturity
    While many applications and environments are moving towards Wayland, it is still relatively newer and may lack the maturity and extensive ecosystem of X11, affecting its adoption in some distributions.
  • Feature Parity
    As Wayland continues to develop, some advanced features available in X11 might not be fully implemented yet, possibly affecting power users who rely on them for their workflows.

Analysis of Xmonad

Overall verdict

  • Xmonad is highly regarded within the Linux and BSD communities, especially among users who prefer or don't mind configuring their environments through coding. It is considered a reliable tool for those who value efficiency and are comfortable with or interested in writing Haskell code for customization. While it has a steep learning curve due to the necessity of understanding Haskell for complex configurations, its performance and flexibility make it a strong choice for the right user.

Why this product is good

  • Xmonad is a dynamically tiling window manager written in Haskell, known for its minimalism, stability, and high customization options. It efficiently manages windows and is ideal for keyboard-driven workflows. Users appreciate its lightweight nature and ability to extend its functionality through Haskell scripts. Being a tiling window manager, it automatically organizes windows to make the best use of screen space, which can significantly enhance productivity for power users.

Recommended for

  • Developers and programmers who appreciate Haskell or are interested in learning more about it.
  • Linux or BSD users seeking a highly customizable and efficient window manager.
  • Power users who prefer or are comfortable with keyboard-driven interfaces and have the willingness to spend time configuring their setup.
  • Users who value system performance and resource efficiency, as Xmonad uses minimal system resources.

Xmonad videos

Xmonad Review

More videos:

  • Review - Hacking on Xmonad - GridSelect, ToggleStruts, ToggleBorders
  • Review - Obscure Window Manager Project - Xmonad

Wayland videos

WAYLAND: what is it, and is it ready for daily use?

More videos:

  • Review - Testing Wayland & Weston desktop experience in 2020!
  • Review - Wayland vs Xorg | Learn which one to choose

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Xmonad and Wayland)
Window Manager
64 64%
36% 36
Linux
63 63%
37% 37
Utilities
67 67%
33% 33
Productivity
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 Xmonad and Wayland

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).

Wayland Reviews

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Wayland should be more popular than Xmonad. It has been mentiond 24 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.

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 / 4 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
View more

Wayland mentions (24)

  • Debian KDE: Right Linux distribution for professional digital painting in 2024
    Wayland is flawless for what it claims to do. The issue is you can't replace X Org with Wayland, you can only use Wayland combined with other software to replace X Org. This is the biggest issue with Wayland: "Wayland is a replacement for the X11 window system protocol,"[0] but you can't actually replace x11 with it. What they should have done is make sure all the features that x11 had were supported by Wayland.... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Session manager Anbox
    Waydroid is rebuilding the original idea behind Anbox with explicit focus on modern Wayland powered desktop environments. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Asahi Linux To Users: Please Stop Using X.Org
    Checkout out the wayland site.( https://wayland.freedesktop.org/ ) The gist is wayland is a protocol that describes how compositor implementations need to behave for clients to use them and clients need to behave according to the waylaid protocol to use the compositor. There are many different compositors. The wayland contributors have a full usable implementation. Gnome has one and I believe KDE has one. So if... Source: about 2 years ago
  • Swingland: Recreating Java Swing for Wayland
    More recently I switched away from X11 & Budgie to pure Wayland for my desktop on the assumption that it's over 10 years old now, and is the default technology underlying current Gnome and KDE desktops.. Everything will be fine right? Kind of.. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Linux is Making Apple Great Again
    Wayland is not a WM. https://wayland.freedesktop.org Wayland is the thing "underneath" a Window Manager. For example you can run KDE on top of X or Wayland. There are a few blurry boundaries in all this but that largely covers it. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Xmonad and Wayland, you can also consider the following products

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.

Mir - The purpose of Mir is to enable the development of user interfaces shells.

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

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

Y Window System - Y Window System is a platform that allows you to improve the speed, working, and efficiency of the application in your operating system and helps you to increase the responsiveness of applications similar to any locally based app.

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