IceWM, while widely used, is one of those window managers that just doesn’t seem to get a lot of press. I’m convinced that this because it does it’s job so well that most user literally forget they’re using it…and this a good thing. Though I still have a soft spot for my favorite window manager (Fluxbox–it was my first minimal wm), IceWM has long been my go-to solution for a lightweight interface without sacrificing a lot of features. Here’s why:

1. It’s Highly customizable. Configure IceWM to act how you want it…from the way the taskbar is laid out (and you don’t even have to have one, if you don’t want it) to keyboard shortcuts to the main menu. And did I mention that all the configuration is done by editing simple text files? Mac users say what you want, but I still think this better and easier than almost any gui.

2. It’s Easily themeable. Drop the theme in ~/.icewm/themes. It automatically appears in the menu. Beautiful!

3. it’s got a familiar interface for non-Linuxy people. I can customize it to my heart’s content, but when my non-Linux friends come over, it’s not a problem. They click “start” and off they go!

4. It has a system tray, so GAIM, Amarok, etc behave the way you want them to. Oh, and did I mention it has built-in support for docking any application to the systray? Yeah. Now that’s useful.

5. It does its job well, so I can do mine. I’ve never had any problems with any feature of IceWM. It’s rock solid, doesn’t crash, and most importantly, it gives me lots of easy ways to manage my open windows. I can specify what workspaces certain applications should start on, I can easy control all window management functions with the keyboard, yet it doesn’t distract me from the task at hand.

For more info, check out this great article from OSNews on IceWM.

What minimal window manager do you use for productivity?

Filed under: Minimal WMs