Fixing Java apps within TWM’s using wmname

Just a short update on my quest with tiling window managers:

If you’ve ever had to use a Java app within a tiling window manager like dwm, you’ve probably come across AWT_TOOLKIT=MToolkit. As dwm’s man page elegantly puts it, using this environment variable instructs Java to use an older toolkit to “fix” issues with grey windows and other oddly behaved GUI elements as a result of using XAWT.

However, in my experience, using MToolkit also produces inconsistencies, so thankfully another method also exists: wmname. Stumbling across this utility within the Problems with Java page of awesome’s wiki (and within their mailing list) this tool seems to fix the aforementioned problems.

Just download and compile  the tiny app and have it launch within your .xinitrc as so:

wmname LG3D

and Java apps should be working as normal again!

To TWM devs: please help promote wmname for new users, until Sun decide that they want to fix this themselves

Tiling Window Managers reprise

Previously, I wrote about a newcomer’s experience with so-called Tiling Window Managers (TWM’s). Some of the criticisms I highlighted were:

• Most TWM’s are presented with an emphasis (and perhaps synonymous use) with terminal (CLI) apps
• TWM’s seem to work best when they are used on high-resolution, widescreen monitors
• Making regular use of tags/workspaces (and swapping between them) is the only way to effeciently manage your workflow

Perhaps unsuprisingly (and with a few months more road-testing), I’m back to revoke my uneducated view of TWM’s!

I’m a KISS advocate, especially as this equates to optimising the most from (old) hardware and so maybe, I lost sight of this slightly by diving into the not so-awesome. It’s still in baby-stages, true, but I ditched desktop environments years ago I was on the lookout for something leaner, KISS’er and more importantly easier to use. Then I makepkg -efi found dwm.

dwm, being the grounding for many TWM’s, originally seemed an outdated choice at first, but I’m tied to it. Being a first-year programmer, the C config file didn’t seem that scary; the simple, straight-forward usage patterns and importantly the tiny memory footprint (even less than OpenBox in my brief tests) all set it apart from awesome.

Now to address those three looming bullet points above…

Most TWM’s are presented with an emphasis (and perhaps synonymous use) with terminal (CLI) apps

This point is still valid unfortunately, but not to the extent of my first impression. Making use of a combination of different layouts, float settings and effective tagging doesn’t mean you’ll always have to be stuck with the halated terminal. Even still, the terminal, in some cases, can be much more efficient than GUI counterparts and it gives you a reason to learn some more of those cryptic command words.

TWM’s seem to work best when they are used on high-resolution, widescreen monitors

Again, although it tends to be more of an enjoyable experience with lots of screenspace, once you’ve tried the automatic window placement of TWM’s, it’s hard to go back. It will make you adopt a more productive workflow, for example, I’m using Opera here in ERA mode to write this post, while having my original up side-by-side without any dreaded horizontal scroll-bars. A hugely underused feature of Opera in my opinion and one that will deservedly have a blog post dedicated to it soon.

A side-by-side, vertical view of two webpages using Opera and dwm.

Making regular use of tags/workspaces (and swapping between them) is the only way to effeciently manage your workflow

Looking back it this, it’s less of a disopinion than I first thought. Think about it, the equivalent to this in floating window managers is heavy use of ALT+TAB. TWM’s with tagging/workspaces allow you to group similar programs or allow launching of programs to specific tags; a more efficient system once you’ve learnt it.

If you haven’t already, I urge you to take a look at TWM’s — if you like to keep it clean and simple, check out dwm; if your in need of more features and don’t mind installing a few dependencies, try xmonad. Once you’ve mastered them, a TWM can have great effects on improving your workflow!

Tiling Window Managers

Being brought up with using (what I now know to be called) Floating window mangers during the short-sighted days of “that other operating-system”, it was only natural to try out what all the cool kids are using: a Tiling window manager.

Reasearching in all the usual places, the stand-out solution here has to be awesome. Apart for it’s frankly stupid and awkward name, it boasts a nice array of features, with a firm grounding of being a fork of dwm.

With a good few months road-testing however, I’ve reached the conclusion that I wont be persuing awesome (and other tiling window managers)…yet.

Being comfortable and accustomed to the workings of “floating” window managers, you could say, brings about bad habits, but the flexability of them wins in my opinion. Awesome is just that if your a mouse hating, terminal junkie (or perhaps own a screen bigger than your desk).

Think about it; almost all the screenshots you see of tiling window managers dipict a mass of glowing text filling the screen of terminals, rarely do you see ones with GUI apps crushed up into scrollbar-ridden tiny boxes.

This highlights their target use: if you use a lot of terminal (CLI) apps, then a tiling window manager like awesome might just be what your after. If your somewhat sane and ever browsed the web in anything but text-based browsers (how people cope with things like Lynx is beyond me) however, you’ll be used to the fact the most websites these days are designed for at-least 1024×768 resolution.

This is where tiling window managers fail; when applications need at-least a certain minimum screen-space to be useable. Unless you have a hugely high-resolution screen, things get so impractical and inconvenient to work with, you’ll wished you stuck with a standard widow manager OpenBox.

You could begin to customise the workings of awesome as to make sure these apps are always set to float or are on an idependant tag (workspace), but you’ll start loosing control and will constantly be swapping between tags just to use a certain app (and let’s not get into trying to customise awesome anyway!)

So in conclusion, unless you can make use of that shiny new 24″ or are tied to the terminal, after giving them a fair try, you’ll probably find yourself come out the other end using what you already did — why not save yourself some time and tweak your current window manager to adopt some of the best features of tiling window managers anyway?