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<H2><A NAME="Heading1"></A><FONT COLOR="#000077">Chapter 7<BR>Window Managers
</FONT></H2>
<P>A <I>window manager</I> controls the interface when you launch the X Window System in the form of XFree86. It controls the shape of the windows and the form of the scrollbars, allocates memory, and oversees applications.</P>
<P>The default window manager for most distributions of Linux, including Slackware Linux, is <B>fvwm</B>. (No, <B>fvwm</B> doesn’t stand for anything.) Basically, <B>fvwm</B> has some things in common with the Motif Window Manager (which we’ll cover a little later), but there are enough differences to deter any interest from copyright attorneys. Other window managers found with Slackware Linux are the Open Look Window Manager (<B>olwm</B>), based on the OpenWindows interface from Sun Microsystems; the Tab Window Manager (<B>twm</B>), and the <B>fvwm-95</B> window manager, which mimics the Windows 95 interface. The <B>fvwm</B>, <B>olwm</B>, and <B>twm</B> window managers are shown in Figures 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3, respectively.</P>
<P><A NAME="Fig1"></A><A HREF="javascript:displayWindow('images/07-01.jpg',154,158 )"><IMG SRC="images/07-01t.jpg"></A>
<BR><A HREF="javascript:displayWindow('images/07-01.jpg',154,158)"><FONT COLOR="#000077"><B>Figure 7.1</B></FONT></A> The fvwm window manager.</P>
<P><A NAME="Fig2"></A><A HREF="javascript:displayWindow('images/07-02.jpg',146,153 )"><IMG SRC="images/07-02t.jpg"></A>
<BR><A HREF="javascript:displayWindow('images/07-02.jpg',146,153)"><FONT COLOR="#000077"><B>Figure 7.2</B></FONT></A> The olwm window manager.</P>
<P><A NAME="Fig3"></A><A HREF="javascript:displayWindow('images/07-03.jpg',141,157 )"><IMG SRC="images/07-03t.jpg"></A>
<BR><A HREF="javascript:displayWindow('images/07-03.jpg',141,157)"><FONT COLOR="#000077"><B>Figure 7.3</B></FONT></A> The twm window manager.</P>
<P>As you can tell from the figures, each window manager presents windows on the screen differently. All have menus at the top left of the screen, all have titlebars that present a description of the application, all have scrollbars, and all have handles at the corners that resize the window. Beyond that, however, there are some look-and-feel differences that don’t necessarily affect the applications but might affect how you interact with the application.
</P>
<P>In addition to the aforementioned window managers, most Linux distributions—including Slackware Linux—have <I>virtual window managers</I> that present a desktop larger than the average screen size. These virtual screens tend to eat up a lot of RAM because the unseen portions of the screen are still drawn to video memory. (This doesn’t apply to <B>fvwm</B>, which uses a different method for storing unseen portions of the desktop.)</P>
<P>These no-cost window managers differ from the commercial arena, where the Motif Window Manager (<B>mwm</B>) reigns, either directly or through its implementation in the Common Desktop Environment (CDE). Because <B>mwm</B> is commercial software, it is not available via Linux or XFree86, although many third-party vendors, such as Metro Link, offer the Motif libraries and <B>mwm</B> for a fee.</P>
<P>There’s a drawback to using a window manager: They tend to suck up a lot of memory. The X Window System was designed for RAM-jammed workstations and isn’t as efficient as it could be. You should plan to devote at least 4MB of RAM just for using the X Window System. This situation improves somewhat with XFree86, which uses shared libraries to cut down on memory usage. In addition, <B>fvwm</B> is the most memory-efficient window manager available, using about half the memory of <B>twm</B>.</P>
<P>We’re not going to spend a lot of time explaining window managers; the best way to learn about a window manager is to play around with it. If you need more information, check out the Bibliography for a list of other Linux texts.</P>
<H3><A NAME="Heading2"></A><FONT COLOR="#000077">Working with a Window</FONT></H3>
<P>When you look at Figure 7.1, you can see that a window can be broken down into a few basic elements. There’s a three-dimensional shading to the window. On the sides of the window are bars, with corner elements called <I>frames</I> used to resize the window. In addition, there’s a titlebar on the top of the window that displays the title of the window.</P>
<P>To move the window, place the cursor over the titlebar or the side bars, press the first mouse button, and drag the window to its new location.</P>
<P>There are two buttons beside the titlebar. The left button calls a menu that can be used to move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window. The button on the right turns the window into an icon.</P>
<H3><A NAME="Heading3"></A><FONT COLOR="#000077">Command-Line Options</FONT></H3>
<P>Here are the command-line options supported by <B>fvwm</B>:</P>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%"><TR>
<TH WIDTH="30%" ALIGN="LEFT">Option
<TH WIDTH="70%" ALIGN="LEFT">Result
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="TOP"><B>-d <I>displayname</I></B>
<TD>Works with <I>displayname</I> instead of the default displayname, stored in the environment variable $DISPLAY.
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="TOP"><B>-debug</B>
<TD>Works in debugging (synchronous) mode, useful for generating accurate error messages.
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="TOP"><B>-f <I>config_file</I></B>
<TD>Uses <I>config_file</I> instead of the default <B>.fvwmrc</B> configuration file.
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="TOP"><B>-s</B>
<TD>Limits <B>fvwm</B> to one screen in a multiscreen display, as set with the <B>-d</B> option.
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="TOP"><B>-no-m4FP</B>
<TD>Overrides m4 from preprocessing the <B>.fvwmrc</B> configuration file.
<TR>
<TD><B>-m4-prefix</B>
<TD>Prefixes all built-in commands with <I>m4_</I>.
<TR>
<TD><B>-m4opt <I>option</I></B>
<TD>Passes <I>option</I> to m4.
</TABLE>
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