The Dank Case for Scrolling Window Managers
7 days ago
- #Linux
- #Window Managers
- #User Experience
- The author discusses their early adoption of PaperWM, a GNOME extension that introduced a scrolling window manager, which they consider a real innovation in windowed computing.
- PaperWM evolved from an experiment to a robust extension, inspiring a MacOS version, but was limited by its integration with GNOME's complex and prescriptive interface.
- Niri, a new window manager, is gaining popularity by focusing on sliding windows, similar to how Hyprland popularized tiling windows, but requires user customization through config files.
- Dank Linux and DankMaterialShell offer a more user-friendly approach with pre-configured tools and a Material design interface, aiming to simplify the setup process for Wayland-based window managers.
- DankMaterialShell is highly extensible and customizable, with a growing feature set including a screenshot tool, plugins, and a theming system.
- The author tested a custom build of Dank Linux on Bazzite, encountering some glitches but overall finding it a promising step forward for desktop Linux.
- The article also mentions other projects like Noctalia and tools like DGOP and dsearch that enhance the user experience.
- The author concludes that Dank Linux represents a flexible, customizable, and approachable option for desktop Linux users.