So for a long time pretty much every computer used the traditional like windows layout with moveable windows that minimized or maximized and had a taskbar and start menu and whatnot. You had some minor changes with Mac and stuff, but now you can really have some radically different ways to use a computer.
Personally I have differing preferences if I’m using a laptop or a desktop.
On my desktop I prefer a dock and to use the mouse to click around. More of the windows style. Then on a laptop (which I use most often) I use a heavily gesture based navigation.
Currently I have Gnome modified so that when I am in a program, like the web browser I’m in typing this, it is full screen. The top bar is hidden, and there’s no dock of any kind. Not even one that pops up when I move the mouse to the edge of the screen. Instead I have everything for navigation hidden inside the task view. I swipe up on the trackpad with 3 fingers to bring it up. That’s how I see time, battery life, and the other topbar stuff too. If switching quickly between two things I put one of them in a 2nd desktop and use a 3 finger side swipe to move back and forth.
I’m curious to know what other unique or highly custom navigation methods people are using on Linux. I know tiling window managers are pretty popular. Is there a general consensus on what’s best these days? Or is everyone doing slightly different things?
Ever since I tried tiling window managers, I can’t go back to traditional style of handling windows anymore. Nowadays I’m on KDE, but I use extensions to automatically tile every window I open and close. Single applications are stretched to fullscreen, and every opened up window would then scale the applications to half screen and so on. There are different logics and algorithms (known as layouts) how this can work. Multi virtual desktops are a must with this philosophy, when opening and grouping multiple applications. In general automatic tiling (with manual intervention and rules for specific windows) does have its own problems sometimes.
Recently, and I mean since yesterday, I changed the philosophy to a different philosophy. I’m currently on an endless tiler, where windows are opened up and can be scrolled from left to right on the screen. The most prominent of these type of window managers would be Niri, but I use an extension on KDE to emulate this behavior.
What do you think of niri? I think i’m of a similar mind. I switched to i3 10ish years ago, and could never go back to a floating WM. Now on sway and am perfectly content with my workflow. I’m curious to try out niri, but haven’t really been that motivated to try it.
First, two days ago there there was a post that might interest you (BTW I still don’t get how to link properly in Lemmy): https://lemmy.ml/post/53788147 - Opinions on Niri (and scrollable window managers)?
I always found Niri intriguing. But never tried this type of window managing, because two reasons: a) if windows are layed out out of my view, I still have to scroll or search otherwise, so it is it really a win against floating windows? At least this was my thought process, and b) the automatic tiling is in my flesh and blood, not sure how this would affect me as my thinking and every operation is hard wired to it. But tiling of windows comes with their own problems as you know.
Opening a window that is basically fullscreen or its own size without getting tiled, has its pros. I don’t use Niri, but the KDE extension “Karousel” works pretty well so far. I can still float single window or put them in a stack, or tile (up and bottom part of a group), and I still have my multiple desktops. So it’s a bit weird at the moment, but maybe just need time to get used to it and to rewire some of my brain. It’s too early to talk about experience and what issues could popup. This is my current situation and thoughts about the Niri concept (just not Niri directly).