5 ms·

You know that there's multiple virtual desktops, right?

kstenerud 8y ago
... which doesn't solve the underlying problem. I don't want to switch to a different desktop, such that my text editor window disappears and my terminal appears. I want them both on the same screen, along with my browser which points to a SO answer, in big sizes. In a normal window manager, this is accomplished by making them all big and then either overlapping them in ways that makes it easy to click on them, or just alt-tab. In a tiling window manager, this doesn't seem possible as far as I've been able to tell.
- mattbreeden 8y ago
  I can't tell if you were aware by your comments, but in a tiling window manager you don't have to have everything visible all the time. They all have modes that hide windows behind others and allow you to swap between them the same as alt-tab. Many of them also have the option to 'float' the windows as a normal non tiling window manager would.
  - kstenerud 8y ago
    But then I fail to see what benefit it's giving me to be a tiling window manager?
    - lfms_dotfile 8y ago
      That's simply an option, because the devs recognize that not everything adheres well to a tiling workflow. It's not intended to be the primary mode of operation. I personally almost never use floating mode.
    - ozzyman700 8y ago
      Better default window behavior. I do not need to use a mouse with i3.
      - kstenerud 8y ago
        That's another point of difference, then. I love the mouse! And the default window behavior is appealing to me.
- the_gipsy 8y ago
  So you want to go to an app. You just hope that some corner is peeking out of that huge unsorted pile of windows. You call that good UX or is it just a formed habit?
  - kstenerud 8y ago
    Precisely. I arrange them such that I can click in the corner I need to get what I want, and then alt-tab between them, or click for the specific one I want if I need to jump. Then I get big real estate, and easy access. I call that good UX because it works well for me.
    - the_gipsy 8y ago
      I don't think it's "easy access" nor "big real estate". But to each their own.
    - lfms_dotfile 8y ago
      You can enable tabbed mode for a split (or the entire screen) in i3/Sway with a single keypress-- it produces the same effect as what you describe, just automated. edit: You can also use something like rofi to fuzzy search for windows and quickly jump to them, instead of alt+tabbing.
  - hnra 8y ago
    There are more ways than clicking a window to give it focus. Alt-Tab being the obvious once but also Win+{Nr} on Windows if I recall correctly.
    - the_gipsy 8y ago
      Alt-tab works fine as "go back to last window", but that could just be a specific shortcut. Using it to cycle through a pile of apps shown as icons or screenshots is terrible UX, IMHO.
- black-tea 8y ago
  > In a tiling window manager, this doesn't seem possible as far as I've been able to tell. It's not and it completely defeats the purpose of it. Sounds like you shouldn't use a tiling window manager.
- kingaillas 8y ago
  I love tiling window managers. I spent way too much time in non-tiling managers optimizing window sizes and so on - basically my 80% usage is to split the screen in half, one app on the left, one on the right. This is basically what I do at work on a Windows system, using the drag-to-left and drag-to-right. For your example case, I'd split the screen with my editor taking up the left half, the split the right half into upper and lower, with SO answer in top half and terminal in bottom half. That's the quick and easy split, I could also fiddle with resizing (using arrow keys) the split a bit left/right or up/down. This gets the info all visible at the same time, without clicking or tabbing to bring one window at a time to the top. The usage I described above is what I do on my work machine using i3. I'm gonna try out sway now that it's 1.0!

... which doesn't solve the underlying problem. I don't want to switch to a different desktop, such that my text editor window disappears and my terminal appears. I want them both on the same screen, along with my browser which points to a SO answer, in big sizes. In a normal window manager, this is accomplished by making them all big and then either overlapping them in ways that makes it easy to click on them, or just alt-tab. In a tiling window manager, this doesn't seem possible as far as I've been able to tell.

mattbreeden 8y ago
I can't tell if you were aware by your comments, but in a tiling window manager you don't have to have everything visible all the time. They all have modes that hide windows behind others and allow you to swap between them the same as alt-tab. Many of them also have the option to 'float' the windows as a normal non tiling window manager would.
- kstenerud 8y ago
  But then I fail to see what benefit it's giving me to be a tiling window manager?
  - lfms_dotfile 8y ago
    That's simply an option, because the devs recognize that not everything adheres well to a tiling workflow. It's not intended to be the primary mode of operation. I personally almost never use floating mode.
  - ozzyman700 8y ago
    Better default window behavior. I do not need to use a mouse with i3.
    - kstenerud 8y ago
      That's another point of difference, then. I love the mouse! And the default window behavior is appealing to me.
the_gipsy 8y ago
So you want to go to an app. You just hope that some corner is peeking out of that huge unsorted pile of windows. You call that good UX or is it just a formed habit?
- kstenerud 8y ago
  Precisely. I arrange them such that I can click in the corner I need to get what I want, and then alt-tab between them, or click for the specific one I want if I need to jump. Then I get big real estate, and easy access. I call that good UX because it works well for me.
  - the_gipsy 8y ago
    I don't think it's "easy access" nor "big real estate". But to each their own.
  - lfms_dotfile 8y ago
    You can enable tabbed mode for a split (or the entire screen) in i3/Sway with a single keypress-- it produces the same effect as what you describe, just automated. edit: You can also use something like rofi to fuzzy search for windows and quickly jump to them, instead of alt+tabbing.
- hnra 8y ago
  There are more ways than clicking a window to give it focus. Alt-Tab being the obvious once but also Win+{Nr} on Windows if I recall correctly.
  - the_gipsy 8y ago
    Alt-tab works fine as "go back to last window", but that could just be a specific shortcut. Using it to cycle through a pile of apps shown as icons or screenshots is terrible UX, IMHO.
black-tea 8y ago
> In a tiling window manager, this doesn't seem possible as far as I've been able to tell. It's not and it completely defeats the purpose of it. Sounds like you shouldn't use a tiling window manager.
kingaillas 8y ago
I love tiling window managers. I spent way too much time in non-tiling managers optimizing window sizes and so on - basically my 80% usage is to split the screen in half, one app on the left, one on the right. This is basically what I do at work on a Windows system, using the drag-to-left and drag-to-right. For your example case, I'd split the screen with my editor taking up the left half, the split the right half into upper and lower, with SO answer in top half and terminal in bottom half. That's the quick and easy split, I could also fiddle with resizing (using arrow keys) the split a bit left/right or up/down. This gets the info all visible at the same time, without clicking or tabbing to bring one window at a time to the top. The usage I described above is what I do on my work machine using i3. I'm gonna try out sway now that it's 1.0!