A tiling window manager can be a wonder of productivity and efficiency.
Click to open an app, and the window manager will place that app in the best possible location on your desktop. Say you click the Firefox icon with nothing on your display. A tiling window manager will automatically open a maximized Firefox window, such that it takes up the entire screen. Then, you might want to open Spotify, at which point the window manager will move Firefox to the left side of the screen, and Spotify will take up the right half. Open a terminal window, and it might split the right side of the display with Spotify.
When you want to navigate from app to app, move a window, etc., you use keyboard shortcuts.
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And that, my friends, is the complexity of tiling window managers: you have to learn a lot of keyboard shortcuts. On top of that, some tiling window managers require you to configure things via a text file. Instead of having System Settings for the desktop, it’s all done manually. That’s another complication you don’t want, especially when you’re just learning the ropes of tiling window managers.
The best tiling manager for beginners
Let’s start with the most popular tiling window manager: i3. I’ve used i3, and it’s pretty amazing in its efficiency and speed. i3 is also not very user-friendly. In fact, I would never recommend i3 for someone who’s only just become curious about this type of desktop interface. I can only imagine someone new to tiling window managers hopping onto i3, spending about five minutes, and giving up.
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That would be a shame, especially when there’s a tiling window manager option that is much better suited for those who’ve never experienced this type of desktop.
Drumroll, please.
It’s Pop!_OS.
What makes Pop!_OS so great?
Technically speaking, System76’s Pop!_OS is not a tiling window manager. It’s actually a desktop environment based on GNOME. Although that’s going to soon change (once System76 releases the stable version of COSMIC Desktop), there is (and will be) a tiling window option for Pop!_OS.
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When using Pop!_OS, if you click the small icon of three rectangles in the upper-right corner of the desktop, a pop-up appears where you can enable/disable the tiling window option.
You heard me right: you can switch between a traditional desktop (in this case, System76’s take on GNOME) or you can enable the tiling option and experience the efficiency I’m talking about.
There’s more.
The best of both worlds
With some tiling window managers, the mouse isn’t nearly as effective as it would be with a traditional environment. For example, with the Ratpoison tiling window manager, if you use the mouse to click on a window, it does not get focus. To switch from one app to another, you have to use keyboard shortcuts. The i3 window manager does allow mouse clicks for focus, but it doesn’t allow you to move windows via the mouse.
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With Pop!_OS, the mouse works exactly as you expect. Click on an app window, and it gets focus. If you want to move a window, click to grab the title bar and move it where you want it. You can even resize windows with the mouse. Huzzah.
With Pop!_OS, instead of a pure tiling window manager, you get the best of both worlds. You also get a few handy features, such as the ability to add exceptions for certain apps so that they don’t have to be locked to a position on the display and can “float” as needed. In other words, those exceptions will behave as if they’re running on a traditional desktop. You could have all of your apps adhering to the laws of tiling window managers except, say, your notepad, which can float around the screen wherever you need it.
You can also disable/enable show window titles (which effectively removes the title bar), show active hints (which outlines the currently active window), set the color for active hints, change the border radius for active hints, and shrink/enlarge the gaps between windows.
All of this combined makes Pop!_OS the ideal tiling window manager option for those who are growing curious about this efficient desktop interface. With Pop!_OS, you can easily switch between a tiling and a traditional desktop, which means you can take your time learning the ins and outs of the tiling window manager. Once you’re up to speed, you might then want to migrate to a more traditional tiling window manager.
Exciting times.
How to try Pop!_OS yourself
If you’re curious enough, download an ISO for Pop!_OS, install it as a virtual machine or spare desktop computer or laptop, and find out why I choose this as the best option for those new to the world of tiling window managers.
