index.md (2469B)
1 Dynamic window management 2 ========================= 3 We think that static window management as seen in Ion or wmi-10 is a far too 4 rigid and inflexible working environment. In [acme](http://acme.cat-v.org), 5 larswm, and oberon, dynamic window management frees the user from these 6 limitations. The user can start as many applications and windows as he likes, 7 and easily arrange them in a useful way, helped by the window manager - the 8 working environment changes with the tasks the user is performing. The 9 experience is very fluid and natural. Similar concepts have been introduced in 10 wmii and dwm. 11 12 Dynamic window management states that it is the window manager's job to manage 13 windows - and not the user's job to have to set up some specialized layout that 14 will only work for one specific work scenario. This has been the larswm motto 15 for a long time. In contrast to static window management, the user rarely has 16 to think about how to organize windows, no matter what he is doing or how many 17 applications are running at the same time. The window manager adapts to the 18 current environment and helps the user manage and mold it to his needs, rather 19 than forcing it to use a preset, fixed layout and trying to shoehorn all 20 windows and applications into it. 21 22 Dynamic window management has many advantages - you can create and tear down 23 whole working environments in a matter of seconds rather than spending time 24 fine-tuning a fixed layout that cannot work well in all cases. The number and 25 nature of windows you work with changes all the time, and a dynamic window 26 manager lets you adapt to that and always efficiently use your precious screen 27 real estate. 28 29 Some will argue that you should setup a different static workspace for each of 30 the tasks you perform (one for web browsing, one for email reading, one for 31 coding, etc.), but that is just a workaround for the limitations of static 32 window management, and it doesn't account for the many sub-usage patterns each 33 main task has. 34 35 For example: the layout you use during debugging would probably be quite 36 different to the one used during refactoring, you might want to have a patch 37 someone emailed you in view while you look at some code, or edit a 38 configuration file while you look at a man page or website. Dynamic window 39 management lets you mix and match on the fly to always have the windows you 40 need in view, and only the windows you need, without the need to reserve extra 41 space which you may or may not end up using.