======  Stacking window manager: Comparison ======

  * [[wm:stacking:cwm]]  a lightweight and efficient  stacking window manager for X11
  * [[wm:stacking:fluxbox]] very lightweight window manager,  easy to handle but yet full of features
  * [[wm:stacking:icewm]] lightweight window manager which resembles the UI of Windows 95
  * [[wm:stacking:openbox]] highly configurable stacking window manager 
  * [[wm:stacking:windowmaker]] a window manager designed to emulate NeXTSTEP's GUI 
  * [[wm:stacking:twm]] very simple window manager, included in the Xorg distribution 
  * [[wm:stacking:fvwm3]] Next generation of fvwm 
  * [[wm:stacking:jwm]]  window manager with an interface similar to Windows 98



===== RAM usage =====
On: Artix Linux

From high to low in kB

^Command ^Version ^[[:glossary#USS|USS]] ^[[:glossary#PSS|PSS]] ^[[:glossary#RSS|RSS]]^
|jwm  |2.3.7   |14272    |16833    |21488|
|openbox  |3.6.1   |12848    |15494    |20352|
|icewm  |2.0.0   |11540|13906|18600|
|wmaker --for-real  |0.95.9   |10676    |12750    |16940|
|fvwm3  |1.03   |10192    |12513    |17016|
|fluxbox  |1.37   |7312|9139  |13092|
|cwm  |6.7   |4148|5322|8568|
|twm  |1.0.11   |2720     |3170     |5416|


===== Recommendation =====

Recommending a window manager is not easy, because it is also a matter of taste. We did a little non-representative poll at Mastodon and here are the results:

|openbox          |9 Votes|
|fluxbox          |8 votes|
|cwm              |4 votes|
|icewm            |4 votes|
|windowmaker      |2 votes|
|twm              |1 vote |
|fvwm3            |0 votes|
|jwm              |0 votes|

The recommendation is a mix of these poll results and [[:about#our_criteria|our criteria]]. 

==== For beginners ====

Many stacking window managers are easy or very easy to use for novice users. Some do resemble a classic layout from Microsoft's proprietary OS. So we did choose the most lightweight of this easy to use window managers, and this is **Fluxbox**

Fluxbox is one of the most popular lightweight window managers. It is usable right out of the box and highly configurable. The most similar competitor is **Openbox**, which is no surprise, because they share the same ancestor Blackbox. 

If you are coming from a Microsoft system and are looking for an experience which you are used to have a look at **icewm**.


==== For experienced users ====

Experienced users might  prefer a window manager which is completely controllable by keyboard shortcuts and stays out of the way. This criteria are met by **cwm**. It has a minimalist interface, a short but comprehensive documentation and it is the default window manager of OpenBSD (where it is also developed).




==== I want a lightweight desktop environment ====

So, you want to stay lightweight but also want an integrated look and feel with an ecosystem of small apps? Look no further than **Window Maker**