An ultimate guide to choosing the best Linux Window Manager (WM) focuses on evaluating how you interact with your desktop workspace, balancing resource efficiency, display server modernness, and configuration difficulty. Unlike full Desktop Environments (DEs) like GNOME or KDE, a standalone Window Manager solely controls the placement and appearance of application windows. This approach drastically lowers system overhead and maximizes your viewable screen layout.
Choosing the right window manager depends on core architectural behaviors, display server technologies, and your comfort level with text configuration files. Stacking vs. Tiling Behavior
Stacking (Floating) Managers: Windows behave traditionally, overlapping each other like physical papers on a desk. You rely heavily on your mouse to drag, resize, and close elements.
Tiling Managers: Windows automatically snap into organized grids without overlapping, completely filling your display area. They prioritize keyboard hotkeys to manage layouts seamlessly.
Manual Tiling: You manually choose the direction (horizontal or vertical split) before opening a new window, giving you predictable layout control.
Dynamic Tiling: The system relies on built-in math layouts (like master-and-stack) to automatically arrange your open windows without manual input. Display Protocol: X11 vs. Wayland Window manager – ArchWiki
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