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i3 avatar

i3/i3

0
View on GitHub↗
10,489 stars·810 forks·C·BSD-3-Clause·37 viewsi3wm.org↗

I3

i3 is a configurable tiling window manager for the X11 window system. It organizes application windows into non-overlapping tiles to maximize screen real estate, utilizing a dynamic layout engine that removes the need for manual positioning or resizing.

The system is designed for keyboard-driven desktop workflows, where window organization and behavior are defined through a plain text configuration file. It enables X11 desktop customization by allowing users to programmatically define layouts and keybindings.

The manager provides inter-process communication via a Unix domain socket, allowing external programs to control window organization and subscribe to state changes. Additional utilities include a setup wizard for initial configuration generation and an automated process for converting older configuration files to newer versions.

Features

  • Tiling Window Managers - Organizes application windows on an X11 desktop using a tiling layout to maximize screen space and efficiency.
  • Keyboard-Driven Workflows - Enables controlling window organization and desktop behavior using keyboard shortcuts and a programmable configuration file.
  • Window Managers - Provides a software layer for the X Window System that controls the placement and behavior of application windows.
  • X11 Protocol Implementations - Interacts with the X Window System via a client-server protocol to intercept window mapping and resize events.
  • X11 Window Tracking - Listens for X11 property changes and window events to trigger automatic layout recalculations.
  • Tiling Layout Engines - Calculates non-overlapping window coordinates by dividing screen space into recursive splits based on a tree structure.
  • Hierarchical Container Layouts - Implements a recursive window tree that organizes hierarchies into containers and leaves to manage complex split layouts.
  • Unix Domain Socket Support - Uses a Unix domain socket to receive external commands and broadcast state changes to third party clients.
  • Configuration State Managers - Uses a plain text configuration file to initialize the window manager's behavior and keybindings at startup.
  • Desktop Environment Customizers - Allows defining specific window behaviors and layouts through a configuration file to create a personalized X11 environment.
  • Inter-Process Communication Controllers - Provides a Unix domain socket for external programs to programmatically control window organization and subscribe to state changes.
  • Window Management - Keyboard-driven tiling window manager for Linux environments.
  • Window Managers - Standard tiling window manager for X11.

Star history

Star history chart for i3/i3Star history chart for i3/i3

How this analysis was created: This summary and feature list were written by an AI model that read the project's README and public documentation pages. Each feature links to the documentation it came from; stars, license and language come straight from the GitHub API. The model does not read the source code, and the analysis is refreshed when the project is re-analysed. Learn more on our About page.

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Open-source alternatives to I3

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Frequently asked questions

What does i3/i3 do?

i3 is a configurable tiling window manager for the X11 window system. It organizes application windows into non-overlapping tiles to maximize screen real estate, utilizing a dynamic layout engine that removes the need for manual positioning or resizing.

What are the main features of i3/i3?

The main features of i3/i3 are: Tiling Window Managers, Keyboard-Driven Workflows, Window Managers, X11 Protocol Implementations, X11 Window Tracking, Tiling Layout Engines, Hierarchical Container Layouts, Unix Domain Socket Support.

What are some open-source alternatives to i3/i3?

Open-source alternatives to i3/i3 include: awesomewm/awesome — Awesome is a programmable tiling window manager for the X11 Window System. It functions as a dynamic window manager… baskerville/bspwm — bspwm is an X11 tiling window manager that organizes application windows into non-overlapping rectangular tiles using… ianyh/amethyst — Amethyst is a tiling window manager for macOS designed to automate the arrangement of application windows. It… nikitabobko/aerospace — AeroSpace is a tiling window manager for macOS that automatically arranges application windows into grid-based… swaywm/sway — Sway is a Wayland compositor and tiling window manager for Linux. It functions as a display server that manages window… airblader/i3 — i3 is an X11 tiling window manager for Linux that organizes application windows into a non-overlapping grid to…