One of the big perks of using a Linux distribution is having a choice of what window manager you want to use.

You can check out what’s available for Linux window managers and desktops here.

The one I’ll be concentrating on is fluxbox, a window manager.

Fluxbox is one of the lightest window managers you can use for a graphical Linux environment. To put it in perspective, GNOME is like a gas-guzzling Hummer H2 while fluxbox is like a gas-sipping Toyota Prius.

I have used fluxbox on occasion and I really like the way it’s sort of the "anti-GUI" GUI. There is no "start" menu. It has a ton of keycommands. The menu system is fully editable. It does do docking easily. And a whole lot more.

On startup, fluxbox has only a toolbar at the bottom and nothing more. The menu system is available by a single right click and everything expands from there. When most people use fluxbox for the first time they’re usually shocked at how Spartan it is. We’re talking super-barebones here – but it is lightning quick.

If you can get used to the way fluxbox does things you’ll notice that everything seems to run faster. And most of the time it is. Without the "thick" overhead of other managers you can get things done a whole lot faster – all without upgrading any hardware.

What does fluxbox look like? Ask and ye shall receive.

Special note for Ubuntu users:

Ubuntu does have nicely written documentation on fluxbox with Ubuntu, including how to install it, trying it out and moreover what you can do with it – including customization. Yes, there is some command line stuff involved but it’s well worth the effort.

You might like it so much that you use it as your primary window manager.

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