Hacking xmonad into Gnome3... How? (The linux WM Heartbreak)

justforgetme · 2014-05-12 18:32:18

TL;DR:
I'm searching for information about modifying Gnome3.xx (config, compile or code level) to get XMonad window management while maintaining Paneling, Notifications area, etc. Any ideas?

Original:
Hi there!

Since approx Gnome 3.10 I was getting problematic integration of my WM of choice (XMonad). Having not enough time for deep dives in the past year I one day Decided to switch it up a bit and installed KDE in parallel to gnome. Which surprisingly worked and still works just fine. To be honest currently KDE and Gnome work exceptionally well for me on all machines (workstations, netbooks, even my heavily traveling MacBook Pro) KDE + XMonad is also very stable but not the KDE desktop doesn't really fulfill me. I still reminisce of the days where with one file configuration you could drop XMonad on your existing Gnome2 desktop and keep the useful stuff like panels and tray. Has anybody found ways of integrating third party window managers into Gnome3? How much of a hack would it need to be? I have heard that Gnome3's approach is to have Mutter somehow hardwired into the mix. Google didn't help me with valuable articles, only full replacement how tos etc. which is nice in itself but not exactly what I am looking for.

Does the arch community has experiences in this matter they would like to share?

greetings,
jfm

Last edited by justforgetme (2014-05-12 20:28:37)

Xyne · 2014-05-12 19:37:23

Hi,

Please change the thread title to indicate your question (e.g. "Alternative WMs in Gnome 3: How?"). This will attract the attention of those who can answer it. I also suggest that you just skip directly to the question. The anecdote does not contribute any relevant information (I use Gnome, but I've tried KDE, both work "exceptionally well", so how do I change the WM in Gnome?) and it reads like a blog which will deter some readers.

It really isn't clear what you mean by "valuable articles" either. You are asking if anyone has found ways of integrating third-party WMs, but then you dismiss articles that tell you exactly how to do that.

Nepherte · 2014-05-12 19:49:12

justforgetme wrote:

Since approx Gnome 3.10 I was getting problematic integration of my WM of choice (XMonad) [...]

I more or less had the same experience. From then on, I simply stopped using a desktop environment and went straight for XMonad. Definitely something to consider.

Last edited by Nepherte (2014-05-12 19:49:38)

justforgetme · 2014-05-12 20:31:47

Hey Xyne,

thanks for caring, I modified the post and title. TBH this wasn't intended as a strict "How do I do X" topic. But hey brevity rules king. :-)

Xyne · 2014-05-12 20:37:36

Thanks for updating the thread.

Casual discussion is fine (in the right forum section), but it should be separated from precise technical questions. Part of the forum's utility is as a reference for other users, and that utility is diminished if they have to dig through long conversations to unearth the information that they need.

Arch Linux

#1 2014-05-12 18:32:18

Hacking xmonad into Gnome3... How? (The linux WM Heartbreak)

#2 2014-05-12 19:37:23

Re: Hacking xmonad into Gnome3... How? (The linux WM Heartbreak)

#3 2014-05-12 19:49:12

Re: Hacking xmonad into Gnome3... How? (The linux WM Heartbreak)

#4 2014-05-12 20:31:47

Re: Hacking xmonad into Gnome3... How? (The linux WM Heartbreak)

#5 2014-05-12 20:37:36

Re: Hacking xmonad into Gnome3... How? (The linux WM Heartbreak)

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