awesome VS i3

Compare awesome VS i3 and see what are their differences

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awesome

A dynamic window manager for the X Window System developed in the C and Lua programming languages.

i3

A dynamic tiling window manager designed for X11, inspired by wmii, and written in C.

Landing page //
2022-12-19

Landing page //
2021-09-19

awesome

Website: awesome.naquadah.org
$ Details: -

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i3

Website: i3wm.org
$ Details

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awesome features and specs

Highly Configurable
Awesome is extremely configurable, allowing users to customize their environment to fit their specific workflow.
Lightweight
As a tiling window manager, Awesome is very lightweight and consumes minimal resources, which is ideal for older hardware or minimal setups.
Lua Scripting
Configuration is done through Lua scripting, which provides powerful and flexible customization options.
Tiling and Dynamic Layouts
Awesome offers both tiling and floating window management with dynamic layouts that adjust based on user preference.
Active Community
The Awesome community is active and supportive, providing ample documentation and user-contributed modules and configurations.

Possible disadvantages of awesome

Steep Learning Curve
Due to its extensive configurability and scripting-based setup, Awesome can be challenging for newcomers to get accustomed to.
Limited Graphical Configuration Tools
Configuration is done mainly through text files and scripts, which can be daunting for users who prefer graphical interfaces.
Sparse Default Configuration
The default configuration of Awesome is fairly minimal, requiring significant setup time to create a personalized environment.
Performance Overhead with Complex Scripts
While Lua scripting is powerful, highly complex scripts can introduce performance overhead, potentially impacting the system's responsiveness.
Compatibility Issues
Certain applications that are designed with floating window managers in mind may not function optimally with Awesome's tiling system.

i3 features and specs

Efficient Window Management
i3 allows for highly efficient window management using a tree data structure, making it easy to snap windows into grids and manage multiple applications simultaneously.
Lightweight
i3 is deliberately simplistic and lightweight, which allows it to run efficiently on older hardware or systems with limited resources.
Customizability
Users can extensively customize keybindings and behavior through a plain text configuration file. This allows for a personalized workflow.
Keyboard-Centric
i3 is designed to be used primarily through keyboard shortcuts, which can lead to increased productivity for advanced users.
Scriptability
i3 supports various scripting languages through its IPC (Inter-process Communication) interface, enabling automation of complex workflows.
Community and Documentation
i3 has strong community support and extensive documentation, making it easier for new users to learn and troubleshoot issues.

Possible disadvantages of i3

Steep Learning Curve
New users may find i3 difficult to learn and configure, especially if they are accustomed to traditional desktop environments.
Lack of GUI Configuration Tools
i3 relies heavily on manual edits to text files for configuration, lacking user-friendly graphical interfaces for setup and customization.
Limited Out-of-the-Box Features
i3 does not come with many built-in features available in more comprehensive desktop environments, such as app launchers or system tray support, requiring additional setups.
Compatibility Issues
Some applications may not play well with tiling window managers like i3, requiring workarounds or alternative software choices.
Minimal Default Appearance
Without customization, i3 offers a very minimalistic and barebones visual experience, which may not be appealing to all users.

awesome videos

+ Add

Surface Go Review - It’s Awesome

i3 videos

+ Add

30k Miles with the BMW i3 - End of Lease Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to awesome and i3)

i3

Window Manager

28 28%

Window Manager

72% 72

Linux

31 31%

Linux

69% 69

Utilities

40 40%

Utilities

60% 60

Productivity

100 100%

Productivity

0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using awesome and i3. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare awesome and i3

awesome Reviews

Top 13 Best Tiling Window Managers For Linux In 2022

Awesome is a free & open-source next-generation tiling manager for X that is designed to be fast and adaptable, with a focus on developers, power users, and anyone who wants to have more control over their graphical environment.

Source: www.hubtech.org

13 Best Tiling Window Managers for Linux

awesome is a free and open-source next-generation tiling manager for X built to be fast and extensible and it is primarily aimed at developers, power users, and anyone who would like to control their graphical environment.

Source: www.tecmint.com

5 Great Tiling Window Managers for Linux

Awesome has a unique take on the concept of a tiling window manager. It is probably the most user-friendly on the list. Much like i3, it claims to have well-documented code to make it very easy to dig right into for modifications. It adheres to FreeDesktop standards (Desktop notifications system, system tray, etc.) and has great keybindings which make navigating with it...

Source: www.maketecheasier.com

i3 Reviews

Top 13 Best Tiling Window Managers For Linux In 2022

Sway is a tiling Wayland i3-compatible window manager that dynamically arranges app windows to rationally maximise desktop space. It is free, open-source, and lightweight. By default, it arranges windows in a grid and supports practically all of the i3 commands.

Source: www.hubtech.org

Top 10 Best Desktop Environments in 2020

i3-wm is one of my most loved standalone window managers, qualifying it to easily fit under the desktop environment list! The configuration is just very easy, and you can change everything that you see on screen. This includes what information you see on the bottom panel, how windows behave, and keyboard shortcuts to move, align, and set up windows on the screen.

Source: www.journaldev.com

13 Best Tiling Window Managers for Linux

Sway is a free, open-source, and lightweight tiling Wayland i3-compatible window manager that automatically arranges app windows to logically maximize desktop space. It arranges windows into a grid by default and supports almost all the commands included in i3.

Source: www.tecmint.com

5 Great Tiling Window Managers for Linux

I begun testing i3 just this week. I was always fascinated by the Tiling WM’s as they seem really light on system resources and functional. To my surprise , although i3 is really easy to customize, and works really well (at least for my needs) , I found that it isn’t really that lightweight. I had Mate desktop environment use the same amount of RAM. Maybe I was mislead to...

Source: www.maketecheasier.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, i3 seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 90 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

awesome mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of awesome yet. Tracking of awesome recommendations started around Mar 2021.

i3 mentions (90)

Automatic Visual Feedback for System Volume Change in I3wm via Dunst
I switched to the i3 tiling based window manager. Because it's a whole different environment and thinking, it was very different from what I was used to. The volume buttons were working on my keyboard, but I didn't get any visual feedback. Furthermore, the volume percentage could go down below zero and increase up to more than hundread percent. There were times when I was confused why the keys stopped working, but... - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
"We understand" ;)
This is partially why I use tools like i3 (/ sway). I like the tool; it works extremely well for me; the design has stayed the same for 20 years; there's no profit motive to come along and fuck everything up. It just works. It is boring in the best way possible. Source: about 1 year ago
what machines have you used for development, and what do you prefer?
I use MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid-2014) with Manjaro as OS using i3 as a window manager. It isn't perfect, but I'm thrilled with it. I have been a Mac OS user for the last 15 years and wouldn't change what I have now for a Mac OS because I don't need more than what I'm using for development. Source: over 1 year ago
Machine for pentesting and general use?
For daily usage I really like kubuntu with i3wm, but it takes some configuration and getting used to the shortcuts, but it's well worth it. Source: over 1 year ago
What's the difference between Gnome and KDE? Do applications written for one work in the other?
Some window managers are meant to be used as-is, and provide a minimalist yet functional environment that use very little resources or give power users an almost HUD-like interface. Examples of those window managers are OpenBox and i3wm for X, and Weston and Hyprland for Wayland. Source: over 1 year ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing awesome and i3, you can also consider the following products

dwm - dwm is a dynamic window manager for X. It manages windows in tiled, monocle and floating layouts. All of the layouts can be applied dynamically, optimising the environment for the application in use and the task performed.

Openbox - Openbox is a highly configurable, next generation window manager with extensive standards support.

bspwm - A tiling window manager based on binary space partitioning

Sway - Sway is a drop-in replacement for the i3 window manager, but for Wayland instead of X11.

Xmonad - xmonad is a dynamically tiling X11 window manager that is written and configured in Haskell.

Fluxbox - Fluxbox is a window manager for X that was based on the Blackbox 0.61.1 code.