Window manager

From Gentoo Linux Wiki

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A window manager is software that controls the placement and appearance of application windows under the X Window System, a graphical user interface on Unix systems that enables a user to interact with a number of application programs simultaneously. Each one typically has its own independent window, and when a window manager is available, interaction between the X server and its clients is redirected through the window manager.

The X Window System allows the user to choose between various third-party window managers. Window managers differ from one another in several ways, including:

customizability of appearance and functionality:
- textual menus used to start programs and/or change options
- docks and other graphical ways to start programs
- multiple desktops and virtual desktops (desktops larger than the physical monitor size), and pagers to switch between them
consumption of memory and other system resources
degree of integration with a desktop environment, which provides a more complete interface to the operating system, and provides a range of integrated utilities and applications.