Tiling window managers.

What is a “Tiling window manager”?

A tiling window manager is a window manager that organizes windows in a non-overlapping grid layout based on the amount of free space on your screen.

This differs from the more common stacking window manager most are accustomed to which usually has overlapping windows you move manually.

Advantages

Productivity

While it definitely is dependent on the user, for me it’s quicker to manage applications using keybinds.

I also find dwm’s tags (fancy workspaces) invaluable for single monitor productivity.

Lightweight

Most tiling managers are extremely small and resource efficient which gives them a “snappy” feeling.

While those things aren’t a inherent trait it generally is the case.

Customization & Portability

Customizing is usually a big part of tiling window managers

Once everything is set up though the system configuration is portable through the configuration file or source-code.

Disadvantages

GUI

Some GUI programs don’t work well with tiling window managers which can mean decreased usability and bizarre window sizing.

GUI programs that have multiple windows (especially with varying sizes) usually behave weirdly.

Learning curve

Stacking window managers typically come as a complete desktop enviromment and are relatively intuitive to use.

They rely heavily on the mouse which is what most are used to.

Tiling window managers are generally keyboard focused which isn’t flaw in itself but is different from convention and requires getting used to.

Thoughts

They have genuine utility in specific circumstances.
Laptops for example feel rather clunky to use with a mouse focused window manager and the added benefit of low resource usage makes tiling window managers work better in my opinion for productivity.