Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

awesome VS JWM

Compare awesome VS JWM and see what are their differences

awesome logo awesome

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

JWM logo JWM

Also known as Joe's Window Manager. Created in 2003, one of the default window manager for Puppy Linux, and actively updated by Joe, its creator.
  • awesome Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-19
  • JWM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-12-21

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.

JWM features and specs

  • Lightweight
    JWM is designed to be a lightweight window manager, which means it runs efficiently on older hardware and consumes minimal system resources.
  • Highly Configurable
    JWM provides a high level of customization through its XML configuration files, allowing users to tailor the interface to their preferences.
  • Low Dependencies
    JWM has very few dependencies, making it easy to install and maintain on systems without needing a complex package management process.
  • Fast Performance
    Due to its simplicity and lightweight nature, JWM delivers fast performance, offering quick response times for opening and managing windows.
  • Active Community
    JWM has an active community that contributes to its development, providing support and additional resources for users.

Possible disadvantages of JWM

  • Basic Features
    JWM lacks some of the advanced features found in more comprehensive desktop environments, such as integrated file management or modern compositing effects.
  • User-Friendly Tools
    The configuration of JWM is done via XML files, which can be a barrier for users who prefer graphical configuration tools.
  • Limited Extensions
    JWM offers fewer plugins and extensions compared to more popular window managers, which might limit its functionality for some users.
  • Aesthetics
    While functional, JWM's interface can appear dated, lacking the sleek design and visual appeal of more contemporary window managers.
  • Learning Curve
    New users might experience a learning curve when setting up and configuring JWM due to its reliance on manual editing of configuration files.

awesome videos

Surface Go Review - It’s Awesome

More videos:

  • Review - RICO (PC) - Why it's Awesome - Review
  • Review - Awesome review of the 80's Hollow Handled Survival Knife!!
  • Review - My God is Awesome- Charles Jenkins

JWM videos

Obscure Window Manager Project - JWM

More videos:

  • Review - Openbox, Fluxbox or JWM which one do you like?
  • Review - Review Tori Os - Debian 32 bits + JWM 2019

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to awesome and JWM)
Window Manager
76 76%
24% 24
Linux
74 74%
26% 26
Utilities
74 74%
26% 26
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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

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

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...

JWM Reviews

Top 13 Best Tiling Window Managers For Linux In 2022
JWM (Joe’s Window Manager) is a lightweight open-source C-based window manager for the X11 Window System that is designed to run smoothly on older, less powerful computers. It simply needs the Xlib library to run, but it can also use other libraries like libXext for shape extensions, Cairo and libRSVG for icons and backdrops, libjpeg and libpng for JPEG and PNG backgrounds...
Source: www.hubtech.org
13 Best Tiling Window Managers for Linux
JWM (Joe’s Window Manager) is an open-source C-based lightweight window manager for the X11 Window System optimized to work smoothly on older, less powerful computer systems. It requires only the Xlib library to run but is capable of working with a host of other libraries including libXext for shape extension, Cairo and libRSVG for icons and backgrounds, libjpeg and libpng...
Source: www.tecmint.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, JWM seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 3 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.

JWM mentions (3)

  • Desktop Environments preferred by various distributions, over time
    More data than I expected, OpenBSD also preferred jwm for a short time. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Windows or debian for a potato laptop
    Absolutely yes - I had a very, really old toshiba satellite A50 from 2006 or so, I just can't remember the year, maybe older, but it is really old (it still is somewhere around here, although I've never used it anymore) running debian 32 bits with jwm (I prefer this over openbox or other minimalist DE - this is something where you should take some time trying, to see which it's best for you and for that machine). Source: over 3 years ago
  • debian 32bit w/openbox on a 17 yr old intel pentium 4 single core cpu....linux is amazing
    Last time I tried Debian on a computer with only 512MB, I ended up with JWM as the window manager. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

i3 - A dynamic tiling window manager designed for X11, inspired by wmii, and written in C.

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.

IceWM - icewm home page . Bug Tracking. If you have a patch, a bug report or a feature request to submit, please do so at the icewm project page at SourceForge.

bspwm - A tiling window manager based on binary space partitioning

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