Window manager 876217 224751703 2008-07-10T07:28:01Z 206.248.163.52 Corrected a spelling error A '''window manager''' is [[computer software]] that controls the placement and appearance of [[window (computing)|windows]] within a [[windowing system]] in a [[graphical user interface]]. <ref>http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/window%20manager</ref> Most window managers are designed to help provide a [[desktop environment]]. They work in conjunction with the underlying [[windowing system]] which provides required functionality such as support for graphics hardware, pointing devices, and a keyboard, and are often written created using a [[widget toolkit]]. <ref>http://linux.wikia.com/wiki/X_Window_System_protocols_and_architecture</ref> Few [[window managers]] are designed with clear distinction between the [[windowing system]] and the [[window manager]]. Every graphical operating system which uses a [[windows metaphor]] has some form of window management, however in practice the elements of this functionality vary greatly. <ref>http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=window+manager&i=54598,00.asp</ref> The elements usually associated with window managers are those which allow the user to open, close, minimize, maximize, move, resize, and keep track of running windows, including [[window decorator]]s. Many window managers also come with docks, [[task bar]]s, program launchers, desktop icons, and wallpaper. == X Window Managers == {{main|X window manager}} On systems using the [[X window system]], there is a clear distinction between the [[window manager]] and the [[windowing system]]. Strictly speaking an [[X window manager]] does not directly interact with video hardware, mice, or keyboards, which are the responsibility of the [[X server]] to provide. Users of the X Window System have the ability to easily use many different window managers such as those included in [[GNOME]], [[KDE]], and many others. Since many window managers are modular, people refer to programs such as [[Compiz]] (a 3D [[compositing window manager]]), which replaces only parts of the graphical environment, as window managers as well. Components of different window managers can even be mixed and matched, for example the [[window decoration]]s from KDE's [[KWin]] can be used with the [[desktop]] and [[dock]] components of Gnome. X window managers also have the ability to [[re-parenting window manager|re-parent]] applications, meaning that while initially all applications are adopted by the root window, an application started within the root window can be adopted by another. Window managers under the X window system adopt applications from the root window and re-parent them to [[window decoration]]s. Re-parenting can also be used to allow the contents of one window to be added to another, for example a [[flash player]] application can be re-parented to a browser window, and can appear to the naked eye as supposedly being part of that program. [[Re-parenting window manager]]s can therefore arrange one or more programs into the same window, and can easily combine [[tiling window manager|tiling]] and [[stacking window manager|stacking]] in various ways. {{see|Re-parenting window manager}} == Microsoft Windows XP == [[Microsoft]] [[Windows XP]] allows the user to change between a limited number of window management options, limited mainly to the classic Windows 95 look, and the newer Luna theme. Alternative [[operating system shell|shells]] for Microsoft Windows XP and earlier have also emerged. For example, [[LiteStep]] can replace the [[user interface]] on Windows 95, 98, or NT with an [[Afterstep]] style. <ref>http://lsdocs.shellfront.org/</ref> <ref>http://www.afterstep.org/</ref> However the level of customization which is even possible in [[Windows XP]] compared to [[Linux]] is severely limited due to the tight integration of the various components. {{see|Windows XP}} {{see|Stacking window manager}} == Microsoft Windows Vista == {{main|Desktop window manager}} [[Windows Vista]] has a built in theme-able [[Compositing window manager]] called [[Desktop window manager]]. <ref>http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa969540(VS.85).aspx</ref> This window manager can use multiple various user interfaces with varying levels of technological advancement. By default [[Windows Aero]]'s glass environment, which is a fully 3D accelerated interface can be turned off, replacing it with a simpler and faster interface. It's uncertain if Microsoft has plans to release future updates to add more window management features and plug-ins. {{see|Compositing window manager}} == Types of window managers == Window managers are often divided into three classes, which describe how windows are drawn and updated. === Compositing Window Managers === {{main|Compositing window manager}} Compositing window managers allow all windows to be created and drawn separately and then put together and displayed in various 2D and 3D environments. This allows for a great deal of variety in interface look and feel, and for the presence of advanced 2D and 3D visual effects. Mac OS X was the first operating system to be packaged with a [[Compositing window manager]]. <ref>http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/macosx-10-4.ars/13</ref> <ref>http://www.kernelthread.com/mac/osx/history.html</ref> === Stacking window managers === {{main|Stacking window manager}} All window managers that have overlapping windows and are not [[compositing window manager]]s are [[stacking window manager]]s, although it is possible that not all use exactly the same methodologies. [[Stacking window manager]]s allow windows to overlap by drawing background windows first, which is referred to as [[painter's algorithm]]. Changes sometimes require all windows to be re-stacked or repainted which usually involves redrawing every window. However to bring a background window to the front usually only requires that one window to be redrawn, since background windows may have bits of other windows painted over them effectively erasing the areas that are covered. === Tiling window manager === {{main|Tiling window manager}} Tiling window managers paint all windows on-screen by placing them side by side or above and below each-other, so that no window ever covers another. Microsoft Windows 1.0 used tiling, and a variety of tiling window managers for Linux/UNIX are available. == History == {{main|History of the graphical user interface}} In the 1970s, the [[Xerox Alto]] became the first computer shipped with a working [[WIMP]] [[GUI]]. It used a stacking window manager which allowed overlapping windows. <ref>http://toastytech.com/guis/alto3.html</ref>. While it is unclear if [[Microsoft Windows]] contains designs copied from Apple's [[Mac OS]], it is clear that neither was the first to produce a GUI using stacking windows. In the early 1980s, the [[Xerox Star]], successor to the Alto, used [[Tiling window manager|tiling]] for most main application windows, and used overlapping only for dialogue boxes, removing most of the need for stacking. <ref>http://toastytech.com/guis/star.html</ref> [[GEM 1.1]] was a window manager which supported the [[desktop metaphor]], and used stacking, allowing all windows to overlap. It was released in the early 80s. <ref>http://toastytech.com/guis/gem11.html</ref>. [[GEM]] is famous for having been included as the main [[GUI]] used on the [[Atari ST]], which rand [[Atari TOS]], and was also a popular [[GUI]] for [[MS-DOS]] prior to the widespread use of [[Microsoft Windows]]. As a result of a lawsuit by [[Apple Computer|Apple]], [[GEM]] was forced to remove the stacking capabilities, making it a [[tiling window manager]]. <ref>http://toastytech.com/guis/gem20.html</ref> [[Mac OS]] was one of the earliest commercially successful examples of a [[GUI]] which used a sort of [[stacking window manager|stacking window management]] via [[QuickDraw]]. Currently [[Mac OS X]] uses a very advanced window manager which has supported compositing since [[Mac OS X 10.0]], and was updated in [[Mac OS X 10.2]] to support hardware accelerated compositing via the [[Quartz Compositor]]. <ref>http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/macosx-10-4.ars/13</ref> During the mid 80s, [[Amiga OS]] contained an early example of a stacking window manager. Instead of using a [[desktop metaphor]], the [[Amiga]] instead used an [[interface metaphor]] centred around a workbench, with drawers rather than folders. Therefore its window manager was entitled "Amiga Workbench". In 1988 [[Presentation Manager]] became the default shell in [[OS/2]], which before that point used a [[command line interface]] (CLI). [[OS/2]] shared a common ancestry with [[Microsoft Windows]], and was a joint project between [[Microsoft]] and [[IBM]]. After Microsoft and IBM split, OS/2 v3 was renamed [[Windows NT]], and Presentation Manager was later dropped in favour of Microsoft's own windowing system and window manager. <ref>http://www.os2bbs.com/OS2News/OS2History.html</ref> == See also == *[[X window manager]] *[[Desktop environment]] *[[Shell (computing)]] *[[Windowing system]] *[[Interface metaphor]] == References == {{Reflist}} {{Window Managers}} [[Category:Window managers|*]] [[Category:Graphical user interface]] [[cs:Window manager]] [[da:Window manager]] [[de:Fenstermanager]] [[es:Gestor de ventanas]] [[fi:Ikkunanhallintaohjelma]] [[fr:Gestionnaire de fenêtres]] [[nl:Windowmanager]] [[sk:Správca okien]] [[zh:窗口管理器]] <!-- TODO: check if these pages are the correct equivalents: [[it:Window manager]] [[ja:ウィンドウマネージャ]] [[nn:Vindaugehandsamar]] [[no:Vindusbehandler]] [[pl:Menedżer okien]] [[pt:Gerenciador de janela]] [[ru:Менеджер окон]] [[sv:Fönsterhanterare]] [[vi:Chương trình quản lý cửa sổ X]] -->