IceWM
6.1#16 in window management softwareFree planFree planLinuxSelf-hosted
VisitIceWM vs spectrwm
What both publish
| Fact | IceWM | spectrwm |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | The site provides instructions to download the source archive, configure it, build it, and install it. | The official installation guide provides source-build instructions and package commands for Debian/Ubuntu, Arch, NixOS and NetBSD, with a separate macOS guide. |
| License | IceWM is released under the GNU Library General Public License. | The code is released under the permissive ISC license, with patches required to use the same license. |
| Purpose | IceWM is a window manager for the X Window System designed for speed, simplicity, and not getting in the user’s way. | spectrwm is a small, dynamic tiling and reparenting window manager for X11. |
| Support | The site directs users to report bugs on GitHub and links to manual pages, a manual, and an FAQ. | The project directs questions and feedback to the OFTC IRC channel #spectrwm. |
IceWM plans
- IceWMFree
spectrwm plans
- spectrwmFree
Pick IceWM if…
IceWM suits Linux or BSD users who want a configurable X11 window manager with keyboard and mouse controls. It can also fit desktops that use GNOME or KDE.
Pick spectrwm if…
spectrwm suits people using X11 who want configurable tiling layouts and keyboard- or mouse-based window navigation. It may also fit users who want to define workspaces, regions, and application-launch shortcuts without learning a programming language for configuration.