19wm(1) General Commands Manual 9wm(1)
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6 9wm - 8-1/2-like Window Manager for X
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9 9wm [ -grey ] [ -version ] [ -font fname ] [ -term termprog ] [
10 exit|restart ]
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13 9wm is a window manager for X which attempts to emulate the window man‐
14 agement policies of Plan 9's 8-1/2 window manager.
15 The -grey option makes the background light grey, as does 8-1/2. Use
17 this option for maximum authenticity. -font fname sets the font in
18 9wm's menu to fname, overriding the default. -term termprog specifies
19 an alternative program to run when the New menu item is selected.
20 -version prints the current version on standard error, then exits.
21 To make 9wm exit, you have to run 9wm exit on the command line. There
23 is no ``exit'' menu item.
24 9wm is click-to-type: it has a notion of the current window, which is
26 usually on top, and always has its border darkened. Characters typed
27 at the keyboard go to the current window, and mouse clicks outside the
28 current window are swallowed up by 9wm. To make another window the
29 current one, click on it with button 1. Unlike other X window man‐
30 agers, 9wm implements `mouse focus': mouse events are sent only to the
31 current window.
32 A menu of window operations is available by pressing button 3 outside
34 the current window. The first of these, New, attempts to spawn a 9term
35 process (or xterm if 9term is not available). The new 9term will
36 request that its outline be swept using button 3 of the mouse, by
37 changing the cursor. (xterm defaults to a fixed size, and thus wants
38 to be dragged; pressing button 3 places it.)
39 The next four menu items are Reshape, Move, Delete, and Hide. All of
41 the operations change the cursor into a target, prompting the user to
42 click button 3 on one of the windows to select it for the operation.
43 At this stage, clicking button 1 or 2 will abort the operation. Other‐
44 wise, if the operation was Resize, the user is prompted to sweep out
45 the new outline with button 3. If it was Move, the user should keep
46 the button held down after the initial click that selected the window,
47 and drag the window to the right place before releasing. In either
48 case, button 1 or 2 will abort the operation.
49 If the Delete operation is selected, the window will be deleted when
51 the button is released. This typically kills the client that owns the
52 window. The Hide operation just makes the window invisible. While
53 hidden, the window's name appears on the bottom of the button 3 menu.
54 Selecting that item brings the window back (unhides it). This opera‐
55 tion replaces the iconification feature provided by other window man‐
56 agers.
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59 Is not completely compatible with 8-1/2.
60 There is a currently a compiled-in limit of 32 hidden windows.
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64 9term(1), xterm(1).
65 9wm(1)