An introduction to Fluxbox

Introduction

The two main Linux window managers are Gnome and KDE. They are not the only window managers available by any means however. Blackbox, Fluxbox, IceWM, Window Maker and XFCE are just some of the alternatives. Fluxbox is a lightweight window manager based on Blackbox. This article concentrates on Fluxbox.

Getting started

Fluxbox is included with many Linux distributions or is available as an installable package. If not, it can be downloaded from the website. Once you have Fluxbox the next step is to choose it as the window manager after logging in.

The biggest single difference with Fluxbox from the main window managers is the lack of a button to run applications. In Fluxbox you simply right click in an empty area of the desktop to open the application menu. This is brilliantly simple because it means you don't have to move your mouse all the way over to a particular area to run applications.

The screenshot taken from Damn Small Linux shows a Fluxbox desktop (click to enlarge).

 

Key features

Fluxbox has some key features to look out for:

1. Window tabs - like multiple desktops these allow you to group applications that you use for similar tasks in to separate work spaces. These are at the bottom of the screen by default. Multiple desktops are a strong reason alone to use Linux.

2. Speed - Fluxbox runs fast on any hardware and its simplicity means you can work more efficiently.

3. KDE support - run your installed KDE applications in Fluxbox.

4. The Slit - this is the place for the mini-apps you always want to have running like a music player, system monitor or mounting tool. The Slit lives on the right hand side of the screen by default.

5. Themes - let you change Fluxbox to look the way you like. There are numerous themes included with Fluxbox and available on the internet. You can also customize Fluxbox with the configuration files in the /fluxbox directory.

Finding out more

Fluxbox is very simple and really doesn't need that much explanation to get started. For more help you can take a look at the Linux Online "short guide" or the complete Fluxbox documentation.