I've heard a lot about tiling window managers, especially in discussions about Pop!_OS, and I'm curious about how they differ from traditional window systems like the one in Linux Mint, where you can use the super key and arrow keys to arrange your windows. What does "tiling windows" mean, and how does it change the way we manage our open applications?
1 Answer
In a non-tiling window system, when you open a new window, it usually just appears somewhere on your screen and may overlap with previous ones. You'd then have to manually adjust them using shortcuts or the mouse. In contrast, when you use a tiling window manager, the first window you open takes up the whole screen. If you open a second window, it automatically splits the screen between them, so you don't have to arrange anything yourself. For example, opening a third window either equally divides the space into thirds or reconfigures the layout to fit them all perfectly. This automatic arrangement helps keep your workspace organized and ensures that all windows are visible without overlapping.
That sounds awesome! But what about situations where you might want one window on top of another, like having a calculator over your game? Can you do that in a tiling setup?