Openbox vs Ratpoison

Struggling to choose between Openbox and Ratpoison? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Openbox is a Os & Utilities solution with tags like lightweight, configurable, extensible, gnu-gpl.

It boasts features such as Highly configurable and customizable window manager, Supports modern standards like EWMH, NetWM, Very lightweight and fast, Keyboard driven operation, Themeable visual style, Supports multiple desktops/workspaces and pros including Lightweight and fast, Very customizable, Good keyboard support, Low resource usage, Actively developed and maintained.

On the other hand, Ratpoison is a Os & Utilities product tagged with tiling, keyboard, lightweight, customizable, x11.

Its standout features include Keyboard driven tiling window manager, Minimalist and lightweight, Customizable through plain text configuration files, Keyboard shortcuts for window management and navigation, Support for multiple desktops and layouts, Can be controlled without a mouse, and it shines with pros like Very efficient for keyboard users, Low resource usage and system overhead, Highly customizable, Promotes keyboard-centric workflows, Tiling layout improves screen space utilization.

Feature	Openbox	Ratpoison
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Os & Utilities	Os & Utilities

Product Overview

Openbox

Description: Openbox is a highly configurable, next generation window manager with extensive standards support. It is very fast, extensible and licensed under the GNU General Public License.

Ratpoison

Description: Ratpoison is an open-source tiling window manager for the X Window System. It aims to provide keyboard-only interaction, with no reliance on the mouse. It has minimal aesthetics and is configured through plain text files, making it lightweight and customizable.

Key Features Comparison

Openbox Features

• Highly configurable and customizable window manager
• Supports modern standards like EWMH, NetWM
• Very lightweight and fast
• Keyboard driven operation
• Themeable visual style
• Supports multiple desktops/workspaces

Ratpoison Features

• Keyboard driven tiling window manager
• Minimalist and lightweight
• Customizable through plain text configuration files
• Keyboard shortcuts for window management and navigation
• Support for multiple desktops and layouts
• Can be controlled without a mouse

Pros & Cons Analysis

Openbox

Pros

• Lightweight and fast
• Very customizable
• Good keyboard support
• Low resource usage
• Actively developed and maintained

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Manual configuration required
• Not many graphical configuration tools
• Less features than full desktop environments

Ratpoison

Pros

• Very efficient for keyboard users
• Low resource usage and system overhead
• Highly customizable
• Promotes keyboard-centric workflows
• Tiling layout improves screen space utilization

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• No mouse support
• Minimal aesthetics and theming
• Less intuitive than mainstream window managers
• Limited integration with desktop environments

Pricing Comparison

Openbox

• Open Source

Ratpoison

• Open Source