Ratpoison vs Openbox

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

Ratpoison is a Os & Utilities solution with tags like tiling, keyboard, lightweight, customizable, x11.

It boasts features such as 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 pros including Very efficient for keyboard users, Low resource usage and system overhead, Highly customizable, Promotes keyboard-centric workflows, Tiling layout improves screen space utilization.

On the other hand, Openbox is a Os & Utilities product tagged with lightweight, configurable, extensible, gnu-gpl.

Its standout features include 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 it shines with pros like Lightweight and fast, Very customizable, Good keyboard support, Low resource usage, Actively developed and maintained.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Ratpoison

Ratpoison

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.

Categories:
tiling keyboard lightweight customizable x11

Ratpoison Features

  1. Keyboard driven tiling window manager
  2. Minimalist and lightweight
  3. Customizable through plain text configuration files
  4. Keyboard shortcuts for window management and navigation
  5. Support for multiple desktops and layouts
  6. Can be controlled without a mouse

Pricing

  • Open Source

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


Openbox

Openbox

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.

Categories:
lightweight configurable extensible gnu-gpl

Openbox Features

  1. Highly configurable and customizable window manager
  2. Supports modern standards like EWMH, NetWM
  3. Very lightweight and fast
  4. Keyboard driven operation
  5. Themeable visual style
  6. Supports multiple desktops/workspaces

Pricing

  • Open Source

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