Tiling Window Managers on Linux
Sep 20, 2026
I've spent more time than I should've trying to figure out if tiling windows would suit me any better than floating windows. I'm aware of more than three tiling window managers available, and I'm not ready to try any of them.
I've experimented with Linux Mint Cinnamon's "Tiling and Snapping" shortcuts as well as three window tiling extensions. While I can understand the appeal of window tiling, especially if you like using a keyboard most of the time, it doesn't appeal to me.
I've been a touch typist since 1975, when I learned how to type on a manual typewriter in high school. Typewriters at that time didn't have the row above the number keys, and the row with the space bar didn't have anything else on it. There wasn't a 10-key number pad anywhere.
Windows
I started out using MS-DOS on an IBM PC compatible in 1987 while I was in the military service. I started using Windows for Workgroups 3.11 sometime in 1994. Coincidentally, it was the same year I bought my first Windows PC for more than $2000.
The Alt-Tab key combination was the easiest way to switch between applications. If you're using maximized applications on a single workspace (or "virtual desktop") today, it's still easier than clicking on task bar or panel icons with a mouse.
Linux
Other than playing around with an early version of "Red Hat" in the late 1990s, the first time I delved into the Linux universe was in 2007, when my expensive laptop suddenly became unusable. I had to travel to a neighboring province to buy a white box PC, and it didn't come with Windows.
For reasons I won't get into, due to the lack of technology at the time, I had to install my own copy of Windows XP on it. It wasn't until sometime in 2011, with another white box PC, that I returned to Linux. I don't remember when I finally ditched Windows on all of my computers.
Old versions of Windows didn't support workspaces or tiling, but Linux has supported them from the beginning in one way or another. I continued to use Linux like I used Windows, with pretty much the same muscle memory.
Windows at Work
My final place of employment switched from dumb terminals to Windows PCs a couple of years before I left. Both the dumb terminals and the Windows PCs, via terminal windows, connected to an IBM AS/400 server.
If tiling windows and workspaces had been available to me at the time, I definitely would have used them. I worked in an accident and cargo claims department, and I used to keep more than five windows open during my 12-hour shifts.
Using the Alt-Tab key combination almost constantly for 12 hours is much more tiring than moving a mouse around. I haven't had to do that much window switching since 2006, in any situation.
Linux at Home
I haven't been employed for more than 20 years. The years I spent writing on various blogs don't count, as far as I'm concerned. The only place I've ever used a Linux desktop is at home. I used Linux servers online while blogging, so I'm familiar with the necessary protocols and services.
Today, I use one Linux PC at a time. My daily machine is a mini PC. When I travel to the United States, I take a laptop with me, and it's set up almost exactly like the mini PC, using the same Linux distribution.
I don't use the Alt-Tab key combination as much as I did in the past. I only keep two or three applications maximized. The only time I switch between applications frequently is when I'm writing something like this.
After testing and trying to use window tiling extensions day-to-day, I've determined that tiling windows don't help me in any way.
Image by Boby Pogy from Pixabay