# My i3 window manager setup

DevFeed: [My i3 window manager setup](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/my-i3-window-manager-setup-22433.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://samsaffron.com/archive/2019/04/09/my-i3-window-manager-setup>)

Author: Sam Saffron

Published: 2019-04-10T02:12:04Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Sam Saffron](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/sam-saffron.md>)

Topics: [Arch Linux](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/archlinux.md>), [Linux](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/linux.md>), [pacman](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/pacman.md>), [Windows](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/windows.md>), [Wiki](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/wiki.md>), [Ubuntu](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ubuntu.md>), [Documentation](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/documentation.md>), [Firefox](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/firefox.md>)

Tags: [blog](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/blog.md>), [blog-post](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/blog-post.md>), [c-sharp](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/c-sharp.md>), [developer](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developer.md>), [documentation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/documentation.md>), [firefox](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/firefox.md>), [linux](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/linux.md>), [net](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/net.md>), [pacman](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/pacman.md>), [rails](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/rails.md>), [reddit](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/reddit.md>), [ruby](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ruby.md>), [saffron](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/saffron.md>), [sam](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/sam.md>), [sql](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/sql.md>), [ubuntu](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ubuntu.md>), [weblog](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/weblog.md>), [windows](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/windows.md>), [youtube](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/youtube.md>)

## AI overview

A developer describes moving from a Windows setup with Ubuntu and i3 to using Arch Linux and i3 as a primary desktop environment. The article discusses the author's early experience, motivations for choosing Arch Linux, and initial customization of the desktop.

## Source excerpt

I have been a long time i3 window manager user. But not really. My old Windows 10 based setup involved doing all my console work in an Ubuntu VM running i3. However, the lion's share of the non console work was still done in Windows, including browsing and more. For multiple years now I only partially experienced i3, it showed. My i3 setup was almost vanilla. My move to Arch Linux changed everything. This move completely shifted the way I think about my relationship with my desktop environment. Previously, my relationship with Windows was very simplistic. Windows works the way it works, I simply adapted to that. Sometimes I learned a new shortcut, but the majority of my Windows day-to-day involved dragging windows around, reaching Firefox window and tab saturation, closing windows with the mouse and so on. I am not a great example of a Windows ninja some users go down a far more custom path. I do feel I am pretty typical though of a developer using Windows or Mac. I was given a menu, I learned a tiny bit of it, then I simply threw away the menu and reached for the mouse. In this blog post I would like to talk about what my 3.5 week adventure has looked like and where I am today! Opening moves When I moved to Linux I did not know much of the current state of Linux on the desktop but I did know 2 things: I would be using Arch Linux I would be using the i3 tiling window manager I opted for Arch cause I love not having to worry about upgrading my system every 6-12 months to another major release, I think pacman and the package library on Arch is amazing, if I ever am missing tiny bits from the official library it is trivial for me to just grab a package from the very comprehensive AUR. I also think the documentation in the Arch wiki is fantastic and it helped me enormously. I opted for i3 cause I wanted to fully experience the window manager, not treat it as a glorified tmux like I was for years. A day or so into my move I was uncomfortable with the way my stock install