JWM is very lightweight and a feature rich desktop. It has so much potential, but by default is a bit too basic with no automatic application menu, weird keyboard shortcuts etc.
This is a JWM config that makes it into a usable desktop, with usable panel, automatic application menu - just like a traditional desktop. JWM is lightweight and inherently faster than other desktop environments, so it should do things faster, make your pc run cooler and all that in a traditional and recognizable interface.
Just install these requirements:
- jwm
- rofi
- nm-applet
- cbatticon
- volumeicon
- papirus-icon-theme
- nitrogen
- xlockmore (for locking)
- ksuperkey (optional, if you want super key to open something)
- xdgmenumaker (for program list generation)
- gsimplecal (for showing calendar when clock is clicked)
- xrandr (optional, for connecting to external screens/projectors)
- xfce4-notifyd (optional, for showing notfications - relogin required to start service)
Of course these are not tight requirements. You can change the config to suit to your needs.
If you don't know which type of distro you are using, run cat /etc/os-release
, check the ID_LIKE
value and follow accordingly.
For Arch Linux, it can be something like:
sudo pacman -S jwm rofi nm-applet cbatticon volumeicon papirus-icon-theme nitrogen xlockmore xdgmenumaker gsimplecal xrandr && yaourt -S ksuperkey --noconfirm
Tested on Sparky Linux Rolling (close to Debian Testing):
sudo apt install jwm rofi network-manager-gnome cbatticon volumeicon-alsa papirus-icon-theme nitrogen gsimplecal
Did not find xlockmore on debian repo, so please use i3lock or something else and change .jwmrc accordingly.
Install xdgmenumaker (it is recommended to install for automatic generation of application menu):
sudo apt install make txt2tags python-xdg python-gtk2
git clone https://github.com/gapan/xdgmenumaker.git
cd xdgmenumaker
make
sudo make install
Install ksuperkey (it is optional and just for the super key shortcut):
sudo apt-get install git gcc make libx11-dev libxtst-dev pkg-config
git clone https://github.com/hanschen/ksuperkey.git
cd ksuperkey
make
sudo make install
cd
to the directory where you downloaded/cloned this repository:
cd path/to/this/repo
Copy the .jwmrc
file, .config
and .local
folder into your home directory, or open a terminal on this repo directory and run:
cp -r {.config,.jwmrc,.local} ~
Make sure scripts are executable (git should make them executable by default):
chmod +x ~/.local/share/jwm-config/*.sh
Log out and log back into the JWM session. You can make changes to ~/.jwmrc
depending on your setup (file manager, terminal, web browser etc.)
When an update to .jwmrc
is pushed, you can use meld
and open the repo version and your .jwmrc
side by side, then click the arrow buttons besides changes to decide which changes you want to accept into your config.
Common Shortcuts:
The Programs menu does not update when you install an application. You have to manually click Restart JWM on the menu or run: jwm -restart
. This is a limitation of JWM and not supposed to be fixed. You can probably use hooks for your package manager to restart JWM when new programs are installed.
The Show Desktop button at the bottom right corner does not work the first time on a session. It works fine after the first time.
When you first open the terminal on a directory through Thunar, it will show a dialog titled "Choose a Preferred Application". Choose Other..., then type in the executable name of your favorite terminal application (e.g. lxterminal
) then click OK, then again OK. It will open your specified terminal. It will work like that from now on.
1. Icons in the system tray does not show in Papirus icons: Install lxappearance
and use it to set the icon to Papirus.
2. pcmanfm-qt does not show the icons: Go to Edit - Preferences - Display and choose Papirus then restart pcmanfm.
License: CC0 - do whatever you want with it.