Window Maker
| Company type | Free software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Alfredo Kojima |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Window manager for the X Window System |
Window Maker is a free and open-source window manager designed for the X Window System, created to replicate the look and feel of NeXTSTEP's interface while functioning as a GNUstep-compatible platform.
History
Originating in 1997, Window Maker was developed entirely by Brazilian programmer Alfredo Kojima with the goal of enhancing the design of the AfterStep window manager and ensuring seamless integration with the GNUstep desktop environment.
The initial development phase concluded with the release of version 0.92.0 in 2005. After several years without updates, Carlos R. Mafra took over maintenance in 2012, continuing development from his fork on Git and issuing version 0.95.1.
Dockapps
Dockapps are small utility programs that operate within Window Maker’s dock, offering features such as system monitoring, notifications, and audio volume adjustments. These applications are also compatible with other window managers including AfterStep and Blackbox.
An active directory of dockapps is maintained by the community, alongside a Git repository that preserves dockapps whose original development has stopped.
WINGs
WINGs—a recursive acronym meaning "WINGs Is Not GNUstep"—is a streamlined widget toolkit developed specifically for Window Maker. It was created as a more straightforward alternative to GNUstep, which was considered overly complex for use in a window manager. Although primarily intended for Window Maker, WINGs has gained some interest from developers outside this project.