Xmonad

• The Xmonad desktop is mouse-insensitive! It is possible to do everything by keyboard, but of course the usual applications such as webbrowser, email etc. are easier to use by mouse click.
• Type Alt Shift q to leave Xmonad and return to the login screen.

• Bookmark http://xmonad.org/tour.html so you can get a feeling of Xmonad and find the basic key combinations.
• Extensive list of key commands: http://www.quitsendingmetrash.com/lrn/unix/xmonad.php

Installation / Configuration

• Xmonad is configured via ~/.xmonad/xmonad.hs This is a Haskell file, just as the entire Xmonad is written in Haskell.
• Instead of learning this rather peculiar language, it is far easier to try some of the many xmonad.hs example files found in the web.
  • Attached to this topic is my example xmonad.hs, alongside the xmobarrc (cf. below)

• After changing xmonad.hs, it can be tested by running xmonad --recompile. This will show the possible errors.
• One of the most common entries in this config file seems to be a line

modm = mod4Mask

• This changes the mod key (the key the Xmonad developers / manpages/... talk about) from Alt to the Windows key.
  • Keeping the Alt key would conflict with its usage in Emacs.
  • This way, something useful can be done with the Windows key.

• Typing mod q (aka Windows q if you have the line mentioned above) to restart xmonad with the new xmonad.hs

• Xmonad should be installed on our desktops alongside xmobar and dmenu.
  • xmobar will give you a configurable (not clickable) status bar. See the attached example xmobarrc. xmobar is loaded via xmonad.hs
  • dmenu lets you start programs by typing mod p, which makes a temporary bar appear on top of you desktop. All known programs are listed here, so you select by typing the first few letters of the program, possibly choosing among the offers with the arrow keys (and type Return).