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I'm an Arch Linux user and as such I've tried almost all of the DEs and WMs available and none really satisfy me. None really click for me.

So I decided to write my own, since I think that's the most sensible solution to this.

Looking at the languages that I'm comfortable with it's really only Clojure so I decided to write it in that. I'd like to make it a stacking WM, like Openbox but in a severely different direction for the UI.

What do I need to know in order to be able to achieve this? I'm practically a newbie to Java but I'm comfortable reading Clojure and writing it. What do I need to understand to be able to make a X.Org interface written in Clojure (i.e. Java)? Planning on doing it with XCB.

I'd like to know specifically how to communicate with the X.Org server in order to be able to manage the windows like any other stacking WM.

Would it be easier to just write it in C/C++? If writing a Clojure/Java version will just be a PITA compared to that I think I'm willing to learn.

greduan
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    I disagree with whoever voted to close this: it is an objectively answerable question (even if it is a complex issue with multiple options). – mikera Dec 15 '13 at 13:26
  • I agree with @mikera, at the beginning maybe it was opinion based but I since then modified it in a way that's less opinion prone and more prone to real answers. – greduan Dec 15 '13 at 15:16

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I think the steps and their prerequisites would look something like this:

1) implement a Jvm binding for XCB
this entails either figuring out how to do JNI from clojure or doing some Java. It likely also involves some C programming, especially if you want any sort of cross distro portability.

2) learning the design and architecture of X11 / XCB

3) designing the UI you want and how it maps to the infrastructure

Realistically, if you have not done JNI, have not written a WM, and have not used the X11 APIs before, you will likely be doing all of these steps repeatedly on your first try.

noisesmith
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  • That certainly seems like a lot of hassle... Do you suggest I just write it in C/C++? Since that seems to be the default language for writing anything for Linux... – greduan Dec 15 '13 at 03:30