31:26
How Is niri This Good? Live Demo + Config
Nick Janetakis
Overview
This video demonstrates the capabilities and configuration of Niri, a tiling window manager. The presenter highlights Niri's intuitive design, seamless multi-monitor support, and exceptional trackpad usability, even on laptops. Key features discussed include dynamic window tiling, workspace management, an overview mode for visualizing all open windows, tabbed window groups, floating windows, and extensive customization options for appearance and behavior. The video also touches on performance, showing Niri running smoothly on older hardware, and delves into the configuration file, explaining how to set up startup applications, input devices, window rules, and themes.
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Chapters
- Niri offers an exceptionally intuitive and flawless user experience, even with multiple monitors.
- It provides world-class support for trackpad navigation on laptops, making single-screen use feel productive.
- The system excels at managing window space and facilitating quick switching between applications.
- Niri's intuitiveness extends to desktop setups with multiple monitors and keyboard/mouse input.
Understanding Niri's core strengths helps learners appreciate its design philosophy and potential benefits for their own workflow, especially if they struggle with traditional window management.
The presenter describes using a laptop on the road for three weeks and, for the first time, feeling that single-screen laptop use was productive due to Niri's window management.
- Niri goes beyond standard dynamic tiling by offering unique ways to manage new windows without disrupting existing layouts.
- Windows can be scrolled horizontally into existence, appearing in a secondary plane without altering the primary view.
- Workspaces allow for vertical scrolling, creating distinct horizontal planes for different sets of applications.
- This system prevents the chaotic expansion of windows and maintains a structured workspace.
This chapter explains how Niri handles the complexity of multiple open windows, offering a more organized and less disruptive approach than traditional tiling window managers.
When opening a browser, it appears to the right without changing the layout of the main window; the browser is then accessible by scrolling horizontally, or the original window can be brought back into view.
- Niri allows for flexible window arrangement through drag-and-drop into specific zones.
- An 'overview' mode provides a visual representation of all open windows across workspaces, enabling quick navigation and rearrangement.
- Windows can be easily moved between workspaces.
- Features like maximizing windows or adjusting their size (e.g., 2/3, 1/3) do not disrupt the layout of other windows.
These features provide powerful tools for managing complex desktop environments, allowing users to visualize and control their workflow efficiently.
The presenter demonstrates an 'overview' mode that shows all open windows, allowing the user to select, move, or resize them as needed.
- Niri supports creating tabbed groups of windows within a single column, allowing multiple applications to share space without shrinking each other's view excessively.
- Windows can be easily converted into tabs or expelled from tab groups.
- Users can create floating windows that remain on top of tiled windows, useful for persistent information like notes or reference material.
- Window rules can be configured to automatically float specific applications based on their properties (e.g., title, class).
This section introduces advanced organizational techniques, offering flexibility for users who need to group related tasks or keep certain information persistently visible.
The presenter shows how to group multiple terminal windows into tabs, allowing them to be switched between using hotkeys, and also demonstrates floating a notes window on top of a video editing application.
- Niri can be configured to launch applications and services on startup, such as wallpapers, notification daemons, and application launchers.
- Input devices like keyboards and touchpads can be customized, including remapping keys (e.g., Caps Lock to Escape) and adjusting repeat rates.
- Visual elements like gaps between windows, focus rings, and rounded edges are highly configurable.
- Window rules allow for specific behaviors for individual applications, such as always floating them or setting initial dimensions.
Understanding Niri's configuration options empowers users to tailor the environment to their specific needs and preferences, enhancing productivity and comfort.
The presenter shows how to modify the configuration file to change the gap size between windows, adjust the focus ring thickness, and set specific rules for applications like Thunar to always open as floating windows.
- Niri is remarkably performant, running smoothly even on an 11-year-old machine with limited hardware resources.
- GPU and system memory usage is minimal, even with numerous applications open.
- Themes can be easily switched, automatically updating the color schemes of Niri, its bar, and other integrated applications.
- The configuration system supports including separate files, allowing for personalized settings (like monitor setup) without altering the main configuration.
This chapter addresses potential concerns about performance and customization, demonstrating Niri's efficiency and its ability to adapt to different aesthetic preferences and hardware limitations.
The presenter shows how changing a theme in the configuration file instantly updates the colors of the window bar, active window, and other elements across the system.
Key takeaways
- Niri offers a highly intuitive and efficient window management experience, particularly beneficial for users with multiple monitors or those seeking better laptop usability.
- The system's dynamic tiling and workspace management prevent clutter and allow for organized multitasking.
- Advanced features like an overview mode, tabbed groups, and floating windows provide granular control over window layout and visibility.
- Niri is extensively customizable, allowing users to tailor keybinds, appearance, and application-specific behaviors to their workflow.
- The performance of Niri is exceptional, even on older hardware, making it a viable option for a wide range of users.
- Configuration is managed through text files, offering a powerful and transparent way to personalize the desktop environment.
- Niri's design prioritizes a keyboard-centric workflow, enabling rapid navigation and manipulation of windows.
Key terms
Tiling Window ManagerDynamic TilingWorkspacesFloating WindowsTabbed GroupsOverview ModeHotkeysConfiguration FileWindow RulesCompositor
Test your understanding
- How does Niri's approach to managing new windows differ from traditional dynamic tiling window managers?
- What are the benefits of using workspaces in Niri, and how do they interact with horizontal scrolling?
- Describe the 'overview' mode in Niri and explain how it aids in managing multiple open windows.
- How can users create tabbed groups of windows in Niri, and what advantage does this offer over standard tiling?
- What are some examples of input device configurations that can be customized in Niri, and why might a user want to change them?