Cleo Menezes Jr. 🌵For fun: partially implementing the Moisac Windows concept by @tbernard.
https://blogs.gnome.org/tbernard/2023/07/26/rethinking-window-management/
At the moment I am making a dynamic and intelligent tiling system that coexists with the mosaic as shown in the mockup and this has been a fairly wide road.
I have already achieved good results, but I think I will only have something that can be proved next year.
Some momentum.
Using mosaic windows is so good that going back to using overlapping windows feels strange.
It's still quite experimental, but I think I can start sharing it to begin getting some public testing.
https://github.com/CleoMenezesJr/MosaicWM
https://github.com/CleoMenezesJr/MosaicWM
The solution I found to alert the user that the window they are resizing will overflow and no longer fit in the workspace was to make it opaque.
I initially used the Shelf algorithm to build the mosaic, but I ran into limitations I didn't like. I'm testing a hybrid approach: MaxRects algorithm augmented with some BSP algorithm features to improve space utilization and partitioning flexibility.
I need to weigh the pros and cons: a hybrid MaxRects with BSP improves space utilization and flexibility (fills gaps and eases reorganization) but increases computational complexity and processing cost.
Any thoughts?
In the end, it was worth trying to improve the algorithm I already had rather than attempting to implement something so complex that didn't meet my expectations.
Using the Shelf algorithm, I implemented an approach where windows are arranged with radial growth; exactly what I was looking for. This greatly improved space utilization and looks visually well-balanced.
Before the algorithm tried to complete the horizontal space of their "shelf" with windows before creating another "shelf". The look was very unbalanced and uncentric.
I was researching some articles about algorithms for collages and came across an interesting one: https://callistaenterprise.se/blogg/teknik/2025/06/11/genetic-algorithms-collage-creation/.
The proposal presented seems brilliant, as considering the concept of "collage" makes more sense than thinking about "mosaic" to solve this problem.
I tried everything: spiral packing, radial growth, bin packing... Each one promised to be "the definitive." The radial looked nice but had gaps. The spiral got stuck on edge cases. The bin packing ignored aspect ratios.
In the end, I went back to basics: horizontal rows with smart distribution. Windows arrange themselves in lines, respecting their original sizes. Simple, predictable, and it works.
Sometimes the elegant solution is the one that doesn't try to be brilliant. 🧘
Guys, MosaicWM is becoming more and more stable, so I would like to start having people testing it.
I have an issue reported by several users that, after the discussion in this thread¹, made me rethink how the Mosaic WM should behave:
#GNOME workflow is based on workspaces, and the most practical approach — as most people do — is one task per workspace.
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¹ https://github.com/CleoMenezesJr/MosaicWM/issues/7
also: https://github.com/CleoMenezesJr/MosaicWM/issues/13#issue-3713014865
But that workflow quickly breaks: depending on the size of a newly opened window, the workspace may overflow and create more workspaces. To mitigate this I implemented: check the next workspace for available space; if it fits, use it; otherwise create a new workspace.
My first idea to improve this: instead of checking only the next workspace, check the subsequent workspaces; and instead of creating a new workspace adjacent to the current one, create it at the end. I did consider a downside: someone might open a casual window and it would end up far away. I solved this by remembering the last visited workspace before moving to the new one — so when that casual window is closed n the workspace becomes empty, we return automatically to the last visited workspace
Now the main problem: people use tiling/window managers that auto-organize windows so they don’t have to spend time arranging them. I feel these goals can conflict:
- If I organize my workspaces by task, how should overflow be handled when it creates additional workspaces?
- If a user knows which workspace they’re in and opens an app, should windows auto-resize to fit the workspace and only create overflow if there’s truly no room?
- If we resize windows when another is opened, how should we arrange them? Should larger windows shrink enough for the smaller one to fit?
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- If a user knows which workspace they’re in and opens an app, should windows auto-resize to fit the workspace and only create overflow if there’s truly no room?
- If we resize windows when another is opened, how should we arrange them? Should larger windows shrink enough for the smaller one to fit?
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- When an overflow occurs, should a new workspace be created at the end or adjacent to the affected workspace?
These are just the initial questions.
Roman Schaller@CleoMenezesJr I used it today for a few hours. I had the exact same issue, and unfortunately, I ended up with too many workspaces. I'd be really happy if existing windows could be resized or rearranged to make room for the new window within my workspace. I think it would get annoying when windows are partially invisible because they're spilling out of the workspace. That's kind of the point of this extension – to fit everything into my view.
@CleoMenezesJr There is a problem when windows really don't fit. At one point, you need to have another workspace. In that case, I'd like to have the new workspace next to the current one.
@romix Thanks for your feedback, it's something I've been thinking about. take a look:
https://floss.social/@CleoMenezesJr/115698907040271882
https://floss.social/@CleoMenezesJr/115698907040271882
Cleo Menezes Jr. :verified: (@[email protected])
Attached: 1 image I heard "smart resize"? The original idea for tiled windows was that each window would open at its "ideal size," but that will take time to implement. Meanwhile, I propose a different approach to make tiling useful right away. #GNOME's workflow encourages one workspace per task. I organize mine like this: 1. Terminal / Neovim 2. Browser 3. Messaging apps 4. Casual apps +++