Installing the Ratpoison Window Manager on Debian

Step by step guide and HOWTO


Debian Linux is wonderful for its stability, making it ideal for servers and long-term projects.


It has a vast repository of software, offering thousands of packages, and it's open-source with a strong commitment to free software.


Today we shall install the Ratpoison Window Manager on Debian.


We need to complete several steps to get it working correctly.


1. Boot the system -- System Ready.


Boot the system -- System Ready

2. Boot the system -- Logged In.


Boot the system -- Logged In

3. Switch to root

su

Switch to root

4. Running update

apt-get update

Running update

5. Running 'apt install ratpoison'

apt install ratpoison

Running 'apt install ratpoison'

6. Running 'apt install ratpoison'


Running 'apt install ratpoison'

7. Running 'apt install xorg'

apt install xorg

Running 'apt install xorg'

8. Running 'apt install xorg'

apt install xorg

Running 'apt install xorg'

9. Running 'reboot'

reboot

Running 'reboot'

10. Running 'startx usr/bin/ratpoison'

startx usr/bin/ratpoison

Running 'startx usr/bin/ratpoison'

11. Configuration

nano ~/.ratpoisonrc

Configuration

12. Configuration

bind x exec firefox

Configuration

13. Adding dmenu package

apt install dmenu

Adding dmenu package

14. Running Ratpoison


Running Ratpoison

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Running Ratpoison

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Running Ratpoison

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Running Ratpoison

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Running Ratpoison

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Running Ratpoison

41. Shutting down the system


Shutting down the system

Using the Ratpoison Window Manager

The default key prefix is Ctrl-t, followed by other commands.

Ctrl-t c opens a new terminal window.

Ctrl-t k kills a window.

Ctrl-t : allows you to type commands directly.


You can run graphical applications within the Ratpoison environment by using these keybindings or launching them from a terminal.


To exit Ratpoison

Press Ctrl-t to invoke the Ratpoison command prefix.

Then, press : to bring up the command prompt.

Type quit and press Enter.

This will close the Ratpoison session and return you to your display manager (if you're using one) or the terminal.

Alternatively, you can also switch to a different terminal using Ctrl + Alt + F1 to log in and manage the system from there if necessary.


To launch xterm in Ratpoison

Press Ctrl-t to invoke Ratpoison's command mode (the default prefix).

Press ! (the exclamation point) to open a command prompt.

Type xterm and press Enter.

This will launch an xterm terminal window within the Ratpoison environment.

You can also bind the launch of xterm to a key combination for easier access.



Well, that was exciting. See you in the next one!


If you wish to support our project

Donation link (Buy me a coffee):

https://buymeacoffee.com/Alex_Cyber_Synapse