IceWM: the 1997 lightweight window manager still going strong
Spotted 2026-11-13 15:07 (UTC+8) · original event 1997 · sources: Hacker News · spreading on 1 platformHeat score
Rank score: 9540% — where it sits on the charts
Discussion score: 7040% — how much people are talking about it
Cross-platform score: 3020% — how many platforms it spread to
Composite heat score:72.0rank × 0.4 + discussion × 0.4 + cross-platform × 0.2
Why it matters
Modern desktops keep getting heavier; a 28-year-old window manager that stays fast, small and out of the way still has fans - minimalism as a feature, not a limitation.The angle
A window manager from 1997 still shipping releases in 2026 - what IceWM does differently and why lightweight Linux users keep coming backSuggested format: Short video · for Developers, Linux usersEvidence chain
• HN #2, 84 pts/32 cmt (2026-11-13)• bare link to ice-wm.org, no new release - a resurfacing: IceWM is a stacking window manager for X11, first released 1997, still maintained• latest stable 4.1.0 released 2026-08-06 (window focus control, icesh mousemove)• default WM for AntiX, Absolute Linux and Legacy OS• 2026-11-13 16:07 update: HN #2, 114 pts/61 cmt• 2026-11-13 17:07 update: HN #2, 145 pts/78 cmt