WM: Window Manager

WM is a Plan 9-style window manager that implements rio-style namespaces where each window can have its own isolated /dev devices through bind mounts. WM connects to Mu for graphics and provides a 9P2000 filesystem interface for window management.

Architecture

WM cleanly separates concerns into multiple components:

• Window Management: Manages window lifecycle, positioning, and compositing
• Namespace Isolation: Each window gets its own namespace with isolated /dev devices
• 9P Filesystem Interface: Complete window management through 9P operations
• Graphics Integration: Uses Mu's /dev/draw, /dev/screen, /dev/mouse, and /dev/kbd

Namespace-Based Isolation

Each window gets its own namespace where /dev/screen points to that window's virtual devices through bind mounts, just like Plan 9's rio. This allows:

• Per-window device isolation
• Nested window managers in isolated namespaces
• Composability and separation of concerns

Integration with Mu

WM connects to Mu as a 9P client, using Mu's graphics devices for rendering:

• /dev/draw: Drawing context for each window
• /dev/screen: Screen buffer for pushing pixels
• /dev/mouse: Mouse input events
• /dev/kbd: Keyboard input events

Quick Start

# Build and start Mu (kernel)
$ mk
$ ./bin/mu --port 17010

# In another terminal, build and start WM
$ cd wm
$ mk
$ ./bin/wm --mu tcp!localhost!17010

Links

TK (Toolkit) → | Mu (Kernel) → | GitHub Repository | Back to Projects