Summary of "Can a i3 user be SWAYED? [swaywm]"

Main ideas / lessons conveyed

• Purpose of the video: An i3 user tests whether it’s practical to switch to Sway and answers the common question: “Can a i3 user be SWAYED?”

• Sway overview:

  • Sway is a Wayland-compatible window manager and compositor.
  • It’s positioned as a natural continuation of i3, not necessarily a replacement that will make i3 disappear immediately—i3 remains widely used.

• Why i3 users may consider Sway:

  • Key bindings feel familiar (i3-like workflow).
  • Behavior is similar enough that the transition can be relatively straightforward.

• What may differ / require tinkering:

  • Some visual features/config options (notably gaps) may not be included in the defaults and must be added manually.
  • Some i3 aesthetic features mentioned as missing (for example, rounded corners/shadows) may not be present in Sway by default, and may depend on developer/community direction.

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Methodology / workflow demonstrated

Set up Sway on Fedora

• Install or enable Sway display-related tools needed for multi-monitor setup: wdisplays.
• Start from Sway’s default configuration, keeping it as a baseline before customizing.

Configure Waybar (status bar)

• Use an existing Waybar configuration from the speaker’s GitHub repositories.
• Clone/copy the Waybar config into the appropriate local setup.
• Install a Waybar build “locally” / ensure the correct version (the speaker mentions installing locally and confirming it matches expected features).

Apply wallpapers and verify reload behavior

• Open a file manager and select wallpapers from a pictures/wallpapers directory.
• Confirm wallpaper changes visually apply immediately and that Waybar reloads as expected.

Update local Sway configuration

• Place the Sway config in the home directory (the speaker points to using ~/... files rather than relying only on /etc).
• Reload Sway using an i3/sway-style reload shortcut to verify the new config is active.

Ensure Waybar is started correctly

• Locate how Waybar is launched in the Sway config (the speaker finds it in the Sway config via an executable script call).
• Implement a small script setup:
  • Create a script in ~/.local/bin (referenced as a launcher/start script).
  • Put a Waybar start command into the Sway config so the script is invoked.
• Verify that Waybar starts and reloads correctly after config changes.

Add/ensure fonts

• Install a font package (the speaker mentions “Iosevka”) so Waybar icons/typography render properly.
• Reload Sway and confirm icon visibility.

Restore workspace indicator

• The speaker notes that default workspace indicators were absent after some copying/changes, so they add back the workspace module/indicator.
• Test scrolling/workspace behavior (the workspace indicator is shown as scrollable).

Tune appearance settings

• Modify Waybar or related config values, such as:
  • Visual transparency (e.g., adjusting an alpha value like 0.7)
  • Font size (e.g., 14)
  • Spacing/gaps settings (the speaker emphasizes gaps may require manual configuration and may not be included by default)

Test other themes (rofi)

• Copy a “rofi” (referenced as a “rofi” folder / “rofie/rofi” folder) and confirm it works with the current setup.

Consolidate into a dedicated repository/folder

• The speaker intends to create a new directory/repository specifically to store the configuration files used in the video.

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Speakers / sources featured

• Speaker: Eric (YouTuber: “Stafford Tech”)
• Sources/tools/configs mentioned:
  • Sway (Wayland-compatible i3-like window manager/compositor)
  • i3 (comparison baseline)
  • Hyperland (mentioned as a prior comparison topic)
  • Waybar (status bar configuration)
  • wdisplays (multi-monitor setup tool)
  • Fedora (distribution used for the setup)
  • GitHub repositories (speaker’s configs; referenced as “my repository” / “in my GitHub”)
  • Fonts: “Iosevka”
  • Rofi (referenced via copying a “rofi” folder)
  • Scripts / local binaries: ~/.local/bin (where the Waybar start script is placed)

Category

Educational

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