# Blackbox window manager

9 Hacker News commenters recommended Blackbox window manager and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** A lightweight, Openbox-like window manager that people have run for years on Linux and FreeBSD with few problems.

## Why people recommend it

- Long-term reliable use on Linux and FreeBSD (2 comments): "I've run Openbox/Blackbox on Linux for ~15 years and never had these issues." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46578830)) "I used Blackbox on FreeBSD for the longest time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48134388))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [AwesomeWM](https://hackerapproved.com/p/awesomewm.md): 26 recommend
- [Openbox](https://hackerapproved.com/p/openbox.md): 15 recommend
- [KWin](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kwin.md): 11 recommend
- [CWM window manager](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cwm.md): 7 recommend
- [Cage Wayland compositor](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cage.md): 5 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Blackbox window manager", https://hackerapproved.com/p/blackbox-window-manager/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).