DWM-ON-OS-X.md

Installing and configuring dwm on OS X

1. Install X11.app (it's on the OS X install disk or something.)

2. Install dwm. Either with Homebrew, brew install dwm, or from source.

3. Add the following script to $PATH, name it dwm-launch and chmod 755:

   while true
   do
     xsetroot -name "`date +"%Y-%m-%d %H:%M"`"
     sleep 5
   done &
   exec /usr/local/bin/dwm
   

4. Add the following to ~/.xinitrc:

   $PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin
   xsetroot -solid '#4a525a'
   xmodmap -e 'remove Mod2 = Meta_L' -e 'add Mod1 = Meta_L'
   exec >>~/.xsession-errors 2>&1
   ~/bin/dwm-launch
   

5. Start X11.app. dwm should start. We need to change a few settings to make copy/paste between X11 <-> Aqua work. Go to X11 -> Preferences... and enable Emulate three button mouse under Input. Next, enable everything under Pasteboard.

   In X11 you copy text by selecting it with the mouse, and you paste by pressing Alt and clicking the mouse.

Issues

• After some time you might not be able to open new terminals. This has something to do with permissions, and can be fixed with xhost +. Do you know a permanent solution?

• When you start a new terminal, the working directory is /. Slightly annoying.