Editing Ion (window manager)

{{Short description|Tiling and tabbing window manager}}
{{Other uses|Ion (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox software
 |name = Ion
 |screenshot = ION3 Screenshot.jpg
 |caption = Ion in use
 |developer = Tuomo Valkonen<ref name="lxf103">{{Cite journal |last=Saunders |first=Mike |date=March 2008 |title=Lightweight window managers |url=http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/archives?issue=103 |journal=[[Linux Format]] |location=UK |publisher=[[Future Publishing]] |issue=103}}</ref><ref name="lxf104">{{Cite journal |last=Сондерс |first=Майк |date=March 2008 |script-title=ru:Легковесные ОМ |url=http://www.linuxformat.ru/download/103.pdf |journal=[[Linux Format]] |language=Russian |location=Russia |publisher=Mezon.ru |issue=103 |pages=20}}</ref>
 | latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q1671993|P348|P548=Q2804309}}
 | latest release date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q1671993|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}
 | latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q1671993|P348|P548=Q51930650}}
 | latest preview date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q1671993|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}}
 |operating system = [[Unix-like]]
 |genre = [[Window Manager]]
 |license = [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-only]] with naming restrictions
 |website = {{url|tuomov.iki.fi/software/ion/}}
}}

In [[Unix]] computing, '''Ion''' is a [[tiling window manager|tiling]] and [[Tabbed document interface|tabbing]] [[window manager]] for the [[X Window System]]. It is designed such that it is possible to manage [[window (computing)|windows]] using only a [[computer keyboard|keyboard]], without needing a [[computer mouse|mouse]]. It is the successor of PWM and is written by the same author, Tuomo Valkonen.<ref name="lxf103" /><ref name="lxf104" /> Since the first release of Ion in the summer 2000, similar alternative window management ideas have begun to show in other new window managers: [[Larswm]], [[ratpoison]], [[StumpWM]], [[wmii]], [[xmonad]] and [[dwm]].

First versions of Ion were released under the [[Artistic License]], Ion2 and the development versions of Ion3 were released under the [[GNU Lesser General Public License]] (LGPL). However, the first release candidate of Ion3 included a license change to a custom license based on the LGPL (specifically modified versions must not use the name ion).<ref>[http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=422527#10 #422527 - ion3: New upstream release available - Debian Bug report logs<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Since version 2, Ion has been scriptable in [[Lua (programming language)|Lua]].<ref name="lxf103" /><ref name="lxf104" />

As of September 17, 2009, Valkonen states he is unlikely to continue development of Ion by himself.<ref>{{Citation |last=Valkonen |first=Tuomo |title=The end of the line |date=September 2009 |url=http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.comp.window-managers.ion.general/month=20090901 |access-date=2015-11-11 |archive-date=2010-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230005242/http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.comp.window-managers.ion.general/month=20090901 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The official home page went offline in early 2010.{{cn|date=April 2023}}

A fork, '''Notion''' (Not-ion), is being maintained.

==Alternatives==
The Notion (Not-ion) fork is actively maintained with packages available for the Linux distributions gentoo, Debian, Arch, SUSE and Fedora as well as NetBSD and Solaris (Solaris 10, OpenSolaris and OpenIndiana).

Window managers similar to ion include [[Awesome (window manager)|awesome]], [[dwm]], [[I3 (window manager)|i3]], [[larswm]], and [[xmonad]].

==Controversy==
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Tuomo Valkonen, the author of Ion, has been at the center of several controversies concerning the licensing and distribution of his software, in particular the proclivity of major [[Linux]] and [[BSD]] distributions of making outdated development versions of Ion3 (the current unstable development branch) available as part of "frozen" software repositories. Often, such versions will include patches, such as for [[Xinerama]] or [[Xft]] support, both of which Valkonen disapproves on professional and personal grounds and has had removed from the main source tree. Yet, such distribution would seem to imply that the patched version is the official Ion3 package maintained by Valkonen himself, which he sees as unacceptable. Valkonen has even recently{{When|date=April 2023}} become an outspoken critic of the entire [[free software]] and [[open-source software|open-source]] movement (the "FOSS herd", as he refers to it)<ref>{{Citation |title=Ports Mailing List  |date=December 2007 |url=http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-ports/2007-December/045492.html |publisher=FreeBSD}}.</ref> due to his perceived mistreatment at the hands of several major distributions, including [[Arch Linux]], [[Debian]], [[pkgsrc]] ([[NetBSD]], [[DragonflyBSD]]), and [[FreeBSD]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2014}}

On April 28, 2007, Valkonen warned the Arch Linux maintainers of possible legal action because the (unofficial) Arch User Repository contained scripts to install Ion3 with patches he did not approve of.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080224035758/http://www.archlinux.org/pipermail/tur-users/2007-April/004634.html [tur-users&#93; Ion3 trademark infringement<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Later on he did the same with the [[pkgsrc]] maintainer of the [[NetBSD]] project<ref>[http://mail-index.netbsd.org/tech-pkg/2007/10/28/0000.html te ch-pkg: Outdated ion3 pkgsrc in violation of the license<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and the ports maintainer of the [[FreeBSD]] project.<ref>[http://docs.freebsd.org/cgi/getmsg.cgi?fetch=438877+0+archive/2007/freebsd-ports/20071216.freebsd-ports FreeBSD Mail Archives<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> As of December 12, 2007,<ref>[http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-ports/2007-December/045484.html Ion3 license violation<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> the development branch of Ion, along with other software by Valkonen, was pulled<ref>[http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-ports/2007-December/045534.html Ion3 removal (Re: Ion3 license violation)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> from the [[FreeBSD ports]] tree, after the author filed a complaint about outdated development releases still being available. Any version of Ion may still be installed from source code on any Unix system with proper libraries and dependencies.

Valkonen has implied in several mailing lists that he has become completely disillusioned with, if not openly hostile toward, the free software community in general. He plans to switch to developing strictly closed-source software for the [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] platform in the future.<ref>[http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-ports/2007-December/045494.html Ion3 license violation<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>  As of 2018, the author claims to have "found more worthwhile hobbies" than programming for the "Free Software movement", opining that it amounts to "bug-ridden clone[s] ... with a centralised software distribution mechanism".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tuomov.iki.fi/software/|title=Software ∈ ~tuomov}}</ref>  Borgend, Valkonen's latest published program as of 2018, remains open-source and is compatible with Unix-like systems, including Macintosh [[OS X]], his present operating system of choice.

==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
* [[Integrated development environment]]
* [[Multiple-document interface]]
* [[Tab (interface)|Tabbed-document interface]]
* [[Tiling window manager]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite web |first=Teodor  |last=Zlatanov |date=29 September 2004 |url=http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-cpion.html |title=Cultured Perl: Fun with the Ion window manager |publisher=[[IBM]] |work=developerWorks}}
* {{Cite web |first=Michael |last=Stutz |date=27 June 2006 |url=http://www.linux.com/archive/feature/55164 |title=Ion, the efficient window manager |work=[[Linux.com]]}}
* {{Cite web |first=Nicholas |last=Petreley |date=29 July 2002 |url=http://linux.sys-con.com/node/32770 |title=Ion a not-too minimalist window manager |work=[[SYS-CON]] |access-date=24 February 2010 |archive-date=30 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430113743/http://linux.sys-con.com/node/32770 |url-status=dead }} (originally [https://web.archive.org/web/20021002000711/http://www.linuxworld.com/site-stories/2002/0729.ion.html appeared] in [[LinuxWorld.com]])

==External links==
* {{official website|https://tuomov.iki.fi/software/ion/}}
* {{Freshmeat|ion|Ion}}
* {{sourceforge|notion|Notion}} (ion3 fork)
* [https://notionwm.net/ Notion web site]

{{X desktop environments and window managers}}

[[Category:Lua (programming language)-scriptable software]]
[[Category:Tiling window managers]]
[[Category:X window managers]]