Can I have a window manager besides a desktop environment?

I’m running kde and I want to know if it’s possible to choose between a session with kde and a session with only a window manager.
I read that some programs can have incompatibly issues if I were to run only a window manager.

Yes. You can.

If you should or not is a more complicated question.

Certainly, just installing a loading a generic WM session won’t hurt anything. What you add it to afterwards might(or might not).

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I use AwesomeWM https://awesomewm.org/, which isn’t a full desktop environment, by design, and I’ve never had an issue.
The tiling WM workflow can be incredibly productive, depending on your workflow.
Having said that, though, if you’re new (or new-ish) to linux, the learning curve of going away from the point-and-click of a desktop can be really steep.

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Does clicking at something do nothing? Or are the keyboard shortcuts better?

It depends what you mean by a “Window Manager”.

There are both stacking and tiling WMs. There are many different variants.

Which one were you thinking of specifically?

A tiling window manager. I have searched for more information about them than the stacking ones.

In that case, they are primarily keyboard driven.

Although, the applications themselves still support a mouse.

For example, if you open a web browser, you can still click inside of it. However, moving windows and closing them is more keyboard driven for the most part.

Of course, they are all a little different so your best bet is to try one and see if you like it.

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Oh that’s great.
I’m still debating between trying one with kde on x11 or going with only a window manager like sway or hyprland.
If I were to choose only the window manager, will I be able to use programs like dolphin and kde connect?
Edit: I know about bismuth and that it’s has functions like a tilling window manager

Yes. Certainly dolphin will work. kde connect should work but depending on what you pick it might be tricky if you don’t have a tray.

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Are trays the same as taskbars/panels?
The fact that dolphin could work is my favorite :sweat_smile:
I really like that program and kde connect. Those are probably my favorites from kde.

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