The release of the composite server niri 0.1.5 has been published. This server was developed under the impression of GNOME-extension paperwm and implements the mosaic method (tiling) layouts in which windows are grouped into a tape that infinitely scrolls on the screen. When a new window is opened, the tape expands, and previously added windows maintain their size. The project code is distributed under the GPLV3 license. Packages are available for Fedora, Nixos, Arch Linux, and FreeBSD.
The creation of a separate composite manager, NIRI, was necessary due to the limitations in implementing separate work with monitors in PaperWM, which is bound to global window coordinates in Gnome Shell. NIRI differs from PaperWM by binding each monitor to windows that do not intersect with each other. NIRI supports Hidpi and can function on systems with multiple GPUs, such as hybrid systems with a discrete video card and built-in GPU.
In NIRI, virtual desktops are dynamically created, arranged vertically (while the tape of windows scrolls horizontally, and the tape of desktops scrolls vertically). Each monitor can display an independent set of virtual desktops. Switching between desktops can be done using control gestures on the touchpad. When a monitor is turned off, the layout of virtual desktops is saved and transferred to the remaining monitor, returning to the original state when the monitor is turned back on.
