For example, if I am working on a terminal and have firefox open, how much trouble would it be to switch between them (would alt + tab work ?).
I tried reading wiki-pages about tiling managers in general, but they are sparse on this kind of information.
http://sohcahtoa.org.uk/pages/linux-dwm-window-manager-on-de...
Windows can be tiled, full screen ('monacle') or floating in dwm. You can alter the config file to associate a window type with an application, e.g. GIMP will always be floating.
You have a screen divided into a main pane on the left. I set mine to occupy about 65% of the width of a 1920by1080 screen. The right hand area is a 'stack' of other windows which appear as you invoke applications using dmenu (click super, type program name).
You can switch between the active window with the mouse (focus follows pointer) or using keyboard shortcuts (vi related in the stock version). You can also swap windows on the 'stack' in the right hand side into the main tile, so the window that was in the main tile goes onto the stack. You can also 'cycle' the windows through the tiles like a yank buffer.
The best bit was tags. Basically you have 9 workspaces, but it is possible to bring the windows in workspace 7 (say) into the stack in workspace 1.
The main problem I had was the issue of popup windows for tiled applications. Sometimes they were recognised and became floating windows, sometimes they opened in the main pane with the result that the main application window became the first on the stack, which was distracting.
There is also a shell extension for that, but it is still too crude for daily usage: https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/28/gtile/
Despite Compiz's flaws Canonical did the right thing by sticking to and polishing an existing WM instead of creating yet another WM with its own weird flaws and bugs. Plus, I like wobbly windows :)
I've heard awesome things about Awesome. I need to give it a try in the near future. Thanks!
A lot of people complain about customization on both, so I just say: try Awesome WM. This window manager is very easy to use and very simple to customize, it really lives up to its name (awesome).
I use both Gnome Shell and Awesome WM on Arch Linux, I like both of them, although I've been using more and more Gnome Shell lately, partially because Gnome 3.4 is almost in the stable repositories, and I am very anxious for it.