I3-SENSIBLE-TERMINAL(1)

📦
version 4.25.1 · 10 versions
, in fedora 43, fedora 44, nixpkgs unstable, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

✨ NAME ✨

okay so bestie, meet i3-sensible-terminal — the little script that launches $TERMINAL with fallbacks 🫶 it's giving "I got you, you will have a terminal, no cap."

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

i3-sensible-terminal [arguments]

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

So i3-sensible-terminal gets called in the i3 default config to start a terminal. Why does this wrapper script even exist? Because there is no distribution-independent terminal launcher 😭 (Debian does have x-terminal-emulator though, slay). Distribution packagers are the ones responsible for shipping this script in a way which is appropriate for the distribution. that's their job, not ours, periodt.

It tries to start one of the following, and it goes in that order:

  • $TERMINAL (heads up: this is a non-standard variable)
  • x-terminal-emulator (only present on Debian and derivatives)
  • mate-terminal
  • gnome-terminal
  • terminator
  • xfce4-terminal
  • urxvt
  • rxvt
  • termit
  • Eterm
  • aterm
  • uxterm
  • xterm
  • roxterm
  • termite
  • lxterminal
  • terminology
  • st
  • qterminal
  • lilyterm
  • tilix
  • terminix
  • konsole
  • kitty
  • guake
  • tilda
  • alacritty
  • hyper
🚨 Please don't complain about the order: If the user has any preference, they will have $TERMINAL set or modified their i3 configuration file. literally that simple. the config is right there. go touch it. 💖

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Michael Stapelberg and contributors 🫶 iconic behaviour fr fr.

and that's the whole page bestie 💜 this was i3 version 4.25.1, dated 01/01/1980 — yes the date is giving time travel, don't question it, it's canon 🌈 ✨ 🎀

📦 where this page comes from