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Hey I used a gnome extension some time ago (unfortunately I forgot the name) which resized every open window when I opened a new one.

For example I only got a firefox window and started netbeans the screen splitted and the firefox window was on the one side and netbeans on the other (like flexbox in css). Is there an application on ubuntu 16.04 for that?

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    Off the top of my head, I don't know how you could automate resizing upon opening a new window, BUT there are a lot of really easy shortcuts that might be just as good (and possibly a better solution since you would maintain some control over what's happening). 1) You could use window snapping--for example, dragging an open window towards the far right side of your screen automatically resizes the window so it takes up the right half of the screen. You can define what part of the screen does what to the window, and there are lot of size options, like top half, bottom right corner, etc.
    – Hee Jin
    Apr 20, 2018 at 0:58
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    Just install the Unity Tweak tool to use window snapping. 2) There are built in keyboard shortcuts that can resize the active window to take up the left or right half of the screen. Ctrl+Super+Left Arrow and Ctrl+Super+Right Arrow. There are also shortcuts for keypads, but not everyone has those.
    – Hee Jin
    Apr 20, 2018 at 1:01
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    Also, this answer has a lot of suggestions that sound great (some I will even look into using myself!). For example, PyWO lets you tile windows using a keyboard shortcut. But again, none of them completely automate the process of window resizing--there's still some element of user input.
    – Hee Jin
    Apr 20, 2018 at 1:14
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    Finally, you may want to check out i3! I just found out about it and it sounds like it just might meet your needs. Here's a comparison to xmonad.
    – Hee Jin
    Apr 20, 2018 at 1:27
  • @Emily awesome thank you so much for your answers. i3 was the package I used back then (So it's the right answer for the question). Apr 20, 2018 at 17:00

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i3 is a well-documented tiling window manager that does what you are looking for.

"Tiling window managers [...] lay out their windows in logical subdivisions, breaking down the screen space in a logical pattern. For example, the first two windows that you open on your screen will each take up half of the screen and sit directly next to each other." (Source: Make Tech Easier)

In addition, there are a lot of really easy shortcuts that are good to know about, since you would maintain some control over what's happening:

  1. There are built in keyboard shortcuts that can resize the active window to take up the left or right half of the screen. Ctrl+Super+Left Arrow and Ctrl+Super+Right Arrow. If you have a number pad, you can also use Ctrl+Alt+keypad number
  2. You could use window snapping--for example, dragging an open window towards the far right side of your screen automatically resizes the window so it takes up the right half of the screen. You can define what part of the screen does what to the window, and there are lot of size options, like top half, bottom right corner, etc. Window snapping is a feature part of Unity Tweak Tool. To install, open Terminal/other CLI and enter:

    sudo apt-get install unity-tweak-tool

Window Snapping is under the Window Manager category.

  1. Finally, there's a lot of great suggestions in this answer. In particular, PyWO sounded interesting to me. For example, you can set it up so that you're able to move windows and snap them to windows' edges.

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