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https://github.com/kernc/xsuspender

:eyes: :computer: :zzz: :battery: Save battery by auto-suspending unfocused X11 applications.
https://github.com/kernc/xsuspender

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:eyes: :computer: :zzz: :battery: Save battery by auto-suspending unfocused X11 applications.

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README 

        
XSuspender

==========

[![Build Status](https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/kernc/xsuspender/ci.yml?branch=master&style=for-the-badge)](https://github.com/kernc/xsuspender/actions)



Automatically suspend inactive X11 applications.



[XSuspender project website](https://kernc.github.io/xsuspender/)



When an application window loses focus, XSuspender tries to match it to

one of the rules in its configuration. If a match is found, the

application is sent a SIGSTOP signal (preventing the process from obtaining

further CPU time). Upon windows regaining focus, the process is seamlessly

continued where it had left off.



#### Advantages



* **Reduce battery use (increase battery run-time).**  

  Make your laptop run on battery for as long as your mobile phone does,

  using roughly the same technique.

* **Reduce interaction latency on low-end CPUs.**  

  With fewer clients requesting processing power, there's more of it to go

  around where it's needed.

* **Reduce CPU fan noise.**  

  Save the tinnitus for old age.

* **Avoid apps plotting stuff behind your back.**  

  That Kali you're running in a VM is perfectly fine, but god

  only knows what Microsoft Windos is doing.

* **Suspend processes using well-known Unix signals SIGSTOP & SIGCONT ...**  

  ... or custom shell scripts. Decades of portable operating systems

  engineering at its finest.

* **Preconfigured for recent versions of popular software.**  

  Chromium, Firefox, JetBrains IDEs, qBittorrent, VirtualBox ...



#### Quirks



* Quirky. See [Notes] below.

* May prevent suspended windows from redrawing until re-gaining focus.

* May make your web downloads stall and your in-browser media

  playback stop if you configure it thus.

* Prevents pasting from clipboard while the selection source process

  is suspended

  ([explanation](https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/316715/xclip-works-differently-in-interactive-and-non-interactive-shells/316890#316890)).

* Relies on windows having their `_NET_WM_PID` hint set correctly.

* Won't work in remote X sessions.

* Won't work with Wayland.



See section [_BUGS_ in the manual] for the full, updated list.



[_BUGS_ in the manual]: https://kernc.github.io/xsuspender/xsuspender.1.html#BUGS



Installation

------------



#### Binary packages



Install binary package for your GNU/Linux distribution:



[![Debian, Ubuntu](doc/debian_ubuntu.svg)](https://software.opensuse.org//download.html?project=home%3Akernc%3Axsuspender&package=xsuspender)

[![Arch Linux](doc/arch.svg)](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/xsuspender-git/)



#### From Source



```bash

# Install dependencies, namely GLib, Libwnck, procps

# on Debian / Ubuntu / Mint:

sudo apt install libglib2.0-dev \

                 libwnck-3-dev  \

                 procps         \

                 make cmake gcc pkg-config



# on Fedora / RHEL / openSUSE / Solus:

sudo dnf install glib2-devel    \

                 libwnck3-devel \

                 procps-ng      \

                 make cmake gcc pkg-config

```



```bash

# Fetch a copy of the source code

git clone https://github.com/kernc/xsuspender

cd xsuspender



# Move to build directory for an out-of-tree build

cd build



# Configure and make

cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr/local ..

make

make test



# Install within chosen prefix

sudo make install

```



Usage

-----

For brief usage instructions, run:



```bash

xsuspender --help

```



#### Automatically starting xsuspender



Upon installation there will be a `/etc/xdg/autostart/xsuspender.dektop`

file which allows you to autostart xsuspender on the start of your

desktop. You need to explicitly enable autostarting xsuspender in your

desktop's session management settings - this amounts to the same as copying

`/etc/xdg/autostart/xsuspender.dektop` to `~/.config/autostart/` and setting

`Hidden=false`.



If you let xsuspender autostart, then you need to be aware of spurious

suspended app lock-ups such as in [GH-11](https://github.com/kernc/xsuspender/issues/11)

and be ready to mitigate them.

 

#### Configuration debugging



To have it print verbose debug messages about what it is doing, run the

program with environmental variable `G_MESSAGES_DEBUG=xsuspender` set:



    G_MESSAGES_DEBUG=xsuspender xsuspender



This is _strongly recommended_ to confirm your customized configuration

rules indeed work as you expect.



#### Logs



If xsuspender is autostarted by your X session manager, you might find clues

to its unexpected behavior in `~/.xsession-errors`.



Notes

-----

[Notes]: #notes



* Processes that take a long time to shut down after their window already

  disappears may be stopped in the middle of their termination routines.

  Avoid with reasonably generous `suspend_delay`.

* Windows that minimize to system tray need to be awaken frequently to

  respond to click events in a seamless manner.

* Don't configure xsuspender for software you want to keep continuously alive

  in the background, such as music players, daemons, IM clients ... If you

  frequently stream music from YouTube, you might give

  [Clementine], [Minitube], [YouTube Viewer] or [SMTube] a try.

  

[Clementine]: https://www.clementine-player.org

[Minitube]: https://flavio.tordini.org/minitube

[YouTube Viewer]: https://github.com/trizen/youtube-viewer

[SMTube]: https://www.smtube.org