Why I Don't Need tmux (Tilix Is Enough)

##Why I Don't Need tmux (and How I Made Tilix Perfect for Me)

I've seen countless developers swear by tmux, praising its multiplexing, session management, and all the fancy features that make it a terminal powerhouse. But honestly? I don't need it.

I just need my terminal to work as God intended—fast, simple, and tailored to my workflow.

##Enter Tilix: My Terminal of Choice

I use Tilix, a tiling terminal emulator for Linux that already offers session and tab management without external dependencies or complex configuration. Out of the box, it's good—but not perfect. The default keybindings? Confusing.

So I changed them.

##My Custom Keybindings

I configured Tilix so it behaves exactly how I want, without having to learn tmux commands or memorize cryptic key combos.

Here's my setup:

• Tabs

  • ➕ Add Tab: Ctrl + +
  • ➖ Close Tab: Ctrl + -

• Sessions

  • ➕ Add Session: Alt + +
  • ➖ Remove Session: Alt + -
  • 🔄 Switch Sessions: Alt + Arrow Keys

• Resize Current Session

  • Alt + 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 to resize down, left, right, or up.

That's all I need—no panes within panes, no detached sessions to reconnect to later.
Just a clean, tabbed terminal where I can split and manage layouts intuitively.

##My Tilix Configuration

Here's the relevant part of my tilix-settings.dconf:

[/]
prompt-on-close=true
quake-specific-monitor=0
tab-position='bottom'
terminal-title-style='none'
theme-variant='dark'
use-tabs=true
window-style='disable-csd-hide-toolbar'
 
[keybindings]
app-new-session='<Primary>KP_Add'
session-add-auto='<Alt>KP_Add'
session-add-down='disabled'
session-add-right='disabled'
session-close='<Primary>KP_Subtract'
session-resize-terminal-down='<Alt>KP_2'
session-resize-terminal-left='<Alt>KP_4'
session-resize-terminal-right='<Alt>KP_6'
session-resize-terminal-up='<Alt>KP_8'
session-switch-to-terminal-down='<Alt>Down'
session-switch-to-terminal-right='<Alt>Right'
terminal-close='<Alt>KP_Subtract'
win-switch-to-next-session='<Primary>Right'
win-switch-to-previous-session='<Primary>Left'
 
[profiles/2b7c4080-0ddd-46c5-8f23-563fd3ba789d]
background-transparency-percent=22
default-size-columns=110
default-size-rows=32
draw-margin=80
font='Fira Code 12'
use-system-font=false
visible-name='Default'

##Why This Works for Me

I'm not saying tmux is bad. It's great if you need to attach/detach sessions across SSH, or if you live in the terminal full-time.

But for my workflow, Tilix with these keybindings is more than enough:

• ✅ Simple - No learning curve, no bloat.
• ✅ Visual - I can see my tabs and sessions clearly.
• ✅ Efficient - My fingers stay on the keyboard, and I can resize or navigate effortlessly.

Sometimes, less is more. I don't need an over-engineered solution when a straightforward one fits like a glove.

Email address