Problem starting window manager through SSH

[InfiniteSnow]

I am trying to install a window manager on my Raspberry PI running on Arch Linux from my Macbook with OSX 10.9 and Xquartz.

I am using a SSH connection started with ssh -Y pi@pi

Running xeyes works like a charm - the eyes appear on my screen in their own window.

I tried to install i3 and ratpoison.

Running i3-config-wizard works and exits, but creates a broken config - running i3 seems to work (it shows the error message, mouse clicks work: when clicking on "edit configuration" a urxvt terminal opens with nano).

Fixing the configuration file results in this error:

ERROR: Another window manager seems to be running (X error 10)

Typing ratpoison returns:

ratpoison: There can be only ONE.

When started with exec i3 / exec ratpoison, they still complain with the same thing AND crash the SSH session.

When started with startx with their .xinitrc set as exec i3 / exec ratpoison, they seem to start correctly, but nothing is displayed on my mac.

I tried to run them through xnest with /usr/X11/bin/Xnest -geometry 1280x900 :1 & DISPLAY=:1 ssh -Y pi@pi i3. In this case, for i3, the configuration wizard appears, but keystrokes don't work. With the broken config file, only the borders of the error message are displayed, and input doesn't work. Fixing the config file results in black screen on the Xnest window. Ratpoison always returns a black screen with this method.

I can't figure this out. Any ideas?

Thank you in advance.

[sdjf]

It sounds like your basic problem is you want to use two different window managers at the same time in one display. I don't think you can do that.

I think you will have to figure out which one comes the closest to what you want in a window manager, and then figure out if there is a way to get the features of the one you are not using, that you would like, to also be available in the one you are using.

If you want the features of i3 but also want to do things with keystrokes, that is totally possible with hotkeys, and using browsers that are keyboard driven. I don't know your chosen browsers at all, but do some reading about what your options are for hotkeys.

If i3 can be configured the same way that openbox can be configured, then you could use your keyboard to enter various events. I chose openbox specifically because I found a lot of information about how to use it without a mouse, using xwit and xdotool, and assigning various key combinations to actions I wanted to emulate.

If this idea is appealling, search for information about "how to script your mouse" or "using mouse on keyboard".