--- icewm-1.3.7/src/wmmgr.cc.orig	2014-09-26 13:34:43.587262031 +1000
+++ icewm-1.3.7/src/wmmgr.cc	2014-09-26 13:45:33.006326774 +1000
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@
 #include "yprefs.h"
 #include "yrect.h"
 
+#include <math.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+
 XContext frameContext;
 XContext clientContext;
 
@@ -1239,29 +1242,43 @@
     focusTopWindow();
 }
 
+int YWindowManager::bellCurve(int min, int max, int offset, double std_deviation) {
+    double u1, u2, guassian;
+    int locus, result;
+
+    u1 = drand48();
+    u2 = drand48();
+    guassian = sqrt(-2 * log(u1)) * cos(2 * M_PI * u2);
+    locus = (min + max) / 2 - offset;
+    result = (int)trunc(guassian * std_deviation) + locus;
+    if (result < min || result > max) {
+	result = bellCurve(min, max, offset, std_deviation);
+    }
+    return result;
+}
+
+void YWindowManager::getRandomPlace(YFrameWindow *frame, int &x, int &y, int w, int h) {
+    int mx, my, Mx, My;
+
+    manager->getWorkArea(frame, &mx, &my, &Mx, &My);
+    x = bellCurve(mx, Mx, w + frame->borderXN(), (double)(Mx - mx) / 3);
+    y = bellCurve(my, My, h + frame->borderYN() + frame ->titleYN(), (double) (My - my) / 3);
+}
+
 void YWindowManager::getNewPosition(YFrameWindow *frame, int &x, int &y, int w, int h, int xiscreen) {
     if (centerTransientsOnOwner && frame->owner() != 0) {
         x = frame->owner()->x() + frame->owner()->width() / 2 - w / 2;
         y = frame->owner()->y() + frame->owner()->height() / 2 - h / 2;
+    } else if (randomPlacement) {
+	getRandomPlace(frame, x, y, w, h);
     } else if (smartPlacement) {
         getSmartPlace(true, frame, x, y, w, h, xiscreen);
     } else {
-
         static int lastX = 0;
-        static int lastY = 0;
+	static int lastY = 0;
 
         getCascadePlace(frame, lastX, lastY, x, y, w, h);
     }
-    if (centerLarge) {
-        int mx, my, Mx, My;
-        manager->getWorkArea(frame, &mx, &my, &Mx, &My);
-        if (w > (Mx - mx) / 2 && h > (My - my) / 2) {
-            x = (mx + Mx - w) / 2;   /* = mx + (Mx - mx - w) / 2 */
-            if (x < mx) x = mx;
-            y = (my + My - h) / 2;   /* = my + (My - my - h) / 2 */
-            if (y < my) y = my;
-        }
-    }
 }
 
 void YWindowManager::placeWindow(YFrameWindow *frame,
--- icewm-1.3.7/src/wmmgr.h.orig	2014-09-26 13:34:43.552262184 +1000
+++ icewm-1.3.7/src/wmmgr.h	2014-09-26 13:34:51.774224057 +1000
@@ -101,6 +101,8 @@
     void tryCover(bool down, YFrameWindow *frame, int x, int y, int w, int h,
                   int &px, int &py, int &cover, int xiscreen);
     bool getSmartPlace(bool down, YFrameWindow *frame, int &x, int &y, int w, int h, int xiscreen);
+    int bellCurve(int min, int max, int offset, double std_deviation);
+    void getRandomPlace(YFrameWindow *frame, int &x, int &y, int w, int h);
     void getNewPosition(YFrameWindow *frame, int &x, int &y, int w, int h, int xiscreen);
     void placeWindow(YFrameWindow *frame, int x, int y, int cw, int ch, bool newClient, bool &canActivate);
 
--- icewm-1.3.7/src/default.h.orig	2014-09-26 13:34:43.571262087 +1000
+++ icewm-1.3.7/src/default.h	2014-09-26 13:35:05.639159733 +1000
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@
 XIV(bool, miniIconsBottomToTop,                 false)
 XIV(bool, manualPlacement,                      false)
 XIV(bool, smartPlacement,                       true)
-XIV(bool, centerLarge,                          false)
+XIV(bool, randomPlacement,                      false)
 XIV(bool, centerTransientsOnOwner,              true)
 XIV(bool, autoRaise,                            false)
 XIV(bool, delayPointerFocus,                    true)
@@ -233,11 +233,11 @@
     OBV("StrongPointerFocus",                   &strongPointerFocus,            "Always maintain focus under mouse window (makes some keyboard support non-functional or unreliable"),
     OBV("OpaqueMove",                           &opaqueMove,                    "Opaque window move"),
     OBV("OpaqueResize",                         &opaqueResize,                  "Opaque window resize"),
-    OBV("ManualPlacement",                      &manualPlacement,               "Windows initially placed manually by user"),
+    OBV("ManualPlacement",                      &manualPlacement,               "Windows initially placed manually by user (supercedes all other placement options)"),
     OBV("SmartPlacement",                       &smartPlacement,                "Smart window placement (minimal overlap)"),
+    OBV("RandomPlacement",                      &randomPlacement,               "Semi-random window placement with a center bias (supercedes SmartPlacement)"),
     OBV("HideTitleBarWhenMaximized",            &hideTitleBarWhenMaximized,     "Hide title bar when maximized"),
-    OBV("CenterLarge",                          &centerLarge,                   "Center large windows"),
-    OBV("CenterTransientsOnOwner",              &centerTransientsOnOwner,       "Center dialogs on owner window"),
+    OBV("CenterTransientsOnOwner",              &centerTransientsOnOwner,       "Center dialogs on owner window (supercedes RandomPlacement and SmartPlacement)"),
     OBV("MenuMouseTracking",                    &menuMouseTracking,             "Menus track mouse even with no mouse buttons held"),
     OBV("AutoRaise",                            &autoRaise,                     "Auto raise windows after delay"),
     OBV("DelayPointerFocus",                    &delayPointerFocus,             "Delay pointer focusing when mouse moves"),