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132 Comments
- Julikaefer, on 10/12/2007, -11/+45Linux+Gnome+Compiz/XGL
Introducing Leopard 2.0
;-) - Slayback, on 10/12/2007, -2/+35And if you share the first best video, I won't have to digg you down. ;)
- neko, on 10/12/2007, -2/+28Not even video does it justice; you've just gotta sit down and -use- it. You'll wonder how you eyes ever coped before.
That said, it is still essentially a proof-of-concept. So it's not easy to get set up (unless you're going with Suse anyway). I had to wait a little for the convenience of 64-bit packages to be built by helpful smart people. Even then, it's a bit of a hack, partly linking to Mesa for the GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap thing.
Aside from the hassle of getting it running... there's no way I could do without it now. Can't wait until it becomes more stable, enters more distributions officially, and I'd really like it to play nicely with GDM's multiple user system.
Some links I found helpful that might encourage others:
http://sonique54.free.fr/xgl/xgl.htm
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=133427
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=131659
http://micampe.it/articles/2006/02/18/ubuntu-fglrx-xgl-compiz-and-missing-glx_ext_texture_from_pixmap - leobaby, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21When I installed compiz I thought it was just going to be eye candy. But when you actually use it, you find it definitely makes you more productive.
Theres more to this than just perty window effects. - aldenhg, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19I can't wait until I get XGl and Compiz working. I messed up pretty bad when I accidentally removed my video drivers and I haven't had the heart to repair it yet.
- eqisow, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17"Build a decent OS, _then_ worry about stuff like this."
Thats exactly what they did. ;) - schestowitz, on 10/12/2007, -13/+27But Leopard is still vapourware. *smile* How about gaming consoles? PlayStation 4.0?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lawkc3jH3ws
Somehow I sense this will be modded down... *frown* - awhiteflame, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16That's why there is no Compiz and XGL for Windows. :)
- gotamd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13sfultong:
Since everyting is rendered in 3D, the desktop environment is liquid-smooth and fast compared to conventional methods. I find it easier for my eyes to track things on the screen. Remember, this guy was using every single effect possible. I find that XGL/Compiz with minimal effects is the best way to go. - stable, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10I've been using compiz since David Raveman released the XGL videos a few months ago, and from what I can tell it has evolved A LOT. Considering that it's experimental software, XGL and compiz are stable enough for me and add unprecedented eye candiness to my otherwise ugly desktop enviornment.
Compiz has also impressed a lot of Windows and Mac fanboys with its consistent abilities, extensability, and openness. Want campiz to render a particular effect? Write a simple compiz modules and you are good to go. No other platform allows for this kind of customization, and that's the secret behind the huge hype around it.
> I tried XGL and Compiz on my Gentoo AMD64 box. It was very nice to use, except I couldn't get hardware accelleration in any of my X11 apps anymore. I had to launch regular X11 for that.
If you were expecting to get direct rendering inside Xgl, then you never understood what you were doing. Xgl is an application layer running over Xorg (similar to Xnest). It acts as a proxy between X clients and servers with an exception: all composite effects are translated to glx before being sent out thus using OpenGL to render them on Xorg instead of the its composite extensions. This comes with two advantages: 1 - you can still use both OpenGL and composite extensions inside XGL (on Xorg they are mutually exclusive), and it implements all composite extensions required to run compiz (Xorg only implements a subset of those features, that's why you need to run Xgl or have AIGLX support in order to run compiz).
Because the X server which client applications see is only a proxy, they won't be using direct rendering, but that doesn't mean that you don't have acceleration. You can test whether you have acceleration or not by running glxgears inside Xgl. If the frame rate is high (higher than usual values are expected due to composition), that means you have acceleration. If in a regular Xorg session (without Xgl) you have DRI, then you are accelerated in Xgl too.
> That pretty sums it up.
> "it's good but I can't get it working"
>
> Linux's main problem.
Remember that we are talking about experimental software, so don't be picky.
Now back to the subject: what is shown in this movie has been possible since I use compiz. Just setup a regular merged screen display server and you get the same effect. However, as you have seen in the movie, compiz is not yet xinerama aware, which means that it isn't yet aware that the "screen" in which it's being rendered is split in two. - Sefirosu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11That's why Vista is late. Eye candy first.
- noseeme, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11So many people said it couldn't be done!
With open source, where there's a will, there's a way. - gotamd, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Freaking amazing. This puts both Windows AND OS X to shame.
- kubudubudubuntu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9i used this:
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=916
worked in three easy steps in kubuntu with ati - Nerevar, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9It's really not that terribly hard to set up. Wireless support is getting very good on linux these days. NetworkManager is a great solution for managing network settings in general, including wireless with WPA 1&2 support.
- vraa, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9That looks amazing but it's still got some small things to be fixed from my eyes.
It looks like that clock (I think) is circular but the waves that came out were in a square pattern.
However, the whole 'liquidify' your desktop thing I AM LOVING. It adds a touch of 'feel' or something that was always missing. I switched recently from WindowsXP to MacOSX and it feels as if the Mac is more 'friendly' because it's got aliased fonts and icons everywhere. Things like that to smooth down the interface make it easier to cope with and I just can't wait until something like XGL/Compiz (is that the right term) comes for MacOSX.
So that leads me to the whole point of this comment: does anyone know of any XGL/Compviz / wobbly windows that I can use on my mac? - groovepapa, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7www.interfacelift.com has some nice wallpapers up to 2560x1600
- austingilbert, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Hmmm.... wonder if we can get XGL/Compiz running on OpenBSD, I hear its been made to work on FreeBSD.
- uownedge, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Because the people who are writing this don't develop kernel modules. There are tons of people out there working on various Linux projects, but just because one developer in particular is good at designing interface effects and writing code to handle it, doesn't mean he's able to write a kernel patch for a wireless card, or that he even cares about it for that matter. On top of that, wireless support has made huge strides lateley as it is. If you're having wireless troubles, you should try out the latest build of the kernel, if you're really interested in testing and providing feedback to the developers.
Anyway, these effects are really cool. I'm working on setting up a second workstation at home, and I plan to load it up with SuSE 10.1 and Compiz/XGL. I'm quite excited to get it up and running. - cypre$$, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Umm I couldn't see the video, but I had my dual-head system running XGL/Compiz without a problem on both monitors before, and I am pretty much a n00b when it comes to *nix. All I had to do was go into SAX after installing XGL and Compiz and click on Add Monitor or dual-head, or something like that.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8DROOL. I wish i could use that at work
- beerorkid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6someone asked about productivity.
I use ubuntu with XGL/compiz at home and work. I could never go back.
it really all comes down to workable area and being able to spread things out.
you can make a certian app be visible on all sides of the cube (or however many viewports you have), that is really nice.
I have my IM going on all screens. I administer many servers at work, have a windows XP VM open on one side of the cube, mail on another, firefox one one, and terminals for all the work I am doing on another.
It is so customizable as well. With edgeflip I do not even need to use keyboard strokes to get to where I need to go.
I basically have 4 monitors, it is awesome.
with automatic bleeder: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=225967 you can get it all going with the quinstorm repo's in a few minutes http://beerorkid.com/compiz/ severely bleeding edge.
It is the little things that make you more productive with XGL/compiz. Not having to move around windows, minimize, etc.... Just move your mouse to the edge of the screen. I often have to have two RDP sessions going to compare servers. It is not easy to keep switching back and forth on one screen, or try and cram both side by side, I just flip it is hella simple.
This vid is really old actually. So much has been done with making it more user friendly and more eyecandyish. it is not just a gimmick, it is truely usefull. - jbus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6The effects are plug-ins... You can enable/disable whatever effects you want. Some will be more useful, while some will be more for looks. Either way it is entirely up to you. Also, if you don't like the way a plug-in works you can modify it to work the way you want it to work.
- ordminute, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4As a recent OSX to Ubuntu switcher I can safely say that OSX has nothing on the speed and ease of use of Gnome + XGL on Linux. In case you´re wondering.. yes I´m talking about a Finder-less, multiple-desktop aware OS *out-of-the-box*.
OSX was a joy for the first few years, but looking back it´s an old russian tank where performance in concerned. Try this XGL stuff, it´s l i q u i d.
I´ve never seen fonts so clean or lines so smooth. - dasunst3r, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Now if that person truly wants a cube, he will have to do FOUR monitors! *wicked laughter*
- ASUmusicMAN, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5http://studiotwentyeight.com/wallpapers.htm
- biffta, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I guess anything that can potentially make mundane tasks like dragging/dropping files more fun will make you more productive. At least until the novelty wears off, but when that happens it may be the case that all the special effects have become the norm for you and improve the way you work.
When you sit and watch you TV you dont think WOW it's in colour as someone from the 1940s might do, but that isn't to say watching a colour TV every day doesn't improve your overall viewing. - willcode4beer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Sure just improve your Mac by replacing the operating system.
;-) - Jugalator, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I have to admit that I didn't expect Linux to catch up with and even surpass Vista and OS X this quickly, and then Vista is not even released.
And it's not just about eye-candy, at least not to me; as a novice not being that used to virtual desktops, I personally have an easier time to adjust to this "cube" rather than flipping through a tiny 3x2 thumbnail grid or something. - ChileanGoD, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6I'm jealous >:-|
- veritech, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3For those who think you need a kick ass system to use xgl, i run two sxga 19" displays(1 x vga & 1x dvi ) on this:
Athlon XP 2500 + (CPU)
Abit AN7 Motherboard (not that it matters)
Nvidia 6800 128Mb (GPU)
In the words of a great man, "Scrolls like butter"
Plus it's a nice party trick when your friends come round, their normal response is, "Can you do that to my computer?" - buzzert, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Sure it LOOKS easy.
Someone has to make this easier to install. It's a nightmare, but like someone else said, it's 100% worth it. I seriously can't use an interface without shadows anymore, OSX got me hooked, and now Windows XP looks... yuck.
Composition managers/pretty windows FTW! - p4r0l3, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I run Gentoo Linux, and for me XGL/Compiz was very easy to install and update. The video is cool, but you really have to play with it yourself to get the full experience. If you don't have the courage enough to install on your setup, give the Kororaa XGL LiveCD a try. However, if you do, don't ask for support since it's discontinued due to GPL violations because they include ati and nvidia proprietary drivers. XGL truely is amazing and definately puts linux ahead of Vista in looks. Heck, it's even better than OS X.
- sumadartson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Relevant section of xorg.conf :
Section "Device"
Identifier "gforce6200"
Driver "nvidia"
BusID "PCI:2:0:0"
Option "TwinView" "true"
Option "RenderAccel" "true"
Option "UseEdidFreqs" "true"
Option "MetaModes" "1280x960,1280x960"
Option "SecondMonitorHorizSync" "30-110"
Option "SecondMonitorVertRefresh" "50-160"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "HM703U"
Option "DPMS"
HorizSync 30-92
VertRefresh 50-85
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "gforce6200"
Monitor "HM703U"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "2560x960"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Modify as needed. - tinus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3A cube would require 6 screens..
- sumadartson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Just use two wallpaper files and go to terminal:
convert +append foo.png bar.png target.png
Set the result as your wallpaper and each original covers one monitor exactly. - awhiteflame, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3different desktops.
- wonderbud, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3you should checkout SLED10 (suse), it comes with xgl already setup and good to go.
- madhatter349, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2is there a live cd with all of this setup already so all u have to do is pop it in and give it a twirl
thanks - lunarcloud, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5http://www.kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=43320 easy to set it up. This works for Kubuntu, but I think the XGL thing works for everything
- KaserPro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@repuhsent
Yes it'll work just fine. I have XGL running accross two screens both running 1280X1024 (gt660 agp, athlon 3200+) but you have to enable it in the correct order, I think you have to switch on XGL then twinview. (when i was ugrading the nvidia drivers it realised what res i was trying to run and switched off XGL, much to my annoyance. )
oh and the water effect sucks quite a lots of CPU power (about 30% on mine) although there is no visible slow down in responce - zorpscorp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Another great resource is the forum over at http://compiz.net
You can find a lot of the Xgl/Compiz packages in their repositories, so most of this stuff is just an apt-get away. Depends on which distro you have, but they've got packages for the major ones. After the packages, you need some small modifications to some .conf files to use xgl and to make a shell script to launch compiz, (which you can find how to do on tutorials floating around, or on the forums) and BAM you got eye candy! - evilTak, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3http://fedoranews.org/contributors/youssef_makki/tvout/
http://home.austin.rr.com/unlocked/tvout.html
http://plasticbugs.com/?page_id=294 - MasteRR, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Well I'm sure if something like that was implemented it could be made to allow windows to move between the cubes as long as they are not spinning. Just like it works now.
Makes sense to me.
I doubt anyone wants to put all that extra effort into the project, though. But who knows. - neko, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'm using a Geforce 3!
And yes, it's smooth! If I need the extra speed for video, I can just run metacity --replace for a little while.
....Vista-certified? DirectX10.0c Compatible? I don't understand. Sorry, you've lost me. I need to buy a new graphics card for your new OS? Say again? =D - DigeratiPrime, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Kororaa Xgl Live CD
http://kororaa.org/static.php?page=static060318-181203 - beerorkid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2actually single monitor is the norm, that is why this seems so cool to some.
Computer is fine, cept the graphics card. ATI is not as friendly as NVIDIA, and I do not know if the 200 works.
gonna have to do some searching through the proper thread, start here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=148351 - MasteRR, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Just about all of that is possible using plain old multiple desktops/workspaces.
I think the advantage to the cube is that it's easier to visualize where windows are so switching between them is more logical. If a window is on a "physical" side of a cube rather than bound to a desktop number it makes it simplier to visulize in your head.
I can't tell you how often I end up using a single workspace even though I have 4 enabled, and switching between them is a simple keystroke. - stoffe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It's the same closed drivers from a third party that you'd use on Windows, however the technology that utilizes it is all Free software goodness from the GNU/Linux world. So it's a valid statement. That said, these things (especially with AIGLX) do work and fall back greacefully on just about any hardware, with open or closed drivers.
Your point was? Oh, you were just trolling for the heck of it. My apologies. - veritech, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2edit the x config file, and under the device section insert the word "twinview", thats basically it!
For more detailed instructions check the ubuntu forums at www.ubuntuforums.org -
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