What is Digg?110 Comments
- S2000, on 08/04/2008, -2/+48Compiz has tons of useful features. Having rain and fire on my screen makes me extremely productive.
- someguy92, on 08/04/2008, -1/+32With compiz, you have the choice to use whichever plugins you want and nothing forces you to use those you don't. If vista gave you a choice with these added features, then I don't see how anyone could complain.
- ptFoe, on 08/04/2008, -3/+31using screen edges for Expo and Scale is more productive.
Why isn't Scale on your list? - HonestAbe, on 08/04/2008, -3/+26My favorite Compiz effect is the one that turns all my windows into black rectangles.
- harmil, on 08/04/2008, -0/+22Actually, some of them are. The measure of "bloat" isn't how many features you have. The measure of bloat is how well your OS performs on nominal hardware of the time. Vista chokes. Ubuntu or Fedora running with Compiz doesn't. That's really the bottom line on bloat.
- HonestAbe, on 08/04/2008, -4/+24Please please spend more time on the useful plugins and less on the snazzy ones that you use for 5 seconds, think "cool!" and then turn off.
Let's innovate, and think of things that are even better than Windows and OS X, instead of just mimicking them or making useless eye candy. - tushyd, on 08/04/2008, -0/+15Is there a plugin system for Vista's Aero?
- Ratatosk, on 08/04/2008, -0/+13that's linux dude... it's all about choice... I love the ring switcher, and can't do much with the cover switcher... maybe the guy next to me loves the cover switcher (which I think looks cool, but I can't handle it well)
so we are all happy:D - Shadow503, on 08/04/2008, -0/+13Is it just me or is Scale on the list? It's the first one!
- svivian, on 08/04/2008, -2/+14Most of the window-switching effects aren't that useful at all. For example, with the ring switcher you can see all the windows at once, but the ones at the back are tiny and it's not always easy to determine which is which. I find using the scrollwheel on the taskbar is much faster.
Also the Expo one is kina pointless unless you have 20 workspaces - Ctrl+Alt+Left/Right switches instantly between them, you can just go through them all until you find the one you want (at full size, too, not some piddly thumbnails). - infiniphunk, on 08/04/2008, -1/+12Lots of people made fun of beryl and compiz etc at first, calling it all useless bloat. I have found that many of these features, zoom, true-transparency, virtual desktop cube, etc have made me more productive and my desktop better to use. I've been spoiled by compiz goodness for over a year now, and still often find myself missing its features when I go to someone's house and have to use OS X or Windoze.
- HonestAbe, on 08/04/2008, -2/+13I'm not allowed to agree with the article?
I'm reminding people that mimicking OS X's window management features is nice, but it would be better if they came up with features that were EVEN BETTER than OS X. Innovate, don't duplicate. - employeeno5, on 08/04/2008, -0/+10I agree completely. Scale and Expo are the only two reasons I bother with Compiz.
Sure, all of the effects are fun and pretty and I'm glad to have it available, but those two are some of the most useful things I've ever had in a UI. They both make navigating my computer much more easy and productive. - lordtyros, on 08/04/2008, -0/+9Here you go: http://insentient.net/
The useful ones have been available since before Vista launch. - inactive, on 08/04/2008, -1/+10You mean image ISN'T everything?
EDIT: Holy *****, an article based on info I already knew. Yeah, I'm going to get buried. - CalcProgrammer1, on 08/04/2008, -1/+10If it didn't work in Windows you'd blame Logitech for not releasing drivers. Then the Windows fanboys come in and say that because it doesn't work in Linux, it must be Linux's fault. Totally and completely nonsense I say, it's Logitech's fault for not releasing a Linux driver that works for their hardware. Current Linux implementations for a lot of devices are hacked together because companies can't be bothered to port their own drivers, and don't open-source their code for others to port. A lot of stuff is reverse-engineered, just be glad that it works period, even if it does take some extra time, because if it were Windows that the developers didn't release drivers for, it probably wouldn't work at all.
- dragossh, on 08/04/2008, -1/+9Actually, OS X was the first to have window previews.
- Tanath, on 08/04/2008, -5/+13I also love the negative plugin to invert window colours (win+n for single window, or win+m for all). Light text on a dark background is much easier on the eyes.
- gavintlgold, on 08/04/2008, -1/+9And then there's the part about having to pay for stuff you don't use. If that were an option, people would complain about that. Since compiz is all free, it really doesn't matter unless you want to save a tiny amount of disk space or something.
- digitalpencil, on 08/04/2008, -2/+10have you used Linux? it's hardly complicated..
- GreatSunJester, on 08/04/2008, -0/+7I am in the same boat with my G5. I have tried to follow every guide I have found to get the buttons up and running, none have worked. Not the fault of Linux by any means, but it is an issue which limits my complete conversion over to my Linux partition.
- HonestAbe, on 08/04/2008, -3/+10Please list the *productive* things that Compiz does that OS X doesn't do.
- sn0wmis3r, on 08/04/2008, -0/+7there is a plugin in git called stackswitch, i think you will like it, fixes the things you don't like about the ring (I agree with you) -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJbgjBX8DaI
very easy to install from git too
git clone git://anongit.compiz-fusion.org/fusion/plugins/stackswitch
cd stackswitch
make && make install
(not sudo make install) - joltjake, on 08/04/2008, -0/+6You're doing it wrong.
- logandurand, on 08/04/2008, -2/+7It's strange that more of these effects haven't found their way into Vista. With the long-awaited implementation of a compositing window manager in Windows, one would assume that people would be eager to create lots of different plugins. Instead, I've only seen a few.
- jasmus, on 08/04/2008, -0/+5Scale.
I don't have a working install of linux with compiz at the moment, but that's the plugin that made me use Ubuntu for a while before I got a macbook. It's so much easier (for me) than alt-tab, and in OS X, I can drag, trigger expose with a screen corner, and drop onto another window. A lot easier than ctr-c alt-tab (x 1, 2, or whatever) ctrl-v - gavintlgold, on 08/04/2008, -0/+5Thanks for linking to my video :)
- Phusion, on 08/04/2008, -1/+6Useful article, I'm always being asked what the use of Compiz other than looking pretty.
- Kelmon, on 08/04/2008, -1/+6Actually useful uses of Compiz Fusion, although functionality isn't delivered throughout. The Expo for switching workspaces looks very nice but doesn't take advantage of the screen space available and I rather think that it's value will be diminished as more workspaces are involved since they'll be spread across a single line. A more sensible idea would be to arrange the workspaces as a grid to maximize your view. The reflection can be kept but it doesn't serve much value in itself.
The Shift Switcher strikes me as another version of Vista's daft Flip-3D. The Scale Effect and Ring Switcher are far more functional means of switching application. Cover Flow is a nice effect but its value is in viewing documents returned by a search rather than as a means of switching application.
Aside from those criticisms, it's a reasonable article that discusses the functional benefits rather than just the usual silly eye candy. - dragossh, on 08/04/2008, -2/+7You know, OS X and Vista are commercial operating systems. They are capable of doing everything Compiz does (see the wobbly windows in the Longhorn alphas from 2003), but Apple and Microsoft will never include oh-so-useful effects like Rain or Fire.
- cgeier, on 08/04/2008, -1/+5ahhh window dressing
- sn0wmis3r, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4Thanks for making it
- HonestAbe, on 08/04/2008, -1/+5The word "productivity" applies to using your computer at home, web browsing, "or whatever else", too. Why would I want to enable some rain/fire/exploding ferrets effect that hogs all of my processor and slows down everything I do, with no benefit? These kinds of things belong in screensavers, not window managers.
- kelvie, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4I'm also not a big fan of Expo (in concept it's good, but it is poorly executed). You need something like a desktop grid (which, I believe, is another plugin in Compiz) which doesn't waste 70% of your screen with just reflections and the empty background, but shows all your workspaces on the screen. I find this immensely useful, as I tend to have a large stack of windows, and 9 virtual desktops.
With a large number of windows open, a taskbar even starts to become less useful; I don't even have a task bar anymore on my main work desktops -- it is always going to be much faster to organize my windows into separate workspaces and/or use the Exposé-like feature (Scale in Compiz, Present Windows in KDE 4) to quickly find the window I want. - b0le, on 08/05/2008, -0/+4That is actually a nvidia feature.
- jasmus, on 08/04/2008, -1/+5I'm not going to dig you up or down. You make a good point, but you left out details. Linux is complicated for someone trained on windows for years. Hell, I'm willing to bet windows is complicated for someone who grew up with linux or OS X.
OS X is easy to use, once you learn it. It took me a good 6 months of on-and-off usage on OS X before I finally thought I could use it instead of windows. - hambend, on 08/04/2008, -4/+8Linux is customizable from top to bottom. If you don't want it, don't install it. Bloat is impossible.
With Windows you get what you're given and if you don't want it, there's not much you can do. Bloat is inevitable. - inactive, on 08/05/2008, -0/+4My favorite one is the one that makes the entire screen white until i kill it. Productivity ;D
Man good thing they finally figured that one out - I hated going through config files and updating drivers over and over and reading through Google searches for hours... - TrippleHead, on 08/05/2008, -0/+4Well, I mean thats just god damn cool and all, but how are my video drivers coming along?
About 5 months ago I attempted this magical thing called "linux" which everyone seems to be raving about. I install, it takes me 30 minutes to figure out why my wireless internet isn't working (laptop here). I eventually have to compile my own driver or some *****, I'm pretty sure I lucked into that, I was just clicking *****. Then come the video card driver issues, so I can actually try out this Compiz-Fusion. I'm pretty sure I installed the correct ones, and suddenly on next boot could not see anything. So I had to use a separate computer to figure out what the hell the problem was. Second computer mind you, if I didn't have access to one I would have been hosed. Anyway, so I have to boot to command line to uninstall the graphics drivers. Oh, I understand now, I accidentally used the installer from 7.xx instead of 8, ok sounds dandy. Reinstall again...same issue. Over and over and over. I try it 5 times before having to leave to go to something else. Later that day I uninstall linux.
Keep in mind, I'm fairly technically inclined. I went to much further lengths to figure out the problem than a normal user would, including posting on a ubuntu forum and using the command line.
Progress is being made, the driver situation is hurting them though. - Origin415, on 08/05/2008, -0/+4I recently found a bunch of Vista help videos on my hard drive that it said I didn't have permission to take off. wth, its my computer. Maybe I can do it from linux, but seriously I hate having choices made for me like that. I want to choose to have more porn on my hard drive instead of a video showing me how the start menu works.
- aaaantoine, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4Isn't having both rain and fire kinda like pulling AND pushing in a tug of war match?
- abhiroop, on 08/05/2008, -0/+4Not entirely true, I have a 1.6ghz core duo, 2gb ram laptop and Compiz makes my computer noticeably slower. So I just don't use it
- dubkat, on 08/05/2008, -0/+3When i tell people i use linux, i often here things like "ooh, that's SO 1980's command line". That's when I whip out the kde4.2-svn + compiz bling on my gentoo desktop :)
- MWeather, on 08/04/2008, -2/+5People like the visual aspects of presentations. Who knew?
- PleaseJustDie, on 08/04/2008, -4/+7FTA - "Window Previews
I first saw a feature like this on Windows Vista."
Dude is writing an article about Compiz but credits this feature to Vista? I saw it on Beryl, and possibly on Compiz before that, long before Vista was released. - Acglaphotis, on 08/04/2008, -2/+5Compiz is *that* awesome.
- mukyboy, on 08/04/2008, -3/+6I know that the Wobbly Windows effect is usually considered "useless eye candy" but whenever I use a computer without it it feels so weird and unnatural. Anyone with me or am I just crazy?
- zoroko, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3you can arrange expo into a grid. You can specify how many desktops by column and row.
- richIsBored, on 08/05/2008, -0/+3This is coming from someone who primarily uses Windows so forgive my ignorance but I've never quite understood the point behind workspaces. Unless I'm missing something, you might have multiple applications running at one time but you can only interact with the one in focus, hense the need to switch or cycle between them.
That said, is it common in Linux to have so many running applications that it becomes cumbersome to switch or cycle between them?
Keep in mind I'm not a fanboy trying to slam on the concept. I just don't understand it but I'd like to. - HonestAbe, on 08/05/2008, -0/+3And show them the cube? The cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuube! BUT LOOK AT THE CUBBBBBBEEEEE
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