Jazz up your Linux Desktop with Compiz Fusion
Everybody wants their Operating System to not only perform better but also look beautiful at the same time. Changing themes, wallpapers, cursor, sounds etc are primary methods of beautifying an OS. Almost every OS has transformation packs which give the default GUI of the OS a facelift. But now-a-days users demand much more shiny GUI. They demand 3D Effects, Widgets, Touch Intuitive Interface etc in their OS. While Windows 7 & Mac Leopard X offer shiny desktop effects but Compiz Fusion in Linux is big daddy of them all.
Generally speaking a lot of folks tend to think Compiz & Compiz Fusion to be one & the same thing but in reality they are not. Compiz is a windows manager which can be used straightaway on your Linux distro. Compiz doesn’t needs any particular desktop environment (Gnome or KDE) to run. It can run independently. Compiz windows manager by default includes a few nifty effects which include the infamous Desktop Cube & the Wobbly Windows. These two effects are enough to blow away the Windows user in the pond who are proudly show off the AERO effects on their Windows Vista/Windows 7 machine. Effects can be further implemented in the compiz windows manager by means of plugins. Yes, that’s right compiz supports plugins which allow you to install virtually tons of plugins which indirectly mean infinite possibilities for customization.
Compiz Fusion on the other hand is a project that aims to add more features & functionality to the Compiz by means of tools, libraries & plugins. Compiz Fusion is a result of merger of Beryl Project & Compiz Extras. In simpler terms one can imagine Compiz as the core of Compiz Fusion. CompizConfig Settings Manager is a well know tool to set the various effects in the Compiz windows manager. Now that you have become familiar with Compiz Fusion, it’s time to install/enable it on your Linux distro.
Installation:
Most of the modern Linux Distros have Compiz Fusion installed by default however it is not enabled. Compiz can be installed from source by following the instructions outlined here. Check out distro specific guides here.
Enabling Compiz Fusion:
Compiz can be enabled by under a GNOME desktop environment by going to System > Preferences > Appearance. Now under the appearance settings select Desktop Effects Tab. Now click on Extra to enable Compiz in all its glory. On slower hardware you can set this value to Normal to run Compiz with only limited effects enabled. Now that Compiz is enabled you will be able to experience the visual effects it has in store.
Compiz Fusion offers a higher degree of customization & depends ultimately on the user’s imagination & creativity. It is not feasible for me to write down about every plugin or effect in this article as there are countless number of plugins written for Compiz. I would like you to watch the video below which showcases Compiz Fusion at its best.
That’s not all, log on to Youtube & search for Compiz Fusion to watch the beautiful effects which Compiz Fusion has to offer. Now would tell me what do you think of AERO effects on windows? Pretty ordinary, right? 
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This entry was posted on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 11:38 am and is filed under Software . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
It’s a damn good Video Dude !!
I just don’t understand as in how should I give such mind blowing Effects to my Desktop.
@Kaustubh Parker – The effects showcased in the video need certain plugins to work. You’ll need to install plugins like Expo, App Ring Switcher etc to get those working.
Pretty much standard stuff, nothing spectacular to boast of.
It seems Linux enthusiasts don’t have anything else than those Wobbly Windows to show using Compiz. Most of the time, it’s seen that Wobbly Windows, Firepaint and 3D Cube gobble most part of Compiz presentation. Unfortunately, productivity wise they have very little importance. While Windows 7 added several productivity oriented tweaks to AERO like Peek, Snap, Shake etc., Compiz is still stagnating.
OK, just dropped a bomb, linux enthusiasts will soon fight back
@Debsuvra – I think you have not seen other compiz videos on youtube which offers productivity features for people who need them. Compiz is still under beta & is much better product when you consider its not even a final release.
Compiz is stagnating? Not all all, just have a look around my windows friend. There are tons of plugins to get what you want.
I won’t comment on Windows AERO features as I have not used Windows 7. I have read about them but they again failed to excite me. If compiz does not please you then no worries. I know how windows users are.
Still I would like to drop a link to youtube video before I end this reply. Have a look : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpCLrC0tiPA
@Debsuvra : Firstly, it’s not just only Wobbly Windows to show using Compiz. There are many features and effects which are not a part of the above video. To make a comment on Windows 7, “It’s a follower and not the innovator. ”
Many of productivity oriented stuff of Windows 7 that you are talking about already exit in Linux Compiz Fusion. For example, If you move your mouse towards extreme right top of your desktop then all the application’s currently running are gridded on the screen and you can have proper view of the running application’s.
Change the way you look at the world and the world around you changes!!
@Gaurav I’ve seen more of Compiz, just to tell you, when I was a Arch Linux user. There’s no need to waste your precious time on informing me more about it. Compiz still doesn’t use Vector graphics which makes fonts and other desktop components pixelated when using those plugins, so much for a neat effect.
Windows and Mac OS X believe in overall more user satisfaction than just ‘jazzing up’ a desktop. I still think that Mac has better effects in terms of subtlety than Windows and off course Compiz. Even they could add thousands of custom plugins to make a desktop ‘jazzy’. They didn’t and they won’t. You can shout about the nature of open source here and I’ll say, “Yes, that’s Open Source is all about. Making most of the possibilities one can achieve from their hardware and software.”
I have mentioned almost a thousand times before you that I don’t have any bias towards any OS (and you still don’t believe me and stamp me as a Windows fanboy). Just made the comment as you poked Windows in the end, since I don’t like and believe in that for anything. Never poked an OS before in any of my posts, not even Linux.
@Parker Ahem, don’t comment on a person before even knowing how he perceives the world around him. Don’t take it for an offense but tell me, seriously, how long you’re using Compiz or for the matter of fact Linux? Perhaps my 4+ years experience of using Linux is not sufficient but still I can tell you that it’s not either Compiz or AERO that ‘innovated’ things. Mac OS X precedes both of them in terms of UI design and usability. In that case, even Compiz is not an ‘innovator’.
Windows 7 specific AERO features like AERO Snap, Peek, Shake are yet to be properly implemented in Linux. And the feature you were talking about in your comment is itself a copy of Mac OS X feature Expose.
@Debsuvra: I guess you are right when you say that your 4+ years of experiencing Linux is not sufficient. I personally think that you are not a dedicating proper time to learn that OS then. Because even a layman would become a pro after using an OS for more than a year.
Giving complaint and commenting to the drawbacks is done only by a lazy person. If you are courageous person than start working on it’s betterment. It’s an OPEN SOURCE community and everyone is welcome.
And now, after reading your comments, I definitely think that you are not that kind of a person who except changes and strive to do think against the stream… Don’t just flow, but make a blow… By your work, your experience or rather your dedication.
Best of luck buddy.
@Parker, Well, I don’t have anything more to tell you.
You’re such a guru with resonating wisdom. All hail mighty Parkar!
BTW, who started the tickling and complaining thingy here, is it me or the author of the post who knowingly made a jab at Windows? So it’s wise to poke Windows, but it hurts when it comes to Linux. Wah bhai wah!
Now I definitely think I’m wasting my time here.
@Debsuvra: As you wish Buddy!!
If you think that you need any company or friends to share thoughts and knowledge then you are always welcomed.
@debsuvra – Well only fanboys seem to fight back when poked. Poking is fun especially when done in a lighter way. I didn’t mean AERO is bad but its nothing. Regarding the jagged edges, I’m comfortable with it so are the millions of other users. Whenever anybody blames Open Source I don’t shoot them in defence but if they are wrong I’ll surely do my best to educate or inform them. Its upon them to accept or not as people can be changed. Your compiz bashing testifies your outlook very well. It dawned very late on you that you’re wasting your time.
Nice to have your comments here.
@Gaurav, When something is broken but we are forced to live with it, then we slowly become comfortable with it. That’s the case with Compiz and you, that’s the case with Windows and us.
Poking is fun, I can’t argue more to deny that. But when someone clearly inclined to something makes fun of the other things, it doesn’t stay within the territory of pure fun. If you’re pro-hindu, doing pujas on your home regularly and then constantly poke at muslims, it doesn’t rest as fun anymore. The thing is same to you guys, you don’t see any negative points of using Linux and also mostly ignore positive points of using Windows. I don’t do that. When something is broken in any of the OS, I clearly aired my opinion against it. Be it Windows, Mac or Linux. If you can tickle the gray matter inside your head a little bit, you’ll find those posts I’ve written to help people with Linux before. Be it to fix broken graphics or apps like Ubuntu tweak, I always shared interesting things. Parkar doesn’t know me, I don’t mind his comments. But I didn’t expect something like this from you, I seriously didn’t.
Compiz makes Aero look like LAME