The discussion about how/where to put the activate-desktop-effects thing in the appearance capplet seems to not reach a good solution for all distros, at least for now, so, while waiting for a good solution for all upstream, and since in openSUSE desktop effects means compiz, I added a patch to the simple-ccsm openSUSE package to activate compiz directly from the same place where it is configured.
So, the ‘Desktop Effects’ icon in the GNOME control center:
starts now simple-ccsm, which contains a check box to activate/deactivate compiz.
The old ‘Desktop Effects’ capplet (aka gnome-xgl-settings) will soon die, since gnome-xgl-switch script has been moved to the XGL package, and the hardware database is already on a separate package.
Are you guys still struck with XGL or did you move to the upstream AIGLX solution?
No, openSUSE 11.0 works with AIGLX, XGL or just compositing enabled (NVIDIA), depending on the hardware and what it best supports, so no, no longer stuck with XGL. In fact, the screenshots are on my NVIDIA system, running compiz with the NVIDIA drivers and Compositing enabled, with no XGL
I haven’t looked at recent releases – I am running Ubuntu Edgy on a test system and don’t often play with it. Is there something that shows that the effects are and how to access them? Wobbly Windows is obvious, but I’ve seen some edge flipping ones that come and go it seems or others that I have no idea if they are enabled or what it takes to trigger them. For new users, it would be a good idea to show them all so they can be used.
to see all plugins you can use ccsm, which is a bigger version of simple-ccsm. I think that’s in ubuntu
There have to be another widget used for set level of compiz FX.
This one looks more like ranting/rating to me…
Agree on the stars – I was confused about that – looks like a typical rating system. A slider would be better, but even that – adjusting the level with a slider doesn’t make a lot of sense because the list of what is enabled at certain points isn’t clear from that. One click to the right enables more – but what is that more? Even if the stars are not used to set the number of effects enabled, but be a representation of how many are, it is not defined and clear and just a “look what we can do in the UI” kind of thing that is detached from specifics.
Thanks on the ccsm thing – I didn’t even know it was available.
Great work! This will make a lot more sense!
I have a suggestion, please move the profile bit to the bottom of the window and make it a combo box so I can type a profile name and save it also.
As for the stars thing, yes, I tend to agree with you, it’s confusing and serves really no purpose
Is there going to be a way of turning the compositor on if they choose not to use Compiz?
Why is this even necessary? Why not enable compiz if the requirements (whatever OpenGL extension) are met?
Because there’s more than one window manager in the world, because not everyone wants to spend the amount of memory that Compiz requires on a window manager, because some people want their window manager to get on with its job and keep out of their way, because Metacity has had more than five years of work put into making it stable and reliable, and because last I checked there was only one official GNOME window manager and its name didn’t begin with a C.
Interesting (read: odd) bit of design going in with that dialog.
“Info” is an abbreviation of “Information” but it is such a generically vague description the tab might as well be labeled “General”.
I’m hoping that line of stars is in fact a radio list with really clever theming.
Similarly I hope that icon indicating that accessibility is disabled is a cleverly themed checkbox, because there is a certain irony in using a non-accessible custom widget to tell users that accessibility is turned off.
Oh! Perfect job!
Very good and helpful post.
Thx, your blog in my RSS reader now