What is Compiss?

[Gabbe]

How to get it? What does it do? How does it affect my computer? is it for Ubuntu?

[Yggdrasil]

Do you mean Compiz?

It's a compositing window manager. See this video for some effects (it's 3 years old, i know):


I think Ubuntu comes preinstalled with it nowadays. Don't ask me about it, i never used it. Be warned, with compositing enabled OpenGL applications will slow down.

[wciow]

Compiz is a dangerous thing for ubuntu newbs although it maybe be more stable these days if it is included in ubuntu.

Compiz usually works like this:

1. Wow look at those cool window effects. 

2. Hmm look at all these cool settings lets play around a bit 

3. Hmm my graphics driver doesn't support that by default lets just play with this .ini   

4. Arrggh I've just crashed my X server and I'm looking at a command line like things used to be before i was born.

5. Help!  :'(

[patz]

6. Getting tired of these effects, even use a random theme. Go back to the original theme.

7. Maybe some of the feature in compiz would help accelerate my work, have a try.

[Yggdrasil]

7. Maybe some of the feature in compiz would help accelerate my work, have a try.

The only really usefull effect for me is present windows (that's how KWin calls it, i think it's scale in Compiz) as i have sometimes really many windows open on different virtual desktops. So it's quite neat to find the window back one used some minutes ago.