Compiz
Compiz is a compositing window manager
that uses 3D graphics acceleration via OpenGL. It provides various new
graphical
effects and features on any desktop environment, including GNOME
and
KDE.
Compiz has a flexible plug-in system and it is designed to run
well on most graphics hardware.
The implementation of Compiz is based on using the new
GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap extension of Xgl, AIGLX or NVIDIA for
binding redirected top-level windows to texture objects.
Compiz brings to life a variety of visual effects that make
the Linux desktop easier to use, more powerful and intuitive, and more
accessible
for users with special needs.
Compiz combines together a window manager and a composite
manager using OpenGL
for rendering. A "window manager" allows the manipulation of the
multiple applications and dialog windows that are presented on the
screen. A "composite manager" allows windows and other graphics to be
combined together to create composite images. Compiz achieves its
stunning effects by doing both of these functions.
Compiz receives official support from a number of leading
Linux distributions.
Features include:
- Plugins:
- Annotate: draw things on top of all windows
- Clone: duplicate output on two screens
- Cube: each virtual desktop becomes a face on a cube
- Decoration: a plugin to communicate decoration settings
to a decorator
- D-Bus: D-Bus interfacing
- Fade: windows fade in and out
- Gconf: settings come from GNOME
- Ini: Text based configuration
- Inotify: an inotify plugin which allows plugin developers
to easily
access inotify. It is currently used to notify settings programs when
new plugins are added to the plugins directory.
- Minimize: windows minimize (and maximize/restore) with an
animation effect
- Move: window moving
- Place: placement of new windows
- Png: allows plugin developers to load PNG files as
textures without worrying about the image format.
- Resize: window resizing
- Rotate: the desktop cube can be rotated
- Scale: an overview of all open windows (similar to Mac OS
X's Exposé)
- Svg: allows plugin developers to load svg files as
textures. Other
image plugins can be added so that extra image types will be seamlessly
supported.
- Switcher: active window can be chosen with Alt-Tab
- Video: accelerated video output
- Water: ripples trailing mouse and rain effect
- Wobbly: windows wobble while they move
- Zoom: magnifies a part of screen
- Conforms to the Inter-Client Communication Conventions
Manual standard
- Uses the Composite extension to X
- Supports the OpenGL extension GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap
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Last Updated Monday, February 20 2012 @ 01:20 PM EST
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