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.
Key Features
- 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.
Website: launchpad.net/compiz
Support: Mailing List
Developer: David Reveman, Danny Baumann, Dennis Kasprzyk, Matthias Hopf, Dave Arlie, Adam Jackson, Jon Smirl
License: GNU General Public License
Compiz is written in C++. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Stacking Window Managers | |
|---|---|
| Openbox | Standards compliant, fast, light-weight, extensible window manager |
| KWin | Window manager for the KDE Plasma Desktop |
| Mutter | Wayland display server and X11 window manager and compositor library |
| FVWM | Powerful ICCCM-compliant multiple virtual desktop window manager |
| berry | Healthy, bite-sized window manager |
| xfwm | Part of the Xfce desktop environment |
| Window Maker | NeXTSTEP-like window manager |
| JWM | Joe’s Window Manager |
| Gala | Designed by elementary for use with Pantheon |
| Fluxbox | Highly configurable and low resource |
| evilwm | Maximises screen real estate and provides good keyboard control |
| Worm | Tiny, dynamic, tag-based window manager |
| Blackbox | Similar to the NeXT interface and Window Maker |
| Enlightenment | Focuses on pushing the limits of existing technologies |
| PekWM | Originally based on the aewm++ window manager |
| Marco | MATE default window manager |
| 2bwm | Offers 2 borders, and written over the XCB library |
| cwm | OpenBSD fork of calmwn, a clean and lightweight window manager |
| IceWM | Win95-OS/2-Motif-like window manager |
| Sawfish | Extensible window manager using an Emacs Lisp-like scripting language |
| Moksha | Modern iteration of the Enlightenment window manager |
| Magpie | X11 window manager and compositor library |
| sowm | Itsy bitsy floating window manager |
| Compiz | OpenGL window and compositing manager |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
| Compositing Window Managers | |
|---|---|
| sway | i3-compatible tiling Wayland compositor and a replacement for i3 |
| KWin | Window manager for the KDE Plasma Desktop |
| Mutter | Wayland display server and X11 window manager and compositor library |
| Moksha | Modern iteration of the Enlightenment window manager |
| xfwm | Part of the Xfce desktop environment |
| Compiz | OpenGL window and compositing manager |
| Gala | Designed by elementary for use with Pantheon |
| Enlightenment | Focuses on pushing the limits of existing technologies |
| Magpie | X11 window manager and compositor library |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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