Tag: compiz

About

Compiz is one of the first compositing window managers for the X Window System that is able to take advantage of OpenGL-acceleration. The integration allows it to perform compositing effects in window management, such as a minimization effect and a cube workspace. Compiz conforms to the ICCCM standard and as such can substitute for the default Metacity in GNOME or KWin in KDE. Compiz brings some of the features found in competitors, such as Exposé in Apple's Mac OS X and an Alt-Tab application-switcher that uses live previews, instead of just icons. Compiz is built on the Composite extension to X and the GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap extension to OpenGL. The first version of Compiz was released by Novell in January 2006 in the wake of the also new Xgl.

Initially Compiz only functioned on the types of hardware well supported by Xgl. Most NVIDIA and ATI graphics cards are known to work with Compiz on Xgl, although bugs both in Xgl and Compiz still remain as both systems are essentially brand new, and are still in heavy development. As of May 22, 2006 Compiz works with modifications on the standard X.Org server, with AIGLX enabled. With AIGLX, Intel cards can also be used with Compiz, including mobile cards.

NVIDIA's binary-drivers (since Version 1.0-9629) support GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap on standard X.Org server (see Hardware Requirements).

Recently, discussions between Beryl and Compiz have led to an agreement to merge the two projects in Compiz Fusion, which "(...) will be based on the latest Compiz core and will provide the 'best' plugins, decorators, settings tools, and related applications from each community."

From en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compiz