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View Full Version : Compiz or Kwin?



hoppipolla
January 4th, 2010, 01:44 PM
Just wondering what other people's views are on this!

And before people go about bashing Kwin for not being as powerful yet, I am also talking about other issues such as integration, ease-of-use, speed of setup, and also potential in the future :)
Ok vote vote vote! ^_^


Hoppi!



EDIT -- Oh, mods, could you add an option for them being equal? I forgot that and to be fair I think that's what I would probably go for!

Also I'm aware this has been done a bunch of times, but I couldn't find the last one! lol

The Toxic Mite
January 4th, 2010, 01:54 PM
TBH I prefer Compiz over Kwin, but I could say that they are both pretty good :-)

If only KDE could change in a way that it wasn't functionally and aesthetically similar to Windows...

Marlonsm
January 4th, 2010, 01:56 PM
I use Kwin in my Kubuntu, it seems to integrate better, be smoother and more stable. I do miss some of the flexibility of Compiz, but for now it seems better.

lovinglinux
January 4th, 2010, 01:57 PM
I prefer Compiz. Kwin doesn't offer the functionality I need, like the Window Rules plugin and the Scale plugin window picker. I don't see any difference in performance.

~sHyLoCk~
January 4th, 2010, 01:58 PM
Using compiz standalone. When using compiz with kde or gnome I've noticed high resource uses but as a standalone WM, compiz rocks!

SuperSonic4
January 4th, 2010, 02:00 PM
I prefer Kwin, it integrates with KDE and does what I need it to do

Xbehave
January 4th, 2010, 02:22 PM
I prefer compiz, but use kwin because last time i used compiz (a few years ago) there was no BII-style window decoration, has this changed?

nrs
January 4th, 2010, 02:46 PM
TBH I prefer Compiz over Kwin, but I could say that they are both pretty good :-)

If only KDE could change in a way that it wasn't functionally and aesthetically similar to Windows...
Explain.

xuCGC002
January 4th, 2010, 03:03 PM
I prefer Kwin, it integrates with KDE and does what I need it to do
This. Plus I've found it to be more stable than compiz.

xuCGC002
January 4th, 2010, 03:11 PM
http://ubuntuforums.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=142404&stc=1&d=1262613940

Compare the two ;)

Only by default does KDE look like this. Don't like it? Change it. And KDE has window lists, not the "superbar".

Skripka
January 4th, 2010, 03:13 PM
Compare the two ;)

If you'd ever used the two you'd know they are quite different in functionality, superficial looks aside. You can also change how they look if you don't like it.

The Toxic Mite
January 4th, 2010, 03:17 PM
Only by default does KDE look like this. Don't like it? Change it. And KDE has window lists, not the "superbar".

Woah woah woah! Stop there!

I know that KDE uses lists instead of groups, but c'mon, don't you think they look similar?

alakazam
January 4th, 2010, 03:17 PM
If I boot into KDE then kwin, boot into Gnome then Compiz.

Skripka
January 4th, 2010, 03:19 PM
Woah woah woah! Stop there!

I know that KDE uses lists instead of groups, but c'mon, don't you think they look similar?

Just like a dog is similar to an alligator. They both have 4 legs, a mouth, and a tail so they are identical right?

alakazam
January 4th, 2010, 03:20 PM
Woah woah woah! Stop there!

I know that KDE uses lists instead of groups, but c'mon, don't you think they look similar?

KDE has had panal launchers since the dinosaurs first roamed. transparency has enveloped all operating systems recently (MAC, Linux and Windows)

Icehuck
January 4th, 2010, 03:22 PM
Woah woah woah! Stop there!

I know that KDE uses lists instead of groups, but c'mon, don't you think they look similar?

They are similar and have been since kde 3. The kicker menu and start menu are almost the same thing.

inobe
January 4th, 2010, 03:25 PM
may have well asked kde or gnome

nrs
January 4th, 2010, 03:25 PM
http://ubuntuforums.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=142404&stc=1&d=1262613940

Compare the two ;)
....They're both taskbars? Is that it? Either way, KDE4 was released a year+ before 7, and is just an updated version of the style 3 used, which dates all the way back to 2002. Maybe Windows should quit looking like KDE?

Still, if you don't like the style you're not stuck with it. Look familiar?

The Toxic Mite
January 4th, 2010, 03:25 PM
They are similar and have been since kde 3. The kicker menu and start menu are almost the same thing.

Exactly.

Skripka, xuCGC002: Try and not be so snide the next time. Please. :|

Skripka
January 4th, 2010, 03:33 PM
Exactly.

Skripka, xuCGC002: Try and not be so snide the next time. Please. :|

Sure...but lose the "I won't use it, because the default looks like windows" silliness. Don't like the default, change it--that is what Linux is all about.

For example here's how I have my KDE set-up, so as to optimize widescreen viewing area, everything I need over on the right edge...surely this doesn't look like Windows, and yet it is KDE:

Icehuck
January 4th, 2010, 03:36 PM
Sure...but lose the "I won't use it, because the default looks like windows" silliness. Don't like the default, change it--that is what Linux is all about.

For example here's how I have my KDE set-up, so as to optimize widescreen viewing area, everything I need over on the right edge...surely this doesn't look like Windows, and yet it is KDE:

Is that sonar on your desktop? Are you tracking enemy subs? :p

It is a different take on launchers though. I still haven't found a setup I'm happy with on KDE.

nrs
January 4th, 2010, 03:37 PM
They've been using refined versions of the vaguely Windows 7 looking taskbar since KDE 1.0. This means they've copied Windows 7 11 years before Windows 7 existed. Does anyone understand the implications of this???
http://www.kbglob.com/fotos/kde1.jpg

~sHyLoCk~
January 4th, 2010, 03:38 PM
Windows Vista and 7 may look like KDE and vice versa. Is this a bad thing? They look similar in their default desktop getup. However, while KDE can be tweaked to even work without a panel or make it like anything you want to, I don't think you can do that with windows. KDE is nowhere as resource hungry as Vista and is far more customizable and beautiful than 7. Plus the KDE apps are the best. K3B is the most decent burning tool available for Linux. In fact even though I don't use KDE nowadays, I still use K3b even in compiz and fluxbox and brasero of gnome has never worked for me in any distro including Debian stable.
Also if you use KDE, use kwin, else use compiz.

xuCGC002
January 4th, 2010, 03:42 PM
They are similar and have been since kde 3. The kicker menu and start menu are almost the same thing.

The KDE 3 kicker and start menu are nearly the same. The new kickoff menu in KDE 4 is similar, but handles navigation in a completely different way.

nrs
January 4th, 2010, 03:45 PM
Annnnyways. GNOME -> Compiz. KDE -> KWin. Regarding "Compiz is the future": Compiz started out as a tech demo, and it shows. There's a reason it hasn't supplanted KWin and Metacity. Hasn't it also effectively been denied a future with GNOME 3.0? I seem to remember something about it being incompatible.

The Toxic Mite
January 4th, 2010, 03:47 PM
Annnnyways. GNOME -> Compiz. KDE -> KWin. Regarding "Compiz is the future": Compiz started out as a tech demo, and it shows. There's a reason it hasn't supplanted KWin and Metacity. Hasn't it also effectively been denied a future with GNOME 3.0? I seem to remember something about it being incompatible.

IIRC Compiz is incompatible with GNOME 3.0 but looking at screenshots of the GNOME Shell manager, they look pretty good..

alakazam
January 4th, 2010, 03:50 PM
Well if Compiz car'nt be used in the near future what happens to it?

Short life and a quick death!

The Toxic Mite
January 4th, 2010, 03:53 PM
Well if Compiz car'nt be used in the near future what happens to it?

Short life and a quick death!

:-({|=

Icehuck
January 4th, 2010, 03:53 PM
Well if Compiz car'nt be used in the near future what happens to it?

Short life and a quick death!

I thought it was it's own WM already?

xuCGC002
January 4th, 2010, 03:57 PM
They've been using refined versions of the vaguely Windows 7 looking taskbar since KDE 1.0. This means they've copied Windows 7 11 years before Windows 7 existed. Does anyone understand the implications of this???


Holy crap, somebody notify Microsoft! This is an obvious ripoff and needs to be dealt with legally.

The Toxic Mite
January 4th, 2010, 04:01 PM
Holy crap, somebody notify Microsoft! This is an obvious ripoff and needs to be dealt with legally.

Hahaha, very funny(!)

alakazam
January 4th, 2010, 04:02 PM
Hahaha, very funny(!)


Yeah, you could learn something :P

~sHyLoCk~
January 4th, 2010, 04:08 PM
I thought it was it's own WM already?

Using compiz as a standalone wm here. :) Not just me many people have been running it for more than a year now.

Nerd King
January 4th, 2010, 04:30 PM
TBH I prefer Compiz over Kwin, but I could say that they are both pretty good :-)

If only KDE could change in a way that it wasn't functionally and aesthetically similar to Windows...
Trust me, you can make KDE VERY non-windows. You should see my KDE setup some time :)

Psumi
January 4th, 2010, 04:42 PM
Neither. My IBM lappy may support compiz, but it can't even click on anything when it's running. The processor is too slow (1.60 GHz single-core), not enough video RAM (32 MB I believe) and certainly not enough normal RAM (496 MB.)

So you can see, it doesn't matter, I can't use it.

Xbehave
January 4th, 2010, 04:49 PM
Neither. My IBM lappy may support compiz, but it can't even click on anything when it's running. The processor is too slow (1.60 GHz single-core), not enough video RAM (32 MB I believe) and certainly not enough normal RAM (496 MB.)

So you can see, it doesn't matter, I can't use it.
I ran compiz on a similar machine (i think i had ½ the ram), without the slowness (unless i ran certain apps like firefox), i think you have a bad configuration or a bug.

Psumi
January 4th, 2010, 04:55 PM
I ran compiz on a similar machine (i think i had ½ the ram), without the slowness (unless i ran certain apps like firefox), i think you have a bad configuration or a bug.

Not that I care, since I would never use compiz anymore, and will abandon Ubuntu for XFCE Minimal once GNOME Shell becomes the default.

It's also an ATI Graphics card, and it's an IBM T41.

RiceMonster
January 4th, 2010, 05:30 PM
Since I use KDE, I use Kwin because it integrates nicely, and it has all the functionality I need.

Also, the Kickoff does not look the start menu if you ask me. The only thing similar is it's a set rectangular size, rather than an ever expanding menu like in GNOME, Xfce, *box, etc. KDE may look like Windows at first glance because of the default setup, but it's really very different.

The way I have KDE setup is similar to how I organize GNOME and Xfce. You can organize them pretty much however you want. So from my perspective, none of them look anymore like Windows.

SuperSonic4
January 4th, 2010, 05:33 PM
Since I use KDE, I use Kwin because it integrates nicely, and it has all the functionality I need.

Also, the Kickoff does not look the start menu if you ask me. The only thing similar is it's a set rectangular size, rather than an ever expanding menu like in GNOME, Xfce, *box, etc. KDE may look like Windows at first glance because of the default setup, but it's really very different.

Lancelot is nicer than Kickoff :p

RiceMonster
January 4th, 2010, 05:35 PM
Lancelot is nicer than Kickoff :p

I tried it. Seemed a bit cluttered to me. I actually like the Kickoff layout.

aaaantoine
January 4th, 2010, 05:48 PM
I use Kwin without compositing because the compositing engine (or something in my graphics stack) is too slow for me. Once the current graphics stack is fully stable -- and by then, Kwin will see some optimizations I bet -- I will probably use Kwin with compositing full-time. Maybe sooner if I get a different computer before then.

I've used Compiz in the past on this laptop and that ran faster than composited Kwin.

lykwydchykyn
January 4th, 2010, 05:53 PM
They've been using refined versions of the vaguely Windows 7 looking taskbar since KDE 1.0. This means they've copied Windows 7 11 years before Windows 7 existed. Does anyone understand the implications of this???

Clearly, time travel is involved.

I miss some of the compiz effects since switching to Kwin, and kwin is not always as smooth on cheaper equipment, but I like being able to use the same WM with or without compositing. When I used compiz and had to disable compositing, it was a huge messy operation that destroyed my window layout and left me unsure of what keystrokes would work, etc. With kwin I can toggle compositing at will without any negative side effects.

Some of the new features in 4.4 look cool, even if they were ripped off Aero.

xuCGC002
January 5th, 2010, 04:36 AM
Hahaha, very funny(!)

Is that an enraged tone I detect?