What things in Compiz do you find useful?

[samwyse]

I played with it for 5 minutes and didn't see a reason to use it.

[Luffield]

Enhanced zoom (but you don't really need it if your eyesight is good. Mine isn't).

[Praadur]

For those occasions where I have an image and the text is too small and I don't want to have to open it up in the GIMP, the enhanced zoom is a boon. Like the above poster, my sight is none too good.

It's handy for applications to have flashy closing animations. Related to my sight issues, I have focusing problems, and if I've got an application set to close when its finished its task, the flashy animation helps me notice that.

If compiz is off, rotation through the workspaces doesn't seem to 'wrap'. For example, if I want to go from workspace four (at the rightmost side) and I'm on workspace one (the leftmost one), I have to go right three times. Whereas if I'm running Compiz I can just go left once. It doesn't sound like a big deal but after having that ease of use for a while... well, the lack of it can get irritating, it makes things feel more repetitive and unintuitive.

The fact that it's pretty and I can customise the window animations to suit my visual theme for extra cohesiveness doesn't hurt either.

[BreathEasy]

Enhanced zoom (but you don't really need it if your eyesight is good. Mine isn't).
It's useful for the occasional site which uses Flash video and doesn't seem to have a way to fullscreen it.

Compiz also conceptualizes virtual desktops a hell of a lot better than without. I've also found features such as Scale to be virtually indispensable nowadays. I wouldn't go back to a non-Compiz Linux desktop if I could.

[jken146]

Translucent windows on moving the mouse. It is mostly eye candy though.

[samwyse]

Good points about zooming and productive use of animations.

I however don't like or need animations, I like everything just to appear and disappear snappily. I also have a problem with things flying at my face like with the task switcher plugins. All the rotating makes me dizzy.

About the workspaces: they shoud be wrappable with Gnome/Metacity, most window managers work that way. In fact I mostly noticed Compiz fixed some window managerial stuff that Gnome/Metacity should do by default.

[Hells_Dark]

I also love the place plugin :)

[rune0077]

I find myself using the scale plugin and the windows preview often.

[fuscia]

nothing.

[bomanizer]

Shadows and trailfocus. They make things clearer when there are many overlapping windows, etc.

[Samhain13]

I'm one of those who find the Enhanced Zoom useful. I have a big monitor and I also use a large resolution because I work with lots of windows open. And as Praadur points out, the zooming utility is very useful for dig into text without necessarity zooming the image with the application's default tool. It's also useful when browsing sites whose layouts break easily when text size is increased-- and most of the time, I really need to increase text size because of my monitor setup.

The Cube is also a nice thing although I think I can live with simply having the normal workspaces. I find it easier to look for things with the Cube as I use it with my middle mouse button (I seldom use it with the keyboard shortcuts) and drag on the desktop as opposed to looking for that needed window in each workspace.

The animations, I think I can do without but they're nice to have.

[delfick]

I could go on about this for a bit, but I've done it before and I can't be bothered doing it again :D
everyone has a right to their own opinion :)

but I must yell out one word
SCALE !!!!

regards
delfick,
compiz-fusion forums moderator
:D

[DigitalDuality]

d

[Luffield]

There are more useful plugins in development, like Maximumize (http://dev.compiz-fusion.org/~kristian/2007/12/18/the-maximumize-plugin/).

[runningwithscissors]

I don't use Compiz, but when I did use it (for a short while), I liked the virtual desktop switcher that just lays out the four desktops in a line. I hate the cube.

[forrestcupp]

+1 for enhanced zoom. I have good eyesight and I find uses for it. Just like what's already been said, I've used it frequently for videos that you can't fullscreen. I've actually found that it increases the quality of the video because it smooths what it zooms in on. It's also good for zooming in on pictures.

I also use the transparent window feature. It's very handy for things like updating Gnucash while looking at your bank account online. It's also useful if you want to trace something when you're drawing in the Gimp.

The live window preview in the panel app switcher is useful sometimes.

The fact that they are going in the direction of having your GPU take over more of the processing of your desktop can't be bad. What a concept.

Sure, most of it might be eye candy. But there are a lot of people who like their OS to look like it's from the 21st century. Besides, you can turn off any of the features you don't like.

[mindtrick]

It successfully alters Metacity's terrible window animations.

[Tristam Green]

+1 again for enhanced zoom.

I use the Widget Layer as well, allowing me to remove clocks *entirely* from my desktop. I don't need to see one ticking away all the time, so I just press F9 and see what time it is.

Scale makes Vista Users (especially those who run on systems similar to mine) jealous, as does the Shift Switcher.

Also, I love eye-candy. Cube, 3d Windows, Snowflakes, etc etc

[Vadi]

Dodge on window focus, scale, ADD plugin (shush), and everything that makes my ubuntu feel real smooth.

[DarkOx]

A lot of compiz is just visual flash, but there's a bunch that's useful. Off the top of my head:


Zoom
Screenshot plug-in. I had to make some documentation for a school project, and this made the whole thing much easier.
Scale (the expose like thing)
Group and Tab for less cluttered window management
The widget layer + screenlets are a useful way to use a lot of widgets without cluttering up my desktop (and leaving more space on it for files and such)


Also, compiz can be used to enable some programs that are awesome in their own right, like Avant Window Navigator. Overall, yes, the majority of compiz is just pretty, but that doesn't mean there aren't useful plug-ins for it.

[mikewhatever]

IMO, compiz is only good for attracting attention and satisfying curiosity. Its use on the daily basis is annoying, and none of its features is essentially necessary.

[delfick]

Also, compiz can be used to enable some programs that are awesome in their own right, like Avant Window Navigator. Overall, yes, the majority of compiz is just pretty, but that doesn't mean there aren't useful plug-ins for it.

compiz isn't the only compositing window manager :D

[-grubby]

now that I use fluxbox I don't find anything on Compiz useful

[ticopelp]

Scale. I use it all the time. I also find the ring switcher very useful, as well as the window previews. I also quite like ADD Helper -- helps me stay focused when I'm trying to avoid being distracted by all the eye-candy. :lol:

[klange]

Scale - Definitely a useful feature
Expo - Seeing all of my workspaces is great
Compositing in general - I love being able to use AWN and Screenlets
Zoom - It just helps sometimes

Freewins (3d window rotation plugin) would be extremely useful if X had input redirection in a stable form...

[Rutabega]

I don't find Compiz useful, at least for my computer needs.

[AndyCooll]

It's nice as eye candy, but there isn't really anything I find useful.

:cool:

[bobbybobington]

Scale and desktop wall. So useful I have them set on screen corner activation. Zoom is pretty useful too.

[hanzomon4]

It's pretty; I mean what do want to hear? What is useful about OSX's or Vista's compositing? It just makes the experience better.

[bruce89]

Hopefully Metacity's compositor will be reasonably good for 2.22.

Compiz is a yucky hack. Fullscreen windows flicker often, the mousewheel on the workspace switcher doesn't work and dragging windows between workspaces can't be done.

In other words, you can keep your "froot loops", I'm happy with the "Cheerios".

[BreathEasy]

the mousewheel on the workspace switcher doesn't work and dragging windows between workspaces can't be done.
/throws hands in air

I can do both these things mate. Perhaps if you asked what you had to do to enable these functions instead of generalizing, you might get it working! :mad:

[stijngysemans]

-Scale
-Show desktop plugin
-Zoom (!)
-being able to use AWN.

compiz is super

[Espreon]

-The keybindings that allow you to execute any command
-Tile, Scale (with Scale Addons and Scale Filter)
-Expo,ADD Helper,Freescale,Freewins,Shelf,

[delfick]

the mousewheel on the workspace switcher doesn't work

ccsm -> viewport switcher -> actions -> Desktop based viewport switching -> Inititate plugin action

set it to Button2 (the mousewheel) and make sure that plugin is enabled.....


and dragging windows between workspaces can't be done.

ccsm -> Rotate cube -> General -> Edge flip move

or if you're using desktop wall

ccsm -> Desktop wall -> Edge flip Move

or if you're using plane
... well no-one uses plane anyways :p :D

[delfick]

Compiz is a yucky hack.

beryl was a yucky hack, compiz is done right...

especially once David R. has finished with the object framework :D
http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/compiz/2007-December/002873.html

:D

[puppy]

I use Expo all the time - usually to find windows I've lost because I have so many things open at the same time. Scale is great too... they're not just bling :)

[hanzomon4]

beryl was a yucky hack, compiz is done right...

especially once David R. has finished with the object framework :D
http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/compiz/2007-December/002873.html

:D

Well that was the best yucky hack I've ever used. Before C-F compiz couldn't touch Beryl in regards to stability and usability on my machine.

[rudihawk]

To show Vista users, - hey look, My OS can do some cool awesome, WOW! kinda stuff as well! - except ahem its free of course :)

Oh and the cube is good as eye candy.
I like the fancy alt-tab option as well.