Tue, 14/02/2012 - 10:42 | 
ubuntuvibes.com
A new Compiz release has landed in Precise fixing lots and lots of bugs that bugged Unity users for quite some time. As a result of this, overall performance and stability of Ubuntu 12.04 has increased greatly.
However, there is one particular bug which has troubled ATI proprietary driver (fglrx) users in Ubuntu 11.04 and 11.10.
Because of this bug, frame rate for for entire Unity interface dropped considerably and everything from moving windows to revealing launcher was extremely slow. A workaround for this bug was to disable 'Sync to Vblank' in Compiz Config Settings Manager (CCSM).
Tags: Wed, 08/02/2012 - 13:29 | webupd8.org
This guide has been written by WebUpd8 reader Neil Rodgers and it shows how to create your own standalone Compiz session in Ubuntu (the instructions below are for 11.10, but they may work in other Ubuntu versions). Using a custom Compiz session gives you flexibility to load only what you want, so you can get a lightweight session, while still using Compiz.
In the screenshot above you can see Unity 2D panel, Dockbarx (dockx), slingshot-launcher and Compiz drawing the wallpaper. But of course, there are many different combinations of docks, panels, etc. you can use to create your own environment. I chose to mimic Unity. Don't ask why. I love using Unity, like to tinker and was bored one night.
Things I've installed:
CCSM:
sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager compiz-plugins-extraDockBarX:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8
sudo apt-get update
Emerald Window Decorator is not available in the Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot repositories so to make it easier to install, I've uploaded the latest stable Emerald version (0.9.5) to the main WebUpd8 PPA.
With Emerald, you can get some beautiful window decorators, like the one in the screenshot above, or these:
Mon, 19/12/2011 - 13:18 | webupd8.org
While testing various stuff, I've managed to break Unity 3D quite a few times (by "breaking", I mean: the launcher, Dash and the top panel don't load and you log in to an empty desktop), like a recent bug that was fixed in Ubuntu Tweak 0.6 pre-release that caused Unity to crash. So I though I'd write a post with a few basic solutions for this, in case it happens to some of you too.
This usually occurs if somehow the Unity plugin has been unchecked in CompizConfig Settings Manager: manually, by enabling an unsupported Compiz plugin that disables it, by some third-party application and so on.
Tue, 11/10/2011 - 17:02 | webupd8.org
If Unity 3D isn't working on your computer and you want to find out if this is because of a bug, because you're using the wrong drivers or because of your computer's hardware, you can use a command which lets you know if your computer can run Unity 3D:
/usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test -p
If you get "yes" for "Unity 3D support", your computer should be able to run Unity based on Compiz (Unity 3D) and according to an AskUbuntu answer, if you get "yes" this most probably means you can run GNOME Shell too because Unity and GNOME Shell have similar hardware requirements.
This command only works on Ubuntu 11.04 or 11.10. If you don't use Ubuntu 11.04 or 11.10, you can check out the Ubuntu-certified hardware list to see if your computer can run Unity 3D (with Compiz).
Fri, 30/09/2011 - 21:32 | webupd8.org
DockBarX is a lightweight taskbar / panel replacement for Linux. It works as a GNOME panel applet (for GNOME 2.x), as an Avant Window Navigator applet or as a stand alone dock (called DockX) that you can use in any desktop environment: KDE, XFCE, GNOME 3 (with GNOME Shell), etc.
DockBarX has been updated today with a work-around for the bug that caused live windows previews not to work with Compiz 0.9.x in GNOME (well, for most of us anyway because it seems it worked for some of you).
However, the live window previews still don't work in GNOME Shell (because this feature requires Compiz).
Here is a video I've recorded with DockBarX running in AWN (and live window previews activated of course):
Install DockBarX in Ubuntu
Tue, 19/07/2011 - 16:10 | webupd8.org
Ambiance, the default Ubuntu theme, will get a dark toolbar very soon. The news comes from Andrea Cimitan who has posted a screenshot on Google+:
(The theme is not yet available in Oneiric)
If you want to use Ambiance with a dark toolbar already, you can use Ambiance Evolution, an unofficial version that already has a dark toolbar - see THIS page for more info.
In other Oneiric news, Compiz was updated today and the modal dialogs finally look like they are supposed to for Unity 3D:
Previously, the modal dialogs had a regular window titlebar in Unity 3D.
Mon, 04/07/2011 - 20:20 | webupd8.org
The Compiz modal dialogs finally landed in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot today. There was some initial work for this, but the actual modal dialogs Compiz plugin has just been uploaded to Oneiric.
Here's a video demoing the new Compiz modal dialogs (Unity 3D):
"Modal dialogs" can be turned off since it's a Compiz plugin. You can also tweak the alpha transparency and fade time:
Mon, 13/06/2011 - 18:27 | techdrivein.com
I have been a Compiz fan ever since I started using Linux. Compiz is also a very integral part of Ubuntu, more so with the introduction of new Unity desktop for Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal. There are many Compiz effects that are not enabled by default and some of them are really good IMO. Useful Compiz tweaks for Ubuntu 11.04. Note: Post not meant for advanced users.
Before getting started, there are two applications you need to install in Ubuntu. First package is Compizconfig-settings-manager(CCSM) and other one is Ubuntu Tweak.
