Get the desktop of the future now with Xgl and Compiz

Ever since I installed SUSE Linux 10.1, I’ve heard rumblings from here and there about something cool called Xgl. I wondered what all the buzz was about. It had something to do with translucency, effects, spinning cubes. Well, I installed Xgl today, and WOW! I mean WOW! It’s great. The static computer desktop is a thing of the past. Think Apple-style visual effects with a ton of pizazz!

Okay, so Xgl is an X Window server that harnesses the power of OpenGL. You’ll need a semi-decent video card to really get the full effect, and you’ll also need to install the free but proprietary video drivers from either Nvidia or ATI, depending on what kind of card you have. But once you do, you’re in for a treat. Windows have variable transparency. You can switch between desktops with this very cool rotating cube (I think Apple is introducing something similar in their next version of Mac OS X). Windows are “wobbly”—meaning that when you move them around they warp and bend in fun and exciting ways. Lots of visual umph!

And best of all, because it’s on SUSE Linux, it’s all free. Okay, so you’re probably wanting more information. Check out the details and streaming videos and screenshots over at Novell. openSUSE.org also has a page on Xgl with links to other sites. You might also like to refer to the Wikipedia Xgl page.

Some installation notes: The openSUSE.org instructions didn’t work for me, but the instructions in Chris Brown’s new SUSE Linux book did. You can find the relevant excerpt on Linux Journal’s Web site here. Brown describes how to install the Nvidia drivers, but if you have an ATI card, you can follow the instructions given by E@zyVG. The Xgl installation is simply a matter of installing the Xgl and Compiz packages in YaST, and then throwing the switch essentially. Xgl is still relatively young, and it keeps getting better. With the development force of Novell behind it though it’s bound to take the Linux world by storm.

Here are a couple of still shots from the Novell site:

Transparency

The Rotating Cube o’ Desktops