compiz and compiz fusion

unregistered · 2008-05-01 10:59:12

something i don't quite understand about it, is it a window manager or an extension to a window manager like kde/gnome?
must there be an existing wm installation before compiz fusion can be used or can it be used as a wm like kde gnome by itself?

btw, for arch users, what wm do you all use, gnome, kdebase, kdemod or kde or others?

_Marco_ · 2008-05-01 11:44:47

this is what I know if it's incorrect pls tell me

from http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Compiz
"Compiz is a compositing window manager. Because it provides its own window manager, it cannot be used simultaneously with other window managers such as Openbox, Fluxbox, Enlightenment, or even GNOME's Metacity"
so compiz is (also) a window manager.

gnome/kde/kdemod/xfce are desktop environments which USE a window manager.

it is possible to use compiz fusion without a desktop environment (but I never tried it and probably I never will) as explained here :
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ber … nager_only

unregistered · 2008-05-01 12:15:11

_Marco_ wrote:

gnome/kde/kdemod/xfce are desktop environments which USE a window manager.

huh but i thought they are window managers themselves

Linux and UNIX have the ability to easily use many different window managers such as GNOME, KDE, and many others.

from here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_manager

_Marco_ · 2008-05-01 12:57:40

uhm.. I read that line "Linux and UNIX have the ability to easily use many different window managers such as GNOME, KDE, and many others." but that doesn't seem right to me... I may be wrong anyway.
I'm waiting for some other reply

rson451 · 2008-05-01 13:49:31

I believe that article is worded incorrectly. Gnome is not a window manager, it uses the Metacity window manager. KDE is not a window manager, i _believe_ it uses kwin? window manager.

To answer the original question, compiz is a window manager. It can be run along side KDE or Gnome, replacing Metacity or Kwin as the window manager. Compiz can also be run on it's own, just as any other window manager such as open/flux/blackbox, dwm, xmonad etc.

unregistered · 2008-05-01 15:10:26

ok if i get what your saying, gnome and kde are not window managers, but are considered to be desktop environments which make up the look and feel of the window manager am i correct to say that?
in in other words and if that's the case, i can run kde/gnome using compiz as the window manager instead of kwin/metacity respectively correct?
what's the difference between metacity, kwin and compiz anyway?

Last edited by unregistered (2008-05-01 16:04:06)

alex_anthony · 2008-05-01 16:29:14

Compiz is also a compositing manager (although metacity can now do that too) and has all the flashy stuff. Kwin and metacity are similar but just different slightly
they all use different themes (although you can get compiz to use metacity and kwin themes with a different engine than emerald)

PuppyWhirl · 2008-05-01 16:45:51

Hey all, I would like to get compiz to work on my system, but I would like to run it on its own. I have compiz-fusion downloaded and everything, but I do not know how to properly set my .xinitrc file, here it is as of now:

#compiz &
g15stats &
g15macro &
xmodmap &
pypanel &
xcompmgr -f &
eval `cat ~/.fehbg` &
exec openbox
#exec pypanel

I have some things commented out because I was trying to get this to work. Could someone show me what I am doing wrong here?

I know that openbox cannot be ran with compiz, am I starting compiz wrong?

Thanks all!

rson451 · 2008-05-01 16:59:33

unregistered wrote:

ok if i get what your saying, gnome and kde are not window managers, but are considered to be desktop environments which make up the look and feel of the window manager am i correct to say that?

almost. the desktop environment part of that just means that gnome and kde themselves are a suite of applications meant to be used together on a workstation. they set up the look and feel of the entire graphical system as one, including the native (metacity and kwin respectively) window manager. if you run gnome with compiz or kde with compiz, you will need to configure compiz yourself, kde and gnome will not do that. i believe emerald will handle themes for compiz, but compiz may have something of it's own, i'm really not sure.

Arch Linux

#1 2008-05-01 10:59:12

compiz and compiz fusion

#2 2008-05-01 11:44:47

Re: compiz and compiz fusion

#3 2008-05-01 12:15:11

Re: compiz and compiz fusion

#4 2008-05-01 12:57:40

Re: compiz and compiz fusion

#5 2008-05-01 13:49:31

Re: compiz and compiz fusion

#6 2008-05-01 15:10:26

Re: compiz and compiz fusion

#7 2008-05-01 16:29:14

Re: compiz and compiz fusion

#8 2008-05-01 16:45:51

Re: compiz and compiz fusion

#9 2008-05-01 16:59:33

Re: compiz and compiz fusion

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