Beryl + Compiz = Compiz Fusion

Jun 21, 2007 10:47 GMT  ·  By

There were rumors some time ago that Beryl and Compiz projects will unite in the hope of a better future, but last night the development team behind the new project has finally announced the new name of the Beryl/Compiz merge and they've also made public the first video preview (see it at the end of the article) and some of the upcoming features (details below). Compiz Fusion is the name found for the Beryl/Compiz merge, which right now is in heavy development.

Actually, we should call this "a remerge", because the Beryl project was born when some guys, who used to be part of the Compiz development team, decided to leave and create a new project. I, for one, loved the Beryl project, but it looks like the developers thought it would be better for everybody if they reunited under the Compiz team.

Compiz Fusion promises us a powerful 3D desktop (window manager) for all the Linux users around the world. It already has a Zoom Plugin with cool new features like select and zoom and panning, that has been rewritten by David Reveman. Thanks to Onestone, the Cube Plugin has now a reflection. There is also an Expo Plugin that can be used with the Cube Plugin, but what attracted me the most was a new plugin called Firepaint that lets you paint fire on your desktop and a new windows focus effect called Dodge. Simply awesome! Check the video at the bottom of the article to see the new effects in action!

In other (hot) news, Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) will come with Compiz Fusion pre-installed and for Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) users, there are some deb packages with a preview version of Compiz Fusion, that you can download from here.

Here is a list with some of the plugins you will find in the Compiz Fusion project:

■ Expo Plugin ■ Cube Plugin ■ Rotate Cube Plugin ■ Cube Reflection Plugin ■ Scale Plugin ■ Ring Switcher Plugin ■ Focus Effect: Dodge ■ Zoom Desktop Plugin ■ Window Previews Plugin ■ Firepaint Plugin ■ Annotate Plugin ■ Wobbly Plugin ■ Blur Plugin ■ Group/Tab Plugin ■ Water Effect ■ AddHelper Plugin

What is Compiz?

The Compiz project is an OpenGL accelerated compositing WM (window manager). Compiz provides various graphical effects and features on any desktop environment, including Gnome and KDE.

What is Beryl?

The Beryl was a Compiz fork and an OpenGL accelerated desktop, a combined window manager and composite manager that provided an open source desktop experience for all Linux users. Unfortunately, the Beryl project is now discontinued and every Beryl user out there is invited to keep an eye on the new Compiz Fusion project.

Here is a preview of the brand new Compiz Fusion: