Compiz and bling

I really don't have much to say here – so I try to do it as long as possible, as an exercise of saying nothing by tons.

Compiz is a window manager, or 'compositing manager'.

It makes windows wobbly, it has that famous desktop cube. And lot, I mean LOT more effects. By the way, some of them are excluding and when applied simultaneously, simply crash your desktop. It's an enormous eyecandy. Visit the link above for more info.

Cons: Wastes quite a bit of resources. As we are living in modern times and having a reasonable hardware, it doesn't have to matter.

Compiz doesn't have to play along with your desktop, though. Its OK, for example, with Xfce. As mentioned, not necessarily with current Mate (1.4). I haven't an idea how it behaves with other DEs.

Wine – I am quoting, what: 'is a compatibility layer capable of running Windows applications on several POSIX-compliant operating systems, such as Linux, Mac OSX, & BSD' – does not play nice with Compiz. So, if you want to run (try at least) your Windows darlings on Linux through Wine, then Compiz is out. It's even advised to remove any compositing manager when running Wine.

And here are some links about Compiz:

1. pimping xubuntu

2. more of the same

3. and more

Why Xubuntu only? Because it's where I did my Thing.

But everything depends on ones' hardware/software configuration – not one of those tutorials worked 100% for me. Had to improvise.

Feel free to peruse google, forums, and whatever according to your needs.
When feeling strong and wise enough, install it from repository.

Then open it's configuration, scream, look for tutorial. When finished with conf, open terminal, type: compiz --replace.

It was easy install in Xubuntu. With Mate, do read forums. How to take out Marco and so on.

NB! It's very smart to know before swap what your current windows manager is – in case you have to 'replace' it back.

Summary – if you are the one who likes bling – it might be worth to try KDE instead. You get whole fancy package without additional worries. And – as we are hanging around Mint – why not Linux Mint KDE? Some say, though, that Kubuntu is even better...

KDE is default (main) DE of OpenSuse (which is a bit more challenging than Ubuntu, but heck, why not – some early self-mutilation makes you stronger).

Oh, and Zorin OS has Compiz installed by default – and looks blingy as hell. See my short Zorin-test in 'Other distros tried'.

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2. Installation of Mint KDE

Springy action
I booted Linux Mint 12 KDE Live DVD from USB stick (and I can’t be bothered to explain how to convince your BIOS to do that. It depends on your machines' bloody BIOS. Google!).

Boot was successful. The thing looked mighty exciting. Why not - it was My First Real Linux Desktop hanging there, blueishly. I clicked around in Live a bit and then promptly installed (icon for that hangs on desktop).

Install was a breeze (but watch what you are doing!) and took maybe 15-20 minutes.More detailed account of behaviour of Ubuntu installer, see post 'Linux Mint 1.41 Mate x 2'.

Reboot.

And it failed to boot from my lovingly crafted /boot partition. Nothing. Black screen and cursor hanging in left upper corner. No googled-up shortcut brought up any usable CLI.

Second attempt gave exactly the same result.

After some thinking I decided that culprit might be /boot partition. It was then that I came up with aforementioned (previous post) 'second-hdd-trick' and decided to install into MBR. This installation was a success (and, no, I do not know why it hated /boot). Boot-up didn't take long at all (the same, in fact, that my XP takes in the same machine) and I landed onto my fresh KDE desktop.

It was shiny. Wow. Click. Clickety-click...

It had myriad of settings. Wow. ...

It had disgusting crap-cluttered main menu (which is thankfully changeable to 'classic' version) and oh-so-modern-looking panel-launchbar-activities … errr... thingy. KDE whined like a Windows, and it had apply-buttons everywhere (doh!). Whole desktop felt somehow overwhelming. Maybe not a proper choice for a Linux-noob? Or too Windows-like (what for you need another one - which is also a fake?)

But playing with settings was a fun. A lot of fun.

Though, telling from future experience – changing settings is probably not permanent fun. In fact, it might be short-lived one. You find what you like and then that's that. With occasional sophisticated changes – you know, like another wallpaper or some coloring twist.

Fortunately or unfortunately, my new exciting experience lasted a bit less than 24 hours.

Next day, system announced of some new updates, including several xserver files. Xserver, by the way, is the Creator of Colorful Picture and Makes All Windowses Possible. In my deep wisdom I decided that I don't need some of those files … and that 'completely remove' refers to 'remove from update list'.

It's good moment now to invent a new saying: 'A Fool always finds a hole to fall in.' Remember this when you feel like ' I clicked so much that I am Pro for sure and I can click even more'.

My shiny system didn't start again, of course.

But - fuck with it, begone thy evil Bling. Let's replace it with other fiendly Linux!

Back to Winxp, format USB,

TIP: Always use HP USB formatter (usb_format_HPU_v2.2.3.exe is what I have)– or you might have grave troubles with your next installation... like no installation because there is no 'bootable media'.

Unetbootin, write ISO. Change boot order in BIOS, and forward to boot next 'Live' ISO:

- Linux Mint 12 (probably was Cinnamon) – live boot hangs somewhere middle. Start all over.

- CentOs – kernel panic at the beginning of installation. Panic sounds funny but it isn't. Start all over.

- OpenSuse, maybe it was 12.1 – installed OK, then hung on boot. No picture.

This time - NO start all over again.

I certainly wouldn't say that I was all downtrodden and crying uncontrollably. No, rather I was quite angry. Frankly, I was quite perplexed how it's possible to succeed in ONLY ONE OF FOUR installation-attempts.

Fucking hell and damnation. 'They' can't make their bloody software even to be able to boot! After bloody what, 20 years of the most fruitful, free, creative, free again, friendly-community-driven development? You don't say?

But what's amusing – the story doesn't end here at all.