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KDE4 KWin has new Cube plugin! watch!

youtube.com — Compiz had it, and now so does KWin. The Desktop Cube!!!

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  • gab1to, on 07/06/2008, -5/+10For me Kwin effects is very slow with NVidia, but in Intel is completely fast.
    Shame Nvidia por that, but I know that KDE developeres will make this faster.
    • kwilliam, on 07/06/2008, -2/+17What version of KDE 4.x were you using? I have an Nvidia card, and 4.0 was impossibly slow and jerky, but at some point along the 4.1 alphas, it suddenly became fast (30-50 fps with wobbly windows, transparency, minimize animations, etc.) I'm unsure whether it was an update to the KDE code or a kernel update that fixed the rendering speed.

      And I am indeed angry that I when I bought my laptop, I chose to "upgrade" the graphics card from an Intel to an Nvidia, not knowing the pain Nvidia would cause later on because they WON'T OPEN THEIR SPECS!
    • estvir, on 07/06/2008, -10/+7How do you know it's Nvidia's fault?
    • geoken, on 07/06/2008, -0/+17It's nvidia's fault because there are several xRender features they don't support (in their driver) and KDE4 makes heavy use of these features (in the past they weren't that widely implemented and their impact on speed was virtually unoticable in many cases)
      • Giga, on 07/07/2008, -14/+1To be fair to NVIDIA, the KDE devs didn't have to choose to heavily rely on various xRender features knowing that NVIDIA doesn't currently support it.
  • litith, on 07/06/2008, -15/+8Compiz?
    • skootz85, on 07/07/2008, -2/+1You fail.
    • Tomholius, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4i dont get it, compiz could already do that 2 years ago. Why is he being dugg down? and why is this story being dugg up?
      • paul21, on 07/07/2008, -2/+1Because before kde4 you had to run kde3 (kwin) + compiz to do that. Now is native in kde.
      • seqizz, on 07/07/2008, -2/+1then why they aren't help compiz project..?
        unnecessary for kwin (i think)..
  • PFS1, on 07/06/2008, -0/+10Sweet deal. Once the background containment regains support for individual wallpapers per desktop, this is going to rock. I like compiz as much as the next guy and would love to use it on a regular basis; but, to me it's unusable so long as the cube (or any workspace plugin you use) is recognized by KDE as one big desktop with four parts, rather than a number of regular desktops that play nice with the pager, KDE desktop settings, and the wallpapers. A different background per desktop for purposes of differentiation is absolutely key. Getting the cube effect in kwin4 will be the best of both worlds.

    Full disclosure: I know that there is a modified pager applet for KDE 3.5 that will work with compiz, and I know that you can get different desktops on the compiz cube by disabling the desktop from drawing, but those are hacks that only gloss over the underlying functional problem.



  • geoken, on 07/06/2008, -2/+16I know a lot of people slam KDE for re-inventing the wheel with their desktop effects, but I personally think they've done a lot more than compiz. For example, I was glad to see that plugins were able to get live thumbnails of minimized windows. The fact that this was dropped when beryl and compiz merged (because it was deemed a ugly hack) made almost all the window switching utilities useless for me. I don't want to have my desktop cluttered with 10 unminimized windows but taskbar thumnails, scale plugin, etc. required me to do this if I wanted to use those features.
    • bangmalley, on 08/30/2008, -0/+3compiz fusion has the live thumbnail plugin.
  • DontThinkSo, on 07/06/2008, -1/+40Kube?
  • IvanB, on 07/06/2008, -0/+2So how do I get this running?
    • dualscreenman, on 07/06/2008, -0/+3You'll have to wait until a 4.2 pre-release, since it's waay past the feature freeze for 4.1. Alternatively you could compile KDE for yourself.
      • drumpat01, on 07/07/2008, -6/+2yea because compiling sounds real easy for the average user.
  • Dylson, on 07/06/2008, -20/+3Linux is only good for servers. Other than that its a bird with clipped wings. Isn't gonna fly with joe user.
    • bratterscain, on 07/06/2008, -1/+2Do you know how many equatable quotes there are in the past involving technology that is dominating now and slow to pick up?
    • frazw, on 07/06/2008, -0/+11Why exactly do you anti linux guys feel the need to attack all the time. You don't like it. Fine I get that. What I don't get is your motivation for needing to tell others. It's almost like you are scared that if you don't say it Linux might become popular. Same goes for anti MS and anti Apple crowd.
      It's bizarre, unhelpful, and a waste of your and our time.
      • Dylson, on 07/06/2008, -4/+3I'm not scared of linux becomming popular. I welcome all operating systems. Howerver, at this point, the fact is that linux just simply isn't ready for every day use by joe user. I wasn't lashing out at the community in any way. Like I said, I welcome it with open arms and I hope it continues to mature the way it is. That being said, linux certainly has come a long way since it got started.
      • Atomic1fire, on 07/07/2008, -0/+6Drivers are the responsibility of the businesses who make the hardware
        any linux drivers are usually just reversed engineered (by someone else) or provided by the business
        and while the majority of drivers are released for windows there is no point in complaining about it
        want linux? buy some hardware compatible with it or find a driver.
        While you may hate the idea its either that or sending it up to the company management that you want Linux drivers
        Windows has its shortcomings. but no one is forcing you to use Linux and its not a horrible os anyway but everyone has a different experience so you cant expect everyone to agree with you
    • MWeather, on 07/06/2008, -3/+1Well that's one thing more than Windows is good for.
    • ileftfark, on 07/06/2008, -2/+2Dylson is only good for mundane comments. Other than that he's a book with no pages. Ain't gonna learn too much that way.
    • Cenobite, on 07/06/2008, -3/+4I, and a great number of other Joe Users, would like to disagree :)
    • jay019, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Try watching your Sony Bravia TV without linux. Oh wait, you cant. I'll bet you that without linux your router would just be a pile of useless plastic. Linux is good for way more than just servers. Even Joe User wouldnt have a clue how much he uses linux in day to day life.
    • danwallace, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2I dunno... Ubuntu works just fine for me. I deleted my windows partition after a week of use. Mind you, the only game I play is TF2, which works just fine under Cedega.
  • atlquaker, on 07/06/2008, -0/+5looks really cool, but how does it help me?
    • alperea, on 07/06/2008, -4/+11It'll help you get laid the next time a girl uses your computer.
    • MWeather, on 07/06/2008, -2/+3If a spacial representation of multiple desktops doesn't help you, don't use it. I think it makes things much easier to organize across multiple desktops.
      • CCUboogernjit, on 07/06/2008, -7/+2what happened to the good old days when people just had one desktop and is was good enough?
      • dualscreenman, on 07/06/2008, -1/+9People realized more space was nice.
  • ivanfan12345, on 07/06/2008, -5/+9Now i can hide my porn
    • garreh, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2no nongeek will be able to hack the portal that is multiple desktops! mwuahhaha!
  • shaunhey, on 07/06/2008, -14/+9What is so special about this? Why so much time wasted on a spinning box? Compiz has been doing this for years. Why don't these gurus focus on something revolutionary instead of spinning my wallpaper on a cube circa 1990? There is plenty of room for these people to improve on our old, antiquated ways of interacting with a computer. How about doing away with the desktop / windows paradigm altogether? Until something revolutionary comes about, I'll stick to my Mac...
    • dualscreenman, on 07/06/2008, -0/+6See also: Plasma.
      I also think feature parity with Compiz would be a good enough reason to have this feature.
      In addition, the dudes doing work on KWin effects aren't necessarily the same guys working on other things. If I recall correctly a student coded this for his Google Summer of Code project.
    • ileftfark, on 07/06/2008, -0/+2You could say the same thing about any OS. What kind of "revolutionary" change are you speaking of?
      • shaunhey, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2I'm not sure that I know to be honest. I don't think I have what it takes to come up with the next computer interface, but I do know that we've just about outgrown the old desktop/document/windows paradigm.
    • CCUboogernjit, on 07/06/2008, -0/+5and a mac is revolutionary how? To me it just seems like a stable PC.
      • shaunhey, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Mac is far from revolutionary -- that was my point. Until something comes around that just outright changes the game -- what is the point? It's eye candy, nothing more.
    • MattBD, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Actually, I think there are some Linux distros that are doing just that. gOS is a good example in that it integrates web apps tightly into the desktop. Also, check out SymphonyOS for a distro that takes a wildly different approach to the desktop.
      Many of the most revolutionary ideas in desktops are coming in Linux distros because it's so much more flexible than Windows or a Mac, so it makes it a lot easier to experiment. After all, it's a lot easier to create a new window manager for the X window server than to write a new OS.
      • shaunhey, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1I completely agree. I keep a close eye on Distrowatch, I always install the latest distros, just to keep on top of what is going on in the Linux world. Trust me, I'm a Linux fan (my server runs Debian, my N810 runs Nokia's spin on Debian, and my desktop runs SUSE). That is why I made the comment that these "guys" working on this eye candy should focus on something with purpose rather than making a cube spin, slowly at that... Of all of my machines, I enjoy using my Mac the most (coming from someone who was raised in a DOS 3 world where Apple == Bad).
  • digitalpencil, on 07/06/2008, -3/+4I keep seeing these things and they look sweet but I honestly can't see the point.. it's cool eye-candy but it will probably impede my workflow rather than improve it.
  • uberamd, on 07/06/2008, -14/+6Meh its still KDE.
  • sirbeta, on 07/06/2008, -3/+10To be honest, my only beef with all these "spinning cube" or similar desktop switching systems that have cropped up that keep popping up is the massive double standard everyone pushes against Microsoft for "useless eye candy", and then turn around and make this sort of stuff for Linux--meanwhile seemingly have everyone dropping their jaw in awe like it's the next best thing since sliced bread.

    That said, it is sort of neat. I do like the transparency so you can see the other desktops behind the current cube face.
    • dualscreenman, on 07/06/2008, -4/+3When useless bloated eyecandy is the one of the only changes in a new operating system that I would have to pay money for, I would bash Microsoft for it.

      Due to the way compositing window managers work they give better-looking windows without the effects (less redrawing, ghosting, etc), and the cube doesn't add much if any extra bloat. I can run Kubuntu with KDE4 with effects on 640 MB RAM. Plus I get this for free. Light + sexy + free = best thing since sliced bread. Need new computer + sorta sexy - $$$ = meh.
    • yetAnotherCroc, on 07/07/2008, -1/+3Well mostly because the eye candy in Vista is mostly useless. The 3D Shift switcher must be the most ill concieved task switcher ever created. On my vista laptop I can barely see what is in the windows and it takes me just as much time to shift to the one I want as Alt+F2 does. Exposé on mac or Scale in Compiz are much faster because they let you see all the windows immediately. And not half covering eachother at an awkward and poorly rendered angle. Not to mention that the other eyecandy in Vista hogs way too many resources and are inconsistent.
  • MyWorld, on 07/06/2008, -8/+2And this is news ..... how?

    The desktop kwin cube effect has been in KDE 4 since the launch of KDE 4.0.1, and that was quite a ways back already, so like I said, this is news because..... help me out here....
    • dualscreenman, on 07/06/2008, -0/+9Nope, there has not been a cube plugin in KDE4. You must have been using Compiz.
  • CCUboogernjit, on 07/06/2008, -0/+3He I recently compiled Gentoo from scratch. I was wondering if anyone knew of some type of time frame that a stable version of KDE4 is going to come out. On the Gentoo site it said that you only install KDE4 if you are very brave because it is still in beta form. Im thinking of just leaving my Gentoo box until a stable version of KDE4 comes out. Im kind of sick and tired of Gnome from using Fedora and Ubuntu alot. Do the KDE Developers give a general time line or is it just "When its done"?
    • google01103, on 07/06/2008, -0/+5the stated goal for 4.1 is this July - hey that's this month
    • beatryder, on 07/06/2008, -0/+2Just use KDE3.5 for now.
    • klitzbtc, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3Or you could always use both. Just have to set the install_dir correctly so it doesn't overwrite your old files, it's not too complicated, there's a bunch of nice guides online.
  • rob2687, on 07/06/2008, -7/+8That cube thing is so yesterday.
  • Sunsneezer, on 07/07/2008, -3/+5Transparency makes graphics harder to see and perspective makes text a chore to read. Combining both is hardly a leap in usability.
  • ren1999, on 07/07/2008, -2/+4I tried this but feel that it adds no functionality. Nor do I use multiple desktops. I also have KDE4 installed and continue to update it. I still can't do basic things like move the icons on the panel. I like my KDE3.5.
  • idntunknwn, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Ugh, scrollbars on the desktop. I know you can get rid of them by resizing widgets, but I don't understand how anybody could stand them at all.
  • pudly, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3anyone know what dock that is at the bottom ?
    • webmathwiz1, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5That is just the default KDE 4.1 panel resized a bit.
    • MattBD, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2That's just the default KDE4 panel. I've not used KDE4 much as I'm sticking with KDE3.5 in Kubuntu till Intrepid Ibex is released, but I think you can resize it to cover only part of the screen (you certainly can in KDE3.5).
  • piznut, on 07/07/2008, -5/+2Looks choppy. How do you justify the memory overhead for something that is just eye candy for virtual desktops?

    Maybe spend less time on useless visuals and more time on writing apps that will make Joe User give a ***** about linux?

    • thecheatah, on 07/07/2008, -1/+6Its a desktop recorder, dumb ass. Maybe the recorder just happens to be recording at a slower fps.
    • kwilliam, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Dude, it's a Google Summer of Code project. Let him write whatever he wants. Besides, it's stuff like this that get's Joe User's attention. (Just look at Apple)
  • win2lin, on 07/07/2008, -1/+0> I was wondering if anyone knew of some type of time frame that a stable version of KDE4 is going to come out.

    The stable KDE 4.1 should be released some time the end of this month, as you can see in the following link:
    http://techbase.kde.org/index.php?title=Schedules/ ...

    > Ugh, scrollbars on the desktop. I know you can get rid of them by resizing widgets, but I don't understand how anybody could stand them at all.

    The desktop containment plasmoid is very useful for keeping your stuff organized and placing any folder's content you want on your desktop. I've always thought it would be cool to modify my desktop to display the contents of any folder on my computer; with this plasmoid, I can - it makes me happy ;^D

    If I understand correctly, the desktop containment plasmoid can also serve as a standard desktop too, I'm just not sure if the developer plans to implement that feature or simply expects users to resize it to their liking ( I'm sure they wouldn't mind a little help ).

    All in all, I'm very happy with the way KDE 4 is turning out and am very saddened with all the negative responses the developers have been getting lately. I know there is much more positive feedback on its development, but the negative stuff always seems to stick out like a sore thumb...
  • win2lin, on 07/07/2008, -1/+1> anyone know what dock that is at the bottom ?

    That's the standard KDE 4.x panel; beginning with KDE 4.1, users can resize it, which makes it look really awesome!

    > Looks choppy. How do you justify the memory overhead for something that is just eye candy for virtual desktops?

    > Maybe spend less time on useless visuals and more time on writing apps that will make Joe User give a ***** about linux?

    It's not enabled by default, so it doesn't consume memory unless YOU turn it on. There are hundreds of developers working on KDE 4, some are interested in creating applications, others in visuals. I believe the developer of this plugin is a GSoC student who was hired to implement it.
  • chrishowie, on 07/07/2008, -3/+2I have an idea. Let's reimplement compiz and call it revolutionary! Yeah!
    • LinuxGalore, on 07/07/2008, -1/+3Yeah like compiz reimplementing the 8 year old 3DDesktop code that allowed users 8!! years ago to have the cube effect. Compiz in reality is also a reimplementation of many effects created prior to it. Also compiz "is not a windows manager" were kwin is, so you dont have two separate projects (Compiz+Window Manager) running two programs on your desktop to get effects (and lots of random breakage).
  • LinuxGalore, on 07/07/2008, -0/+7I like how the KDE people have integrated desktop effects into the windows manager rather than running it as a separate application COUGH Gnome COUGH thus increasing "breakage".
  • breakaway, on 07/07/2008, -2/+2Ah yes. More eye candy. I always think "I should try to make the switch" and then I remember why I came back to windows last time - I cannot use all the functions of my X-Fi ExtremeMusic under Linux.
  • dineth, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2video no longer available :(
  • xerosawyer, on 07/07/2008, -2/+23D interfaces will hopefully get past this gimmicky stage one day
  • chaos7, on 07/07/2008, -4/+1i don't think i really need this KDE thing
  • BlackJacket, on 07/07/2008, -2/+2I've enabled the cube rotating fuction of compiz, but it essentially has no use. I've showed it to people and they were impressed for five seconds, but even the computer novice can see that it is just eye-candy.

    Since my laptop has lots of resources (that I seldom tax anyway) I enabled it for fun, I guess. I seldom switch to the other workspaces though. It will probably be disabled soon.

    I can see how it might be useful for a touchscreen interface on a large screen or something.
  • yetAnotherCroc, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1@CCUboogernjit
    The same thing that happened to the good old days when a family would share a one room house.
  • neil1492, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2I didn't like KDE when I first tried it. I might give it a whirl again.
  • wiresjr, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4He clicked Apply then OK. Why do people do that? Don't they know they're doing it wrong?
  • RKDN, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2This is useless... Compiz-Fusion already does this and does it well. Waisted time that could be used on something useful.
    • Seraph, on 07/08/2008, -2/+1Yeah, but I'm pretty sure you can't run Compiz on a Windows box. That's what KWin does... So...maybe not completely useless afterall?
    • Seraph, on 07/08/2008, -2/+1Okay well now I feel retarded. It would seem...that KWin is actually the window manager for KDE. Go figure. I don't use KDE so whatever. I was under the impression that KWin was the windows port of KDE. Apparently that's just reffered to as...the Windows port of KDE. Oh well. My original argument stands.
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