Back to basics
Well, I decided a few days ago to revert to having no fancy desktop effects on my laptop, just to see how much I would miss the Compiz love. So, setting desktop effects to ‘None’, I removed the desktop cube, wobbly windows, the expose function, quick screenshots (windows button + mouse), fancy alt-tab switching, windows previews, and a fair bit more to boot. I realised that actually Compiz offers a whole load of supposed functionality that’s just not present on a basic level.
That said, you can still have more than one desktop; you just won’t be able to slide between them in as pretty a manner. Now it’s an instant switch from one set of windows to another, which is only a very minor boost to productivity, as you’re only saving about half a second.
The thing that I have noticed is far fewer problems with my computer:
- Full-screen iPlayer - and indeed flash generally - is a whole lot smoother,
- No lockups or crashes since disabling desktop effects,
- Supertuxkart works at any resolution, full-screen or windowed, without flickering, and
- Laptop runs a lot cooler and therefore quieter.
The experiment is a success. Although I do rather miss my fully transparent terminal windows, it’s no big deal. I can actually read some of what people are saying in irssi better, anyway. Desktop effects are all very well and good, but as I’m sure a lot of people have noticed, Compiz is quite buggy (and having an ATI card doesn’t help). Although the overall desktop experience is perhaps less aesthetically pleasing entertaining now, it’s a lot more stable and, importantly, functional.
The point of the cube?
I often notice people saying that desktop effects, particularly having four desktops on the vertical faces of a cube, are pointless.
For a start it often makes people sit up and say ‘wow, what was that?’, especially during fast switching (Ctrl+Alt+left/right). Most desktop effects do this, including the (honestly, pointless) fire writing rubbish.
The cube itself, I find, is actually quite a good idea. Macs now have ‘Spaces’ as well, as they call them. Such an innovation, yes. It helps to keep however many programmes you have open at once organised, which I do find quite useful.
I’m not the most productive person in the world, and for me keeping ‘work’ open in one desktop, and ‘not work’ open in another helps me concentrate on just one task at a time. In this screenshot, I’ve got an essay open on the right and Evolution open on the left, as well as Firefox and xchat. It’s flashy, yes, but I just find it helps. Not all desktop effects are pointless.
