Down and dirty compiz howto.

pappy_mcfae · 11-19-2007, 03:30 AM

This document is a synthesis of the various threads I have read on the topic of getting compiz working. It is also my experience in setting up compiz on three different machines: A Compaq C540US laptop, a Toshiba Satellite 1005-S157 laptop, and a generic PII 450 MHz tower with a 64 Meg ATI Radeon. Both laptops are equipped with Intel video chipsets (945 and 830 respectively).

This document is inspired by and borrows from this howto document.

Please note, I am not a Slackware guru. This is my experience, and the results of direct experimentation with all of the above listed systems. Compiz is fairly buggy; therefore, your results will most likely vary. All the steps below assume you are using KDE.

Contrary to popular opinion, adding the lines below to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf isn't required. As a matter of fact, their inclusion made compiz less stable on all of the above listed systems. I invite anyone with other video cards (especially nvidia) to experiment as to whether the below these lines are needed, and post your results in this thread.

Code:

    Option "AddARGBGLXVisuals"      "True"
    Option "DisableGLXRootClipping" "True"
    Option "AllowGLXWithComposite"  "True"
    Option "RenderAccel"            "True"
    Option "TripleBuffer"           "True"

If you are running a custom kernel, make sure you set the option Character devices-->Direct Rendering Manager (XFree86 4.1.0 and higher DRI support)--><your video driver> as a module. If you compile that option directly into the kernel, you will get the following error:

Code:

 "compiz: No GLXFBConfig for default depth, this isn't going to work."

If you are running one of the kernels that ships on the Slackware 12 install, you should be fine as far as this area is concerned.

Making compiz work:

1) Cut and paste the scripts below, make them executable, and place them in your /usr/local/bin directory. Invoke cstop once under "Run command". That will make it much easier to stop compiz when it weirds out. You can also then invoke cstart with "Run command" after you get compiz configured and functional.

cstart:

Code:

#! /bin/sh
# cstart: a script to start compiz and kde-window-decorator.
LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT=1 compiz --replace decoration ini &
kde-window-decorator &

cstop:

Code:

#! /bin/sh
# cstop: script to stop compiz
kwin --replace &

2) Edit your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file to include the following lines into the file:

Code:

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "enable"
EndSection

3) Save /etc/X11/xorg.conf and restart KDE.

4) In a konsole session, type "mkdir ~/.compiz".

5) In the same konsole session, type "cstart". You should get the following output:

Code:

[1] 17949
[2] 17950
root@darkstar:~# Could not open main display config file /root/.compiz/options/general-allscreens.conf
Loading default plugins (ini,inotify,png,decoration,move,resize,switcher)
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/general-screen0.conf - using defaults for core
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/decoration-allscreens.conf - using defaults for decoration
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/move-allscreens.conf - using defaults for move
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/resize-allscreens.conf - using defaults for resize
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/switcher-screen0.conf - using defaults for switcher
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/switcher-allscreens.conf - using defaults for switcher
kde-window-decorator: Could not acquire decoration manager selection on screen 0 display ":0.0"

6) Start a new console session, and enter "cstop", or invoke cstop from "Run command".

7) Edit your ~/.compiz/options/general-allscreens.conf file. Under the section "active_plugins", add the plugins you want to start with compiz. Below are the options I chose:

Code:

active_plugins=decoration,ini,svg,png,wobbly,fade,minimize,cube,move,place,resize,rotate,scale,switcher,zoom

8) In a konsole session, type "cstart". You should get the following output:

Code:

[1] 19445
[2] 19446
root@darkstar:~# compiz: Plugin 'ini' already active
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/wobbly-screen0.conf - using defaults for wobbly
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/wobbly-allscreens.conf - using defaults for wobbly
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/fade-screen0.conf - using defaults for fade
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/minimize-screen0.conf - using defaults for minimize
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/cube-screen0.conf - using defaults for cube
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/cube-allscreens.conf - using defaults for cube
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/place-screen0.conf - using defaults for place
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/rotate-screen0.conf - using defaults for rotate
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/rotate-allscreens.conf - using defaults for rotate
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/scale-screen0.conf - using defaults for scale
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/scale-allscreens.conf - using defaults for scale
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/zoom-screen0.conf - using defaults for zoom
Could not open config file /root/.compiz/options/zoom-allscreens.conf - using defaults for zoom
kde-window-decorator: Could not acquire decoration manager selection on screen 0 display ":0.0"

At this point, compiz should be up and running with all of your chosen plugin options. Now you should be able to start and stop compiz at will.

Some final words: This was done with the version of compiz that ships with Slackware 12. The above steps will most likely work with the other precompiled Slackware versions of compiz that are circulating around the Internet, but I can't say so unequivocally. Please post back as to whether or not this works for you.

Blessed be!
Pappy

evilDagmar · 11-19-2007, 05:03 AM

Would you please at least research the LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT variable you're setting and explain to people that they might not actually need to set that?

(in fact, most people won't want it)

pappy_mcfae · 11-19-2007, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evilDagmar

Would you please at least research the LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT variable you're setting and explain to people that they might not actually need to set that?

(in fact, most people won't want it)

Whoa! Did someone else just hear a mighty wind come blowing into the room?

Oh, it's only evilDagmar trying to pretend he's some sort of expert. Nevermind him, folks, he'll go away if you pretend he's not here.

Blessed be!
Pappy

H_TeXMeX_H · 11-19-2007, 01:51 PM

Well, just for the record, what it means is "Force xorg to use indirect rendering for OpenGL support". In this case it is a workaround often needed due to the extreme buggyness [sic - the FF dictionary recommends busynesses or gaynesses instead

] of compiz.

evilDagmar · 11-20-2007, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H_TeXMeX_H

Well, just for the record, what it means is "Force xorg to use indirect rendering for OpenGL support". In this case it is a workaround often needed due to the extreme buggyness [sic - the FF dictionary recommends busynesses or gaynesses instead

] of compiz.

...cept for most nVidia users, it's not going to be needed, and would hamper performance. ...and since the OP is being a jerk about it, I'm not saying any more than that. It should be pretty obvious he's barely able to get it working, and has little idea what all those configuration options he's talking about actually do. There have been much better guides for Compiz posted to this forum--it's a shame he couldn't be bothered to read them first.

pappy_mcfae · 11-20-2007, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evilDagmar

...cept for most nVidia users, it's not going to be needed, and would hamper performance. ...and since the OP is being a jerk about it, I'm not saying any more than that. It should be pretty obvious he's barely able to get it working, and has little idea what all those configuration options he's talking about actually do. There have been much better guides for Compiz posted to this forum--it's a shame he couldn't be bothered to read them first.

I'd love to know what your problem is with me. I don't know if you know what the word "synthesis" means, but apart from the experiments, nothing in my document was new. Every bit of it, except for the experiments and my going against conventional wisdom with all the extra fluff in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file, is stuff from other documents or threads on compiz. If you want to give hell to people, give it to the ones who I borrowed from to make my thread.

Now, if you want to POLITELY suggest what might be wrong with what I wrote, I'll be more than happy to give audience to your words. But it is fairly obvious that you somehow consider yourself superior to me, so all you can do is come at me like some rude jerk!

If you can't conduct yourself like a polite human being, go bug someone else, and leave me the f**k alone!

Oh yeah, and for the record, I never posted having one single problem with compiz. As a matter of fact, it's running on all my slack machines, even now.

Blessed be, you loser!
Pappy

pappy_mcfae · 11-20-2007, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H_TeXMeX_H

Well, just for the record, what it means is "Force xorg to use indirect rendering for OpenGL support". In this case it is a workaround often needed due to the extreme buggyness [sic - the FF dictionary recommends busynesses or gaynesses instead

] of compiz.

I knew that!

Thanks for saying that! That is what I had to do to get compiz working. Unfortunately, I don't have the supposed super-computer that eD has, so I am forced to use a workaround. The good thing is, from all I have read in every compiz forum here, and from the main compiz forum, I'm in some pretty good company.

Blessed be!
Pappy

XavierP · 11-20-2007, 01:38 PM

evilDagmar - I don't know what it is that has you so very offended here. pappy_mcfae has put together a useful how to and did nothing at all to deserve the attacks in this thread. If you have a problem with pappy_mcfae, take it offline.

pappy_mcfae - I suggest you take your original post and the other (useful) comments in this thread and post them to our Tutorials section, that keeps the Tutorial from being buried and lost.

I am closing this thread firstly because of the reason in paragraph 2 but also because evilDagmar wrecked it somewhat.

unSpawn · 11-20-2007, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XavierP

I am closing this thread firstly because of the reason in paragraph 2 but also because evilDagmar wrecked it somewhat.

I want to remind you all that, even though the first reply may have set a slightly wrong tone for the thread, each argument has two sides involved and in this case the OP retaliating like that is not going to help making thinsg better either.
Please be mature about it: look at the message, not the messenger.