I did all the settings to xorg.conf and restarted x server then I ran "xcompmgr" from console but nothing happens, no shadows no translucency
how can I enable shadows and transparency

thanks

transset is the next step in that lengthy and nasty process of getting true transparency

ah ok, what about shadows? is there an app for it too?

ok found that, xcompmgr -c gives shadows
still I have a question. Do I have to choose manually the windows that I want to set transparent. Can't I just say (in xinitrc for example) to make tranparent all the firefox windows for example ??

just run transset and it makes your pointer into a little + sign that you use to click a window and make it transparent.
Try for medium transparency.
never really tried it any other way myself.

Not really, no. This has always upset me about the Composite system in X, but I guess it just needs time.

The closest I have gotten is by using transset-df. This is a patched version of the normal transset program, and has the ability to apply settings via window ID or name rather than having to click them.

So for instance, to make FireFox translucent, you could do (if FireFox was open already):

This is fine, but is not automatic.

To get programs to start with translucency, I have gone so far as to rename the actual binary of the program, and place a script in it's place. The script then starts the program in question, waits a second or two for the window to come up, then runs the transset command.

This is very inelegant, and depending on the program (or more accurately, how long it takes to start up), you can still see it opaque for a bit before it goes translucent.

But until Composite gets a bit more advanced, this is what we will have to live with.