The Greatest Linux Innovations Of 2007

Linux Desktop Eye-Candy

The Linux desktop "eye-candy" or "desktop bling" craze really started last year, but this year there has been tremendous adoption of Compiz and Compiz Fusion. At the start of 2007, Beryl was running strong as a successful branch of Compiz, but then in April it was announced that Beryl would merge back with Compiz. In June then, the Beryl and Compiz marriage became known as Compiz Fusion.

This year Compiz and Compiz Fusion both made their way to version 0.6 and have picked up new features along the way. Compiz now supports multiple X screens, a new XML-based meta-data system, and even a composite video interface for video playback. In addition, there have been many new plug-ins that have come about this year for Compiz / Compiz Fusion.

There's no denying the craze surrounding "desktop eye-candy" and on YouTube and other video networks you can find thousands of videos of those showing off their Linux bling. In our 2007 Linux Graphics Survey, those using a compositing window manager / desktop effects had amounted to about 60% of those polled.

While running an XGL server allowed running Compiz or Beryl, finally in October of this year, ATI had appended AIGLX support to their Catalyst Linux Driver to support this accelerated desktop eye-candy. With there being no other major barriers of adoption for Compiz and Compiz Fusion, its usage will only continue to grow and more desktop distributions enabling these effects by default. We suspect many more useful features will come out of the Compiz Fusion camp in 2008.