compiz/beryl and fast user switching

[Craig White]

On Fri, 2007-08-31 at 14:03 -0700, der.hans wrote:
> Am 31. Aug, 2007 schwtzte Craig White so:
> 
> moin moin Criag,
> 
> > On Fri, 2007-08-31 at 11:00 -0700, Josh Coffman wrote:
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >>    Does anyone know if there is a way to make compiz or beryl work
> >> with fast user switching. (using fedora 7 if that matters). 3d desktop
> >> isn't a big deal to me but its a nice way to impress people with
> >> linux.. plus one of the launcher panels I like needs a composite
> >> window manager to work.
> > ----
> > I always thought that the impressive thing to demonstrate was stability,
> > text based configuration files, automated installations/updates and of
> > course free software.
> 
> Depends on who you're target audience is. Text-based config files are
> great for sysadmins, especially those automating infrastructures, but it
> means nothing to most anyone who isn't a sysadmin.
> 
> > Eye candy things like compiz/beryl are hardly stable and are impressive
> 
> Well, they should be stable.
> 
> > only for people that know little about computers. Thus a compiz/beryl
> > demonstration is perfect for pointy haired bosses but few else.
> 
> Actually, it's helping me with some of my customers at work. They're all
> intelligent and geeks in their own right, but not in computer science or
> sysadmin. They would greatly benefit from some specialized Free Software
> tools that are easier to run on GNU/Linux than other platforms.
> 
> I've got one guy somewhat interested in investigating the other
> tools. Showing him the cool eye candy and that GNU/Linux can do all the
> other things he wants from his desktop is also important in encouraging
> his interest.
> 
> I've got most of my customers using some Free Software, but they're
> not computer geeks and are afraid of changing platforms. The cool
> eye-candy helps. Apple has proven time and again that a user interface
> that's deemed to be cool helps lead to adoption. Why shouldn't we also
> seek that? Especially since it doesn't interfere with improvements in
> GNU/Linux-based server infrastructures.  Some people want to improve
> eye-candy, some want to improve LAMP. We get to benefit from improvements
> to both :).
> 
> Besides, having windows fold up in to electronic paper airplanes and fly
> off is cool, even if it's not useful :).
----
for the most part - Apple is the anti-Microsoft and it wouldn't matter
what it is except that it isn't Microsoft. Apple ceased to be an
inventive desktop a long time ago - witness the adherence to a single
button mouse for oh so many years.

The issue is about free software and running free software on a non-free
OS seems to be counterproductive - i.e. DRM enabled content doesn't run
on Vista OS and no amount of OpenOffice.org or Mozilla stuff is gonna
change that. 

-- 
Craig White <craig at tobyhouse.com>