Compiz is one of the first compositing window managers for the X Window System that uses 3D graphics hardware to create fast compositing desktop effects for window management. The effects, such as a minimization effect and a cube workspace are implemented as loadable plugins. Because it conforms to the Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual standard, Compiz can substitute for the default Metacity in GNOME or KWin in KDE.

Some of its features mimic those of competitors, such as Exposé in Apple's Mac OS X and an Alt-Tab application-switcher that uses live previews, instead of just icons. The Composite extension to X is used, as is the OpenGL extension GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap . The first version of Compiz was released as free software by Novell (SUSE) in January 2006 in the wake of the also new Xgl.

Initially, Compiz only worked with 3D hardware which was supported by Xgl. Most NVIDIA and ATI graphics cards are known to work with Compiz on Xgl. Since May 22, 2006 Compiz works on the standard X.Org Server, by using AIGLX. Besides the Intel GMA graphics cards, AIGLX also supports using the ATI graphics cards (including R300 and R400 cards) using the open-source radeon driver which supports GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap since fall 2006.

NVIDIA's binary-drivers (since Version 1.0-9629) support GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap on standard X.Org server.
ATI/AMD's binary-driver does so since version 8.42.Fact: date=July 2008

Merge of the Compiz and Beryl communities

On March 30, 2007 the discussions between the Beryl (a fork of Compiz) and Compiz communities led to a merge of the two communities which results in two new software packages:

• Compiz, (also Compiz-core) which contains only the core functionality of compiz and base plugins
• Compiz Fusion, consisting of the plugins, decorators, settings tools and related applications from the Beryl and Compiz communities. Its main activity is focused in installation, configuration and additional plugins to be added to the core functionalities of Compiz.

It has been also agreed to fund a code review panel consisting of the best developers from each community who will see that any code included in a release package meets the highest standards and is suitable for distribution in an officially supported package.

Internal

• translucency, dimming, desaturation

Included plugins