NationStates Jolt Archive

For those who do not know what XGL is, it is a desktop rendering system that is chock full of eye-candy. It is for Linux/BSD only right now so you cannot install it on your PC, unless you are one of the few users who use Linux/BSD (but then, they know what it is). With XGL, everything is 3D so you can do some fancy things with it that prove to be nothing but pure distraction. :p

Even though XGL loves to be a pure bitch to install, I managed to get it running on my Ubuntu desktop. It is even better IRL than it is in those YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/results?search=xgl&search_type=search_videos&search=Search) videos. I've been giddy for the last 20 minutes just screwing around with it. Anyways, here are some screenshots I took for your enjoyment.
http://img303.imageshack.us/img303/2844/screenshot5pl.th.png (http://img303.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot5pl.png)http://img303.imageshack.us/img303/5182/screenshot15yu.th.jpg (http://img303.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot15yu.jpg)

sounds intersting... the pics are kinda small but it sounds like fun.

sounds intersting... the pics are kinda small but it sounds like fun.
1280*1024 is small? You did click them, right?
Why doesn't jolt allow titles to be in all caps?

yes...for some reason when i click on them there about 2inches by 2inches....

yes...for some reason when i click on them there about 2inches by 2inches....
hmm, they should be the same size or larger than your entire desktop.

when i open them in IE they are the correct size, but there not in firefox...
any way quite spiffy....it will be quite neat if they can get the program working for pc's but perhaps i should just switch to linix... do you know if it works in unix?

when i open them in IE they are the correct size, but there not in firefox...
any way quite spiffy....it will be quite neat if they can get the program working for pc's but perhaps i should just switch to linix... do you know if it works in unix?
It requires x.org 7.0 and 3d accellerated graphics. It won't work for Windows PC's because it is ment to compete with the eyecandy in OS X and Vista. It would also require a massive GUI takeover on a Windows box that most people wouldn't be comfortable with.

EDIT: I only have firefox to work with, and itis fine for me. What version do you use?

I got transparancey going!
http://img325.imageshack.us/img325/9838/screenshot25eu.th.png (http://img325.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot25eu.png)

I appreciate that it looks very nice and as a hobbyist I understand the sense of accomplishment from getting it to work. But as a user I've always wondered what's the point? How does it make the computer better to use?

EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I think it's quite impressive.

I appreciate that it looks very nice and as a hobbyist I understand the sense of accomplishment from getting it to work. But as a user I've always wondered what's the point? How does it make the computer better to use?

EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I think it's quite impressive.
erm, it doesn't make the computer better to use. It just makes it more fun to use, it just allows me to have a bunch of fancy effects use my computer's resources. It is like putting a body kit on a car; basicly useless but, you do it anyways.
EDIT: Being the nerd that I am. I did get joy out of trying to get it to work. Kinda like how some people enjoy working on their car, just nerdier.

For those who do not know what XGL is, it is a desktop rendering system that is chock full of eye-candy. It is for Linux/BSD only right now so you cannot install it on your PC, unless you are one of the few users who use Linux/BSD (but then, they know what it is). With XGL, everything is 3D so you can do some fancy things with it that prove to be nothing but pure distraction. :p

Even though XGL loves to be a pure bitch to install, I managed to get it running on my Ubuntu desktop. It is even better IRL than it is in those YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/results?search=xgl&search_type=search_videos&search=Search) videos. I've been giddy for the last 20 minutes just screwing around with it. Anyways, here are some screenshots I took for your enjoyment.
http://img303.imageshack.us/img303/2844/screenshot5pl.th.png (http://img303.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot5pl.png)http://img303.imageshack.us/img303/5182/screenshot15yu.th.jpg (http://img303.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot15yu.jpg)
Hmmm I am heading home in an hour ... that looks like the project for the night

What were the biggest problems in ubuntu for this beast? (and is system performance going to be a major issue on my 1.6 ghz dell with a gig of ram and a 9600 XT vid card?) Thats my current ubuntu box

It requires x.org 7.0 and 3d accellerated graphics. It won't work for Windows PC's because it is ment to compete with the eyecandy in OS X and Vista. It would also require a massive GUI takeover on a Windows box that most people wouldn't be comfortable with.

EDIT: I only have firefox to work with, and itis fine for me. What version do you use?
To be fair I have used stuff like Sharp-E that does simmilar on my win box ... not bad

hmm, they should be the same size or larger than your entire desktop.
Pfft I am running dual monitor at 1600X1200 each :P

EDIT: Being the nerd that I am. I did get joy out of trying to get it to work. Kinda like how some people enjoy working on their car, just nerdier.
Yup, this part I can understand perfectly. Some years ago I would tinker with the computer endlessly, but now, when I spend far more time just using it, I wonder about those things.
I guess I'm just getting old.

Hmmm I am heading home in an hour ... that looks like the project for the night

What were the biggest problems in ubuntu for this beast? (and is system performance going to be a major issue on my 1.6 ghz dell with a gig of ram and a 9600 XT vid card?) Thats my current ubuntu box
Getting the fglrx drivers to work. I followed the guide here (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=168618) and it took very little fiddling with to get it right. I did have to re-add menu to the list of plugins (it allows menus to open over other windows, and global hotkeys).

On my machine, my CPU usage bumped up from 5-10% to 7-20% usage, that was just for one core though. The other will still hover around 4-6%. Performance shouldn't be too bad for your machine. Your machine seems to match what alot of people are installing XGL on (albiet they have Athlon XP's in them). It only uses about 80MB of ram so that will not be the issue. If you get hardlocks add this to the device section of you /etc/X11/xorg.conf:
Option "KernelModuleParm" "agplock=0"
Anyways another screenie!
http://img306.imageshack.us/img306/5454/screenshot36fu.th.png (http://img306.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot36fu.png)

Pfft I am running dual monitor at 1600X1200 each :P
I do 1280*1024@60 because it is what my moniter likes best:)

Getting the fglrx drivers to work. I followed the guide here (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=168618) and it took very little fiddling with to get it right. I did have to re-add menu to the list of plugins (it allows menus to open over other windows, and global hotkeys).

On my machine, my CPU usage bumped up from 5-10% to 7-20% usage, that was just for one core though. The other will still hover around 4-6%. Performance shouldn't be too bad for your machine. Your machine seems to match what alot of people are installing XGL on (albiet they have Athlon XP's in them). It only uses about 80MB of ram so that will not be the issue. If you get hardlocks add this to the device section of you /etc/X11/xorg.conf:
Option "KernelModuleParm" "agplock=0"
Anyways another screenie!
http://img306.imageshack.us/img306/5454/screenshot36fu.th.png (http://img306.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot36fu.png)


Alrighty on my way ... got the fxgl drivers installed and going but having issues with adding the two repositories (it wont authenticate to one) but it looks like they are dapper catagories so I am going to update to dapper first and then continue from there

Alrighty on my way ... got the fxgl drivers installed and going but having issues with adding the two repositories (it wont authenticate to one) but it looks like they are dapper catagories so I am going to update to dapper first and then continue from there
Don't worry about it not authenticating. Unless you are a paranoid bastard.:p

Pfft I am running dual monitor at 1600X1200 each :P

sounds like something my brother would say.
posi= when you have the screen at an angle like it is the first pic. how easy is it to change back to normal? and is it like a cube that you can have a different window open on each face?

Don't worry about it not authenticating. Unless you are a paranoid bastard.:p
It wont allow them period ... is there a flag that says update wether you can find the key or not lol

sounds like something my brother would say.
posi= when you have the screen at an angle like it is the first pic. how easy is it to change back to normal? and is it like a cube that you can have a different window open on each face?
Well, on Linux you have multiple workspaces(desktops). Four seems to be the standard. So some guy thought it would be neet to put them on a cube. You can have different things openned up on each workspace and give them different backgrounds. To change the screen back to normal, I just let got of the mouse. Ctrl+alt+mouse gives me control over the cube, ctrl+alt+arrow key will spin it.

It wont allow them period ... is there a flag that says update wether you can find the key or not lol
For me it asked if I wanted to continue even though I do not have the authenication. Strange..... I know you can tell yum to ignore error messages (the easy way to beat dell :p)

Well I am doing the dapper update anyways lol so that is going to do its own thing for an hr or so lol

For me it asked if I wanted to continue even though I do not have the authenication. Strange.....
Maybe a dapper thing ... updating lol

Maybe a dapper thing ... updating lol
I'm Dapper too, but flight six. The older ubuntus do not boot correctly.

I'm Dapper too, but flight six. The older ubuntus do not boot correctly.
Going to 6.06

It's raining!:eek:
http://img304.imageshack.us/img304/7959/screenshot41mx.th.jpg (http://img304.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot41mx.jpg)

Bah the upgrade took out my network ... I was going to swap up to a new gigabit linux frendly zonenet that I had lying around but never got to anyways

Lets see if that takes care of it

Otherwise I will download the dapper CD's and try a fresh install rather then an upgrade