MATE and Compiz

[AJ1000]

I have MATE working, using the latest nvidia drivers - 290.10, and I have compiz working with it (using the compiz fusion icon). However, the CPU usage, when idle is between 30 - 40 %. When I do 'killall compiz', the CPU then goes down to 1% when idle. Any ideas how to get compiz to use minimal resources. This worked fine in Linux Mint 11.

MATE is fantastic by the way, well done.

[Konstigt]

How did you get compiz running?

If I from a terminal do 'compiz --replace' I get:

Code: Select all

thnov@thnov-desktop ~ $ compiz --replace
Checking if settings need to be migrated ...no
Checking if internal files need to be migrated ...no
Backend     : ini
Integration : true
Profile     : default
Adding plugins
Processing upgrade com.canonical.unity.unity.01.upgrade
profile: unity
number: 1
domain: com.canonical.unity
Initializing wall options...done
Initializing resize options...done
Initializing scale options...done
Initializing staticswitcher options...done
Initializing mousepoll options...done
Initializing place options...done
Initializing move options...done
Initializing snap options...done
Initializing composite options...done
Initializing ezoom options...done
Initializing bailer options...done
Initializing vpswitch options...done
Initializing core options...done
Initializing opengl options...done
Initializing fade options...done
Initializing workarounds options...done
Initializing animation options...done
Initializing detection options...done
Initializing imgpng options...done
Initializing compiztoolbox options...done
Initializing session options...done
Initializing regex options...done
Initializing grid options...done
Initializing gnomecompat options...done
Initializing expo options...done
Initializing decor options...done
Removed 1 items from active_plugins
Completed upgrade com.canonical.unity.unity.01.upgrade
Processing upgrade com.canonical.unity.unity.02.upgrade
profile: unity
number: 2
domain: com.canonical.unity
Overriding value x_offset
Overriding value y_offset
Overriding value distance
Overriding value vp_distance
Overriding value vp_brightness
Overriding value vp_saturation
Overriding value reflection
Completed upgrade com.canonical.unity.unity.02.upgrade
compiz (expo) - Warn: failed to bind image to texture
Couldn't find a perfect decorator match; trying all decorators
Starting unity-window-decorator

I can see that compositing is enabled because avant-window-navigator changes appearance. Then my desktop is just frozen. Can't click or do anything.

Switching to tty 1, logging in and killing compiz resumes the desktop (but goes back to metacity or whatever).

[AJ1000]

Install compiz and ccsm etc using synaptic package manager, you will find it is not installed.
Then do compiz --replace, and it should work. (To do this permenantly add compiz --replace to startup applications).

Hope this helps.

[NeoMint]

I heard Compiz messes with the mess, that we call Adobe Flash, and causes poor video on-line. Alternatives to Flash are encouraged, but too many sites still require it. I'll be glad to see Flash die. Can we automatically turn-off Compiz, while browsing? What do you know, about this?

Also, isn't there a need to turn off Compiz, before loading many direct 3D games? Can we automate that (with Mate) as well?

Do we need a big Compiz on/off button, or something? That app to control it is cumbersome, to say the least.

Unity, being a Compiz plug-in, can't be run as a parallel session, with the same Compiz settings, as Mate. While, it should give you Unity in Mate (Ack!), it crashes. Is there a way to have Ubuntu (Unity) session, an also Mate with Compiz (different Compiz settings)? Ironically now, Unity session works on my LM12 system, but Gnome-shell has stopped, and I'm working on that.

Ironically too, I liked the corner switch (Gnome-shell) for selection current windows. NOT, for apps. I liked the (non-standard) Application menu (plug-in thing, not "menu") I found, because it's FAST! I'd been a huge fan of the "Menu Bar", in Gnome/Mate! It's kinda improved, on that. I also liked the notifications, and base theme. All the other forced stuff, not so much! So, maybe we can get mate to do that? Maybe with faster Compiz, too.

I use the Nvidia additional drivers "recommended", because Noveau (sp???) doesn't do direct 3d well.

I feel like we were not full there, with all this stuff, on Gnome 2. So you can guess how I feel about the transition. We can transition, and fork, into anything we want, just not so abruptly, as to put everyone off!

[AJ1000]

I guess you could make two launcher buttons on the menu with

compiz --replace

and another with

killall compiz

to turn on and off respectively.

[AJ1000]

What I was looking for is compiz not to use 30% as it did not use to in Linux mint 11. I want to run Compiz all the time.

[xpander]

u need to get updates from tridex repo
mate-session 1.1.2 or something.. that fixed the high cpu issue with compiz.

[AJ1000]

I have not heard of this repo. How do I access it?

[AJ1000]

Found the information about the repo and added ti and it made no difference. Compiz is still using at least 30% CPU

[xpander]

Found the information about the repo and added ti and it made no difference. Compiz is still using at least 30% CPU

try killall -9 marco
but its a bug unrelated to compiz.

[AJ1000]

Thanks, that made a difference.

[AJ1000]

Yes doing killall on Marco makes it work, is there a fix for this bug in another repo that I do not know about?

I found putting 'killall -9 marco' in the startup applications with 'compiz --replace' also made my machine bootup faster as well as shutdown faster, but I still had to do another 'killall -9 marco' once the machine was loaded.

Thanks for your help xpander.

[xpander]

Yes doing killall on Marco makes it work, is there a fix for this bug in another repo that I do not know about?

I found putting 'killall -9 marco' in the startup applications with 'compiz --replace' also made my machine bootup faster as well as shutdown faster, but I still had to do another 'killall -9 marco' once the machine was loaded.

Thanks for your help xpander.

no fix yet atm.

just make the launcher on to the panel with the same command. and add system monitor applet also so u can see the load and if needed click the "killall -9 marco" button.
we have to wait for fix.

[NeoMint]

Thanks guys. Yes Compiz should just work, but easily switching it on/off is a current reality, and one that should be addressed, with good solutions; come what may.

My Gnome Shell is broken. Though Unity works (2d and 3d).

Some people are saying we should build-up Gnome Classic Panel, to be like our Gnome 2/Mate Panel. I guess they should have thought about that, before releasing Gnome, "Classic"; as it is.

My point is, Mate is very new, but works better than anything else (in the world); Right now. That kinda matters folks.
[Respects to Lubuntu, which is the real fall-back, and lower requirements, as well.]

It is what it is. Gnome Shell, and Classic Panel came out too abruptly (and Unity stinks), and all that is a major setback to the open source world. The fact that nothing was learned, at the KDE 3, to 4 transition, and the lack of smoothing core features, for fluff, is what we have to deal with. Gnome 2 (Panel) and all, was the best desktop in the world, yet even it was still being built-out, in it's stability, and real benefits, against numerous, and varying uses. I'm all for good change, and I know the core must be refreshed, for technical reasons, but leaving the world, two steps backward, is a sin. All this new stuff should be on the side side, optional stuff, and only adopted as people see that is stabilized enough, and want to use it's features. If they don't want it, don't force it.

True, this is not a simple issue. I'm just pointing out how much better Mate already is, than anything else on the planet, and it's a new folk. I'm not talking about looks, except that it's much more flexible there. I'm talking about getting real work done, with less maintenance time wasted! You see; because there's working, and then there's really working. People have lives, you know. Thank God, for the trail blazers, that still give us options to install something, that really works!

compiz --replace
....crashes.