Compiz, Screenlets, Applets, Desklets and Extensions!

[PussyCat]

As posted elsewhere, I have been compelled to install a newer version of Mint following Mint 13 Xfce reaching eol and am actually playing around with 17.3 and 18.2 (both Xfce versions) installed in November. Each had difficulty with window decorations in Compiz but eventually (sort of) resolved though also managed in 17.3 to install kwin (not the de) as the window manager which provides an even better solution (but not possible with 18.2 because I couldn't find the required packages presumably because Mint has moved to plasma5 for kde implementation)!

Also, whilst Screenlets is available to 17.3 and works ok, it is not for 18.x. My efforts to resolve that are documented at viewtopic.php?f=212&t=262117 (without reply yet).

I then had the idea of trying the Cinnamon version in the hope that Screenlets would be available therein but then had the wizard wheeze of, as an interim measure, adding Cinnamon de to this install. All seemed to go well (as these things usually do in Mint) by simply selecting cinnamon in Synaptic which added the rest (though not icnnamon-core?).

Anyway, I was sufficiently impressed to want pursue this further. All was going well until I tried compiz --replace which resulted in no taskbar, no usable windows and crucially no menu to be able exit "cleanly". After trying various strategies eventually managed to shut down and went to bed!

Even Alt+F2 didn't work so couldn't restore cinnamon wm but didn't know what command would be - ie equivalent to compiz --replace?

Today fired up and seems ok (but not trying compiz again - yet!) so started investigating System Settings. How can I satisfy my craving for desktop effects (without compiz) and widgets? What is the difference between Applets, Desklets and Extensions? Tried Wobbly Windows extension but that was awful so in the meantime have no desktop effects except window shadows which I think are part of the window decoration anyway. In fact there doesn't seem to be any compositing now.

[minitux]

You can not use compiz with Cinnamon is not compatible and if you use command like compiz --replace you make the system crash

[PussyCat]

I fear your right.

No more Cinnamon then - especially as it end up screwing up the system and had to reinstall!