Compiz doesn't use xfce window decorations

[alpha0]

I'm test-driving Mint 18.2 XFCE as a live session, and I noticed that when using Compiz as the window manager, the windows don't use the decorations they had when using XFCE as the manager. Instead, the windows receive basic decorations, and there's no way to change this. Is there a way to get Compiz to either use XFCE window themes or to change the theme used by gtk-window-decorator (which is what Compiz uses to decorate the windows)?

[Pjotr]

I'm sorry to say that Compiz is, and has always been, more or less a notorious trainwreck. Spectacular visual effects, but the reliability and stability of a Monday-produced Soviet Russian Lada car.

So I advise to forget about Compiz. In fact, the less visual effects you enable, the more reliable and faster your graphics will become.

[PussyCat]

I disagree. The Xfce+Compiz combination purrs in Mint 13 (also with Gnome in Mint 8 and Kde in Mepis 8 & 11).

However, I too am trying Mint 18.2 (because Maya has reached eol) but am having difficulty persuading any window decorations to be available to Compiz other than the default.

It wasn't entirely straightforward in Mint 13 but found https://askubuntu.com/questions/98243/h ... on-xubuntu to be useful. I searched for Metacity themes (eg Zune and Vista Basic) and placed them in usr/share/themes. Also added gconf-editor, navigated to apps/metacity/general/theme and edited it to Zune (say). Hey presto!

Unfortunately that doesn't work here as the required section doesn't appear in gconf-editor even though, according to Synaptic PM, Metacity is installed by default. Furthermore, the decorator pointed in Compiz SM should, I believe, be usr/bin/compiz-decorator (which does exist) as in the Mint 13 implementation.

The issue is still under investigation....

[greywolf]

The "traditional" window manager I have always used for Compiz is "Emerald Theme Manager". I am quite surprised Mint does not include it in the repos?

Anyway, you can compile it yourself and install from scratch. The process outlined on this site works well:

http://chriseiffel.com/uncategorized/ho ... for-linux/

Compiz/Emerald is nowhere near as necessary as it used to be. The default theme/window management tools in Mint Xfce work perfectly well; and yes, tend to be a lot more stable.

Just my opinion.
Good luck,
greywolf.

[PussyCat]

I was going to mention Emerald but only to remark that from my experience it is terribly clunky and not pariculary aethetic having found only one skin even vaguely acceptable.

EDIT Not that I want to try Emerald but went to your link and it seems to leave things in the air at the last word - "click" what?

[greywolf]

EDIT Not that I want to try Emerald but went to your link and it seems to leave things in the air at the last word - "click" what?

Sorry about that; I didn't specifically go and check the site before posting, my bad! As I said, I don't find I need Compiz/Emerald anymore (agree about 'clunky') so it may well be a bit out of date. Used to work?

Maybe just Google for "Compiz & Emerald on Linux" would be enough for anyone who does want to try it.

cheers,
greywolf.

[PussyCat]

I've just remembered an excellent solution to compositing and decorations that was utilised when experiencing the same difficulties in MX-16. That was to minimally install kwin though not sure whether that will work here but will investigate the availabilty of the 4 kde components...

[PussyCat]

Ok, so I've now carried out further experimentation with both LM17.3 and LM18.2.

In 17.3, all efforts to get gconf-editor to create the Metacity section were unsuccessful and therefore, no way of setting/changing the window decorations for Compiz from the default.

Kwin more promising. Installed the required 4 packages and Kwin launches. Kde Settings-Manager allows me to set the desired effects which all work fine. The choice of Windows Decorations, however, are confined to usual rather dated offerings and, as has been the situation for some time, no new ones can be downloaded (I believe kde abandoned support). Nevertheless, was able to kludge the copying from another installed distro of some previously installed. After much googling, there does not seem to be any source for downloading additional (Aurorae) decorations.

In 18.2 same as 17.3 with gconf-editor.

For kwin, there are anomalies but it is working but in KdeSM, many sections are absent so am unable to change appearance or apply effects. Issues with QtQuick seems to be the problem.

If anyone is interested in swapping ideas with this (and/or would like more details) then please respond!

EDIT Have found a source for decorations at https://store.kde.org/browse/cat/114/page/1/ord/latest/

EDIT 2 However, perversely in 18.2 KdeSM Application Style, whilst no decorations are displayed, the Get New Decorations "works" (which it doesn't in any other distro, including 17.3, nowadays). That is to say decorations can "apparently" be installed but but still don't display.

[H.Remedy]

There's an easy workaround for changing window decorations without having to install Kwin. I got this tip from the 4th post in this thread at the Linux Lite forums (that's another Ubuntu-based Xfce distro). I'll post the instructions below (with slight re-wording) in case they disappear from the other site:

1. Open CompizConfig Settings Manager
2. Go to Effects > Window Decoration
3. You should see the command /usr/bin/gtk-window-decorator. Replace it with /usr/bin/gtk-window-decorator --metacity-theme Name --replace. Note the double dashes in front of the words metacity and replace.
4. Replace the word "Name" with the actual name of your desired theme (e.g. Arc, Numix, ...).
5. Restart your session.

I've used this successfully on Mint 18.2 and 18.3 with Compiz 0.9.12.

[PussyCat]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I'd given up on this as it was over 2 months since my last post and 5 weeks since your reply!

Have tried your suggestion and it works. Had previously tried modifying that but never thought to include the specific decoration name.

Anyway, I now have the incentive to pursue with Mint 18 and hope that I can remember all the apps and tweaks applied to Mint 13 before another eol is reached...