Vista and XP get virtual 3D desktop cube
By Jonathan Schlaffer
Windows users have become quite envious of the visual effects that can be accomplished on Linux in various distros through the use of something called Beryl, which rivals even the effects found in Vista. One of Beryl’s effects is a 3D virtual desktop cube which gives you access to four different “desktops†where each can have their own programs running without showing on the other. This can also be accomplished in Vista or XP.
Yod’m 3D or Yet anOther Desktop Manager brings the same cube like effect with four virtual desktops to Windows Vista, XP and 2000. Yod’m 3D is not quite on par with Beryl yet but it is free and bring some joy of the rotating cube to Windows users. If you have ever tried to get Beryl working on Linux disregarding distro, it’s almost impossible and if your graphics card isn’t supported then you’re out of luck. While Beryl is pretty its difficulties make it almost not worth it.
Yod’m 3D has several options you can set such as transparency, hardware processing with a supported graphics card (as long as it supports DirectX 9, you’re fine), anti-aliasing, various levels of zooming and a number of languages for the menus. It also has the option (as all programs do) to start with Windows but even if it didn’t anything can be added manually to the startup.
The transition effect from desktop to desktop in Yod’m 3D is quite fast and if you blink, you will miss it but I did managed to catch a screenshot of mid-transition below.
I am aware of a distro of Linux that includes Beryl but it still has some issues with various graphic cards. If you are looking for a fully “Beryl-like†program to use on Windows then the Toyd project is for you. It is currently in Alpha 1 for Windows XP. The Toyd team recommends creating a new user account for using it and that has me slightly concerned. I don’t know if I would dare try that on Vista or not.
It’s probably a better idea just to stick with Yod’m 3D for now and wait for Toyd Alpha 2 or the Beta versions before really messing around with that project. The best thing about Yod’m and Toyd is that both have the same number of letters (trust me, it matters) and are free for all who want them.
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Read more entries by Jonathan Schlaffer.
April 30th, 2007
how can you even compare beryl to vista or xp
April 30th, 2007
I can’t and I never tried, beryl is superior but is much harder to get functioning… basically all you need with Vista is any dedicated DirectX 9 graphics card and you’re set… beryl is sort of picky about the graphics card and driver.
May 8th, 2007
Well I have 2 systems running 2 different distros of Linux.
One of them is a 1.4gig Duron using a cheapo antique Nvidia card.
My other is a 2.5gig Barton using an FX5200 Nvidia card.
Both installed Beryl with no problems and runs great on either one.
But the software mentioned in your article requires a video card that uses DirectX 9.
That rules out my Duron system and my FX-5200 would just make the cut.
Again it comes down to high end hardware. That is what fuels the market.
Microsoft keeps upping the ante for hardware specs just to run their OS’s.
They think the consumer has bottomless pockets. Meanwhile, Linux doesn’t require cutting edge hardware yet they are able to push the envelope beyond what a Microsoft user could ever imagine.
And it didn’t cost an arm and a leg to purchase. It was all free!
TaZMAn
June 8th, 2007
Are you f***ing kidding me?
“If you have ever tried to get Beryl working on Linux disregarding distro, it’s almost impossible and if your graphics card isn’t supported then you’re out of luck. While Beryl is pretty its difficulties make it almost not worth it.”
That is bull s***. I downloaded, and installed beryl in Ubuntu in literally two clicks.
Even if it was difficult to install it would still be worth it. Ubuntu + beryl beats the crap out of Vista. TaZMAn is right, and I encourage anyone, and everyone to try linux.
June 12th, 2007
hey guys, don’t be stupid, what Jonathan Schlaffer said it is the REALITY, it isn’t easy to let run beryl on linux like to do the same thing with Yod’m 3d, and if you say that this is a bullshit, this means that you have never tried Beryl on an Ati hardware…don’t be stupid, please. That’s the real. It’s not a question of linux vs windows. Regards.
June 22nd, 2007
thanks a lot
June 23rd, 2007
Try Sabayon Linux instead, it’s the official Beryl distro. By booting from the Live-DVD, you can try Beryl at once and it is super-easy to use. And it recognizes almost every graphics card out there. Try it, it’s really cool.
June 28th, 2007
“The best thing about Yod’m and Toyd is that both (…) are free for all who want them.”
It’s a funny quote for a Vista defensor…
June 28th, 2007
Honestly, an Ubuntu Feisty Fawn 7.04 system would suffice. Just enable desktop effects, restart if necessary, and it’s running already. Much easier than manually installing Beryl, though I had it done in one command (though it’s possble in a few clicks).
Nowadays XGL isn’t even used for these effects. Honestly, it’s so darned simple to install, it’s hard not to laugh at anyone who complains that installation is “impossibly hard”
As for ATi hardware, they were never really stable in Windows to begin with, and the Linux drivers pretty much support the newer cards. If you’re using an older card, they still work with other drivers such as MESA.
Anyway as of now, Compiz and Beryl have pretty much been obsoleted by Compiz Fusion, the merge between the two projects. I also hear that the next Ubuntu, Gutsy Gibbon (7.10), which is due in October comes out of the box with Compiz Fusion, which has and will beat the hell out of Vista’s desktop effects.
July 6th, 2007
well try to get beryl up and running with a 8600gt. good luck mate! first you need to install the drivers. i’ve been working on that for days now. installed feisty about 10 times in a few days.
July 15th, 2007
I tried to run compiz with an ATI radeon 9600.
First step boot from the Ubuntu Feisty CD
Second activate the 3D effects and wait a few seconds, and voila.
With Gutsy you don’t need step 2.
Nevertheless there are problems with other ati cards, but amd/ati said that they want to make better drivers for linux or free them.
July 17th, 2007
Beryl is 100X bether =D
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July 17th, 2007
It seems you’re promoting yod’m or whatever, but judging by your statements, you don’t know jack about Beryl. “While Beryl is pretty its difficulties make it almost not worth it.” says it all. It is not that difficult to get working unless you are running crap for hardware, and it most definitely IS worth it, sucka!
July 20th, 2007
Beryl is old school now… It’s all about Compiz-Fusion. It’s nice to have a “Windows” version of “Beryl”, that way, noobs with Windows OS can have a little fun. Sure why not…
You want to get unplugged from the matrix and join the real world, do some research about Linux.
July 23rd, 2007
Hey, if you’re a geek with no life and have hours on end to troubleshoot linux or beryl, go for it.
But most of us just need something that’s going to work after you simply click and follow simple screen instruction on the screen. A few minutes later, you have 3D desktops.
Until Linux can do that, it will never be taken seriously as a windows desktop alternative. The average person just can’t and doesn’t want to spend the time to compile drivers, check for dependencies, or stare at a shell window trying to “figure it out”.
July 24th, 2007
John - Anyone who is just out to bash Linux because they don’t get it - try Sabayon Linux. It’s based on Gentoo, but their attitude is “it just works.”-detecting almost every piece of hardware I’ve thrown at it and even runs my 8800GTX well without using the drivers found on nvidia’s website - something MS still hasn’t been able to get going for them in any release of Windows. Sab is a very young distro but making leaps and bounds and already way better than the OOOOH so easy to use Vista which STILL doesn’t detect half the hardware on the planet - talk about dependancy. You want Beryl - open the acceleration manager - click AIGLX and reboot - I can see how huge windows fanatics would find that complicated. If you want to see where Linux isn’t seriously taken as an OS yet - Dell now has an entire line of systems dedicated to Linux for the average home user (which would contradict that fact- it’s based on Ubuntu and even they have tech support for it just like a Windows system but better because people who support linux know more than “reboot the system and see if that works… no? Try reinstalling Windows”
July 27th, 2007
I really like it when individuals talk about noobs using Windows and than they mention their install of Ubuntu, Fedora or OpenSuSE in the same sentence. Tip, really hackers you FreeBSD or at least a descent version of Linux like Sla
ckware or Arch.
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Look I am so cool man, I can talk about Linux. I am suck a hacker. Please.
July 30th, 2007
I agree with Jeff that there’s a lot of people using distros like Fedora, SuSE, or Ubunutu - all distros that don’t require much more ability than Windows, but at least it’s not Windows…
Not following you on the whole Linux vs. BSD thing - not any more than Windows XP vs Windows Vista at least. I personally use both and they’re not different enough to say they’re different any more than Fedora or Ubuntu is different than Gentoo or Slack. It has its differences, but there’s nothing to say anything about hacker this or hacker that. Hackers are just about learning new things - the real geeks. This newer breed of “hackers” who just want to destroy things for bragging rights is far from a hacker… and what distro you use has nothing to do with how “leet” you are… Maybe it’s time to stop bragging about how cool you are and how you’re view is the only view and just do whatever you’re gonna do.
I love people with the BSD vs Linux mindset who think they’re all haxor because they essentially use a different distro of Unix. When in reality there’s not enough difference between BSD and Linux to matter any more than Fedora or SuSE vs Slack or Gentoo. I’ve used various distros of nix and bsd both personally and as an administrator. The only thing to compare them are personal preference issues.
I’d have to say if you’re looking for “Look at me… I can use a harder OS than you…” I’d have to say Gentoo is the one to learn. They’re easier than they used to be when you had to install from a stage 1 tarball and unpack your file system, build your kernel from scratch, etc… but they still offer stage 3 easily and you can customize/compile your own kernel during install. It’s still an install you need a manual for if you don’t know the heart and sole of your OS. Compiling everything from source is time consuming, but aside from that I’d say that’s the one to go with if your looking to say “I can do something you can’t.”
August 4th, 2007
Sighs……
Everything that was quoted about Beryl (or trying to get it running) being difficult has been utter rubbish!
Facts remain…. Whatever your distribution, nowadays it is completely simple to install & update your system with all the built in facilities (Yast on opensuse for 1) and therefore.. any windows user who needs to stab at Linux for ‘being difficult’ can literally blow it out their ear. Check your facts… Beryl is installed simply by adding a repository, selecting what you want and then installing it online. So easy.. EVEN windows users cant go wrong.
I think that since the build up to vista, all the die hard windows fans were left with a bad taste in their mouth because, it just didnt deliver….
Now third party developers are trying to follow the trend (again) set by Linux and copy (again) what Linux implemented.. Will I elaborate here? No.. go do your homework
I personally am so sick of the whole windows vs linux debate, as there is no comparison.
I just sit back & watch the attempts to match Linux by windows users. Its more funny than knowing that hourly, someone, somewhere on his windows machine is being hacked, or losing data to a virus or being spamed, or or or…
Geeez, You like your windows, Good, Stop debating it, one day it may be as good as linux is today, but until then, Linux will keep getting better.
August 8th, 2007
I thought I’d give Ubuntu a look see, see what the whole fuss regarding Linux was about. Dual boot install with XP. No problems.
Installed WINE, no problems. Installed Compiz fusion, no major problems (aside from forgetting to update my sources list before downloading the compiz fusion files). Now I have sweet 3D effects running on my 256mb RAM, Intell mobile chipset, 1.3GHz celeron laptop with narry any lag in sight.
While Linux isn’t anywhere near perfect, it certainly has succeed in areas Windows has, relatively speaking, failed to get anywhere in
August 16th, 2007
I don’t want to bother you guys but: Why does it always have to be like this? Can’t you just act like grown ups and go use the OS of your choice/convenience without attacking anyone who doen’t?
It seems this is always the case with soft: wherever a new app or OS is released, there seems to be someone willing to curse on its behalf. Which is childish, I think.
Windows, Linux, the Apple thingy, they all have pros and cons. Some are more beautyful, some are more stable and some are cheaper depending on who is using it, on what hardware, and with what purpose. It depends on the eye of the behorder, really.
Take me as an example. I have been typing this message using a Rotary Dial Phone connected directly to the internet. It’s kinda tricky to remember the characters I’ve been typing since I have no display. You see? I’m cooler than all of you! Windows, Linux and the Apple thingy SUC*! Oop! There seems to be an incoming ca..
August 21st, 2007
I do not prefer XP to Linux or vice versa. But Desktop managers for Linux are promising and better and windows desktop managers.
September 16th, 2007
Windows=Games
linux=A free Mac
get over it, and If Linux supported the newest games, then yeah I would switch but until then Fook NO!!!!!!
September 17th, 2007
It’s hourses for courses but just remember that drinking from both cups will make it more likely that you are half-full rather than half-empty.
September 29th, 2007
What is the point of this blog? It seems every time I find something here it’s about how great windows is and how “difficult” or sub-par Linux is. It’s also pretty obvious that the writers have very little experience with Linux. I am not very skilled with Linux and yet I am able to do all the things they say are difficult. If these guys are true computer experts then they should be able to set up any Linux distro with little effort. Give that they can’t it seems they are less computer literate than they would have us believe.
So, I guess if you purpose is to rub your egos and reassure everyone that windows is still number one then congrats. If your purpose is to educate the public then you fail miserably.
I wonder if there is a way to teach Google to ignore this worthless site?
September 29th, 2007
I like vista and i am downloading linux as we speak. I want to try the whole beryl thing. I love customization.
October 1st, 2007
If you don’t have the latest and greatest ATI hardware then don’t bother. It’s not worth it in the end. I’ve installed Ubuntu and it’s clean and everything but after I stare at the screen wondering what I could do, I just hop back on my Vista machine. It’s just so annoying to do most anything in Linux, compile this, update that, configure this, go to forum to see whats wrong…It’s just stupid after a while.
October 8th, 2007
All of you commenters make me angry.
You are making this into Vista(Windows) vs Linux.
Linux sucks … Windows sucks … are you really that stupid?
Windows can’t be replaced by Linux and the other way around too.
You should be commenting the authors article instead. It is ok to make a comment about your disagreement but seriously….
October 8th, 2007
I can only confirm that linux itself, installs as fluently as a windows installer.
I’ m currently running 2 dualboot machines with no problems:
AMD64 Athlon X2 2GB ATI X1300 256MB with Windows XP / Suse Linux 10.2 and compiz-fusion.
The other one is a PIII 750MHz 192MB Nvidia riva TNT2 64MB with Windows NT / Suse 10.2 and compiz Fusion (without -emerald decorator) and it works!!!!
The only installation problem seems to be the graphics card driver (non open source - expecially the ATI graphics driver caused problems before the fglrx 8.40 driver arrived)
But at this moment I don’t think it’s opportune to compare a Vista 3D cube (in alfa, beta or whatever stadium it is) and/or Vista decorations with the (years of) experience of compiz/beryl –> compiz-fusion cube/decorators.
October 9th, 2007
I really feel a need to jump in here and just say .. your all missing the point. Mark started to hit the nail on the head! Dual boot system ???
Learn everything you can about Lin and how it interacts with Win because it will be a major force in software of the future. Ive tried most distros and picked a few favs of my own which are running along side Win machines in my home.
Once the Linux coders stop worrying about office productivity and focus more on consumer applications then we’ll see the gaming aspect of Linux explode. At that point im betting that Microsoft will have crapped out of the consumer marketplace (they gave us some clues with Vista) along side the wonderful metamorphasis of Linux globalization.
Imagine what these softwares will do for the poorer nations of the world. I bow down to Linus
Torvalds, and the GNU of Richard Stallman.
Hundreds of thousands of Unix, Linux and Microsoft programmers have donated thier works so that we can have this dillema …
“Linux isn’t a product, its an organic part of a software ecosystem.” –Michael Robinson, Netrinsics. (Quote came from a library book called Linux for dummies ) just like the Windows for dummies only different.
By the way, both Beryl and Fusion incorporated into daily life on home or office computers are the most amazing time saving and cool functions and features ive ever seen.
October 14th, 2007
Free Software Downloads
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting
October 17th, 2007
Buy Cheap Computer Components
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting
October 27th, 2007
Software Development Guide
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting
November 2nd, 2007
I think this article was a sad attempt at bashing linux by an uneducated mind, beryl has aways had high compatability with video cards its been the users that are to stupid to go through a few steps to get the correct drivers, and for that matter look at compiz fusion now, kicks the shit out of vista and is better then beryla and most distros like ubuntu 7.10 come with it built in and working right after the install. The day of linux has come, vista has been beaten at its own game.
November 2nd, 2007
You guys all have no life.
November 4th, 2007
@B!0H@z@rD: At least I don’t use stupid leetspeek nicks like yours.
@the software kid: No, it wasn’t. Believe me, I’d willingly support you if the article was mindless Linux bashing. Truth be told, Beryl (or now Compiz Fusion) is hard to set up on ATi cards. All that is going to change now anyway, since ATi is releasing open source drivers. And a benchmark at Phoronix has shown that the drivers in Linux can be as good (or better) as the Windows ATi drivers.
November 13th, 2007
Sorry, I’m french and I’m 13 years old,
but I think, Linux is Linux and Windows is Windows. Micro$oft shouldn’t take something at Linux to get it in windows !!!
When someone want 3D desktop, he come under linux, when someone want an easy system, he stay under Windows with his virus.
I use Linux and i want that more people use Linux , and beryl, compiz oder Compiz-fusion is better than this sh** 3D desktop !
I can’t speak english very well… sorry
This message in french, if someone may understand this language :
Je pense que linux est linux et que windows est windows. Micro$oft ne devrait pas prendre des composants de linux pour les mettre sous windows !!!
quand quelqu’un veut un bureau en 3D il va sous linux, si il veut un system simple, il reste sous windows. J’utilise Linux, et beryl, Compiz, Compiz-fusionn sont bien mieux que cette me*** de bureau 3D !
December 13th, 2007
This website has some pretty cool stuff in it but WTH! WHERE DO I CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THINGS!!!
December 14th, 2007
LinSux sucks , with or without beryl.
And i mean it sucks everytime, everywhere compared to windows. Linux is a crappy SO who lives on the effords of a community of nerds who don’t have anything better to do than losing their time on a crap project. Windows is a product, and a service. If you want to compare something to windows, use Mac OSX. Linux is trash. A penguin is a bird who i’ll never fly, 20 years are passed since che first linux-nerd started chatty-chatting about the opensource revolution. Today almost the 95% of home-users still don’t use Linux as their main SO, and more than 95% didn’t even ever install it …
Bah Linuxians are a bunch of maniacs … or something similar.
December 15th, 2007
i love when linux users laugh at windows because it’s so vulnerable to viral attacks….if more than three people out of a hundred used linux it would be too, but what’s te point in making a replicating virus if only three people get it?
December 18th, 2007
Ok now I have read everything that everyone has said. First thing on my list I’m running a multiboot system with DOS, and Windows XP, along with Ubuntu and Slackware. I perfer Ubuntu and Slackware from there customability and if you have any sense about you hack the Microsoft OS take the program compatibility list edit it and integrat it into your Linux. Microsoft is crap, they have horrible… well everything, their customer sevice is bad, they don’t seem to understand that just making something look different and adding afew pop ups everytime you want to do something to make it appear more secure and stable it doesn’t work except the average consumer is retarded and wants the latest of everything. Although in Microsoft’s early days there was a stable OS that was somewhat useful today I look at VISTA and call it a virus. Why do you have to ask me twice if I’m sure I want you to empty the freaking recyclebin? Yes Linus can be difficult if you have such a problem with that then do a dual boot until you learn how to use it well. Now to start talking about MAC OS, it is a somewhat usefull OS if it like you know who didn’t take up so many system resources I would have a MAC; the only reason I have XP is it was the OS everything was coming out for. Linux doesn’t worry about viruses that much because there are so few users that use it and their are so many distro’s that it would be hard to creat one that affects them all. Some military uses linux for this reason or the next. Now to employment, what looks better very adept with linux (the “difficult” OS) or Expert with Windows (the OS that anyone could use including a baby monkey with no arms or legs). I think I have made my point I would list the pros and cons for each but the con’s list for Windows would take me the next 9 years to complete.
December 18th, 2007
Hey there is a virus for MAC not been about too long neither and its a OS virus remember the are only 8 viruses for windows XP OS all rest are the usual shat! The MAC virus is made to look the a quicktime plugin update fom apple. The virus turns over your dns server. And about this OS battle going on each to there own ladies! ive had XP Vista and ubuntu adn other OS too but the more you try to convert ppl over to one or the other you make it more popular therefore giving ppl more reason to hack it and write viruses etc for it so any OS over time will be attack as it get more popular and accepted. I use Vista for gaming now if ubuntu can offer me that i’d wipe all other OS’s but it dont so i wont.
January 18th, 2008
please
January 22nd, 2008
[…] are swapped or could be a representation of virtual desktops. Much like how there is a 3Dcube transition for XP and Vista, this could be a built-in transition between desktops or applications for Windows […]
February 2nd, 2008
Well said Jonathan. . .
The fact that Linux is Cool and Open Source. .
Getting the 3D desktop cube is a headace on a linx box if u don’t have dedicated Linux Graphic Cards. I tried the Yodm 3D tool on a Windows XP machine with Standard on board VGA cards and it works flawlessly.
Much Thanks to the Creators!
February 4th, 2008
Jonathan Schlaffer failed on this article in many ways. For one, Compiz is installed with Ubuntu on which four computers I tried on worked right out of the box including one laptop. Newer Dell and any intel motherboards will work out of the box. Most ati and nvidia chipsets are supported too. To say Beryl rivals XP and Vista is a joke. There is no comparison even 3 years later. Compiz Fusion picked up where Beryl left off and it totally rapes anything ever seen to date on a win32 or 64 platform. Don’t mention plugins because the compiz fusion system is much more robust allowing for an unlimited number of plugin visual effects. This is something Windows and Macintosh users will continue to play catch up with for the next few years. Your article was informative, but making the comparison was a little weak IMHO.
February 4th, 2008
Oh and I’m also sick of Windows weenies stopping by to ask “what that was” pointing in disbelief at my screen. That’s why we use linux, it works better for us and regardless if you use slack or some user friendly distro — the point is the same. It is time to evolve and those that can will, while the rest will just pay $$.
February 4th, 2008
Oh and I’m also sick of Windows weenies stopping by to ask “what that was” pointing in disbelief at my screen. It’s called Linux I tell them and try to explain multiple desktops. Ridiculously better than anything windows will ever hope to become.
March 17th, 2008
You better watch out,
You better not cry,
You better not pout, I’m telling you why,
Micro$oft is in your machine.
They see you when your sleeping,
They know when you’re awake
They know if you’ve been bad or good,
so be good for goodness sake.
You better watch out,
You better not cry,
You better not pout, I’m telling you why,
Micro$oft is in your machine.
Some people just refuse to educate themselves.
March 18th, 2008
Bah i am sick of the Linux Fanatics …
Linux is the crappiest crappy thing in the world
–_–
i never seen so many problems to make an os just working so far …
you should thank Microsoft to be in you machines …
–_–
bah damn hippies
April 2nd, 2008
You guys should try CubeDesktop for Windows XP and Vista …
it’s on http://www.cubedesktop.com
April 17th, 2008
I’ve noticed that on many sites where I search for info these days everyone is cussing someone out just because they disagree on something..but I find it amazing when people are not willing to learn something new or allow others that opportunity.I’ve been online half the morning trying to find a decent desktop manager but everyone keeps finding fault so that I’m afraid of destroying my pc with damaging software.Since I’m a girl I have to do my homework so I keep lots of notes. But times and software changes so fast that its become harder for me to keep up.If someone has a kind suggestion,please post. I just recently began photo and art creations to post on webshots as its always been a dream of mine. Thank you for allowing me to post and I hope I haven’t offended anyone.
May 7th, 2008
well.. reading through this whole debate, it seems pretty nasty.
ive got a dual boot system with pclinux and xp, works fine.. ive still got my windows so i can play most games and new software, but linux is great for anything else than games, its just the developers.. they dont create games for linux cause their arms are being twisted by micro$oft.
But windows users who are badmouthing linux should really try it. linux users who are badmouthing windows have at least used windows. try a linux with a kde enviroment, some ppl just dont like the gnome/mac feel so go for the kde/windows feel. and its free, try it.
June 21st, 2008
Wow people really have too much time on their hands to be arguing on the best OS!
You need to consider the fact that Windows = Games/Buisness/popular, Linux = customization(and lots of distros)/server/free , and Mac OSX = (somthing I havn’t looked up on). God if you are some windows fanatic USE WINDOWS, Linux Fanatic USE LINUX, Mac fanatic USE MAC!!!!!!!!!! AND, in case you didn’t know theres OTHER operating systems out there (ex. solaris, unix, Haiku).