I've long been a fan of Compiz desktop candy (see here and here), so when I saw version 0.7.6 had been released I rushed to install it.

The release notes give details of updates, fixes and new additions, but I wanted to try out the sphere and cylinder alternatives to my usual desktop cube. Here's some comparative shots...



Cube (Click the images to enlarge)



Cylinder



Sphere


Yes, yes, totally trivial. But still fun!

The latest version's not yet in the Ubuntu repository, so here are the installation steps:

Kubuntu Users

• Open Adept Manager.

• From the menu click on Adept, Manage Repositories, Third-Party Software and add this repository:

• Click Close and Adept with re-scan all repositories.

• Shut down Adept Manager and use Adept Notifier on your taskbar to pick up the updates as usual.

Ubuntu Users

• Select System, Administration, Software Sources from the desktop menu.

• Click the Add button and add this repository:

• Click to Reload the repositories.

• When available updates should show, install as usual.

In both cases, don't forget to install CCSM (Compiz Configuration Settings Manager).

To get the new cylinder and sphere transitions, start CCSM and select Desktop Cube and Rotate Cube (under Desktop), and Cube Reflection and Deformation (under Effects). Click on the latter to modify the effects and choose the Deformation tab. The drop-down list gives you the deformations, and you can try them out immediately by holding down Ctrl + Alt and clicking and dragging with the left mouse button.



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