[HOWTO] Compile, install, and run Compiz for nvidia users V3

[RYX]

Original guide by RYX
Contributions by cyberorg
Revised and edited by AMGeeX

Since many people seem to be having problems with this, here is a complete guide on how to install the latest closed-source, binary nvidia drivers and compile the latest Compiz. No XGL/AIGLX is needed for this to work.

Important

- Please be sure to backup all files that are going to be edited as there is no warranty that this will work on your particular computer.
- Whenever a line starts with sudo and you have no sudo installed on your system, simply enter the command(s) following the sudo as root.
- For distribution specific instructions please visit the Documentation Central (http://www.compiz.org/Documentation/Documentation).

Download the source and drivers

- Download Compiz from compiz.org, versions 0.4 (stable) or 0.5 (development) are highly recommended.
- Download the latest nvidia drivers (100.14.09 at the moment of revising this guide) for your system architecture from nvidia.com.

Install the needed packages

Now you will need to install the necessary packages to be able to build Compiz from source. The package names can vary from distribution to distribution. If your distribution is not listed here then please post the packages you need on the forums.

Debian/Ubuntu:

Type this into a terminal to get all the dependencies installed:

sudo aptitude install build-essential libxcomposite-dev libpng-dev libsm-dev libxrandr-dev libxdamage-dev libxinerama-dev libstartup-notification0-dev libgconf2-dev libgl1-mesa-dev libglu1-mesa-dev libgtk2.0-dev libwnck-dev libmetacity-dev librsvg2-dev libdbus-1-dev libdbus-glib-1-dev libfuse-dev libgnome-desktop-dev libgnome-window-settings-dev curl autoconf automake automake1.9 libtool intltool libxslt1-dev libdecoration0 libdecoration0-dev

Now type this to get the necessary packages to build a kernel interface for the nvidia driver:

sudo aptitude install linux-headers-`uname -r` xserver-xorg-dev
OpenSUSE:

Install the following packages with your package manager:

control-center2-devel freeglut-devel gcc-c++ gconf2-devel gtk2-devel intltool libdrm-devel librsvg-devel libwnck-devel metacity pango-devel update-desktop-files xorg-x11-devel perl-XML-Parser

Remove the old nvidia driver

This step only applies for those who have an older version of the nvidia driver installed from your distribution's repositories. To check what version of the nvidia driver you have installed now type this into a terminal:

glxinfo | grep "OpenGL version string:"
This should return something like this:
OpenGL version string: 2.1.0 NVIDIA 96.31
Where the last number is the driver version. If your version is 96.31 or higher then you can skip this step.

Ubuntu:

To uninstall the current driver type this into a terminal:

sudo aptitude purge nvidia-glx
Now edit the /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules configuration file and add the following:

DISABLED_MODULES="nv"
Now reboot your computer.

Install the latest nvidia driver

Now you will install the nvidia driver you downloaded earlier. You should print this step of the guide because you will be using a terminal interface only from here on. The first thing you need to do is stop the currently running X-Server.

Close all applications and press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to switch to a non-X terminal (at this point you can still go back to you X session by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F7). Now log in with your username and password, then stop the currently running X-server by typing the following:

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop
Now you must navigate to the directory where you downloaded the nvdidia driver. Once there type the following:

sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-9631-pkg1.run
Be sure to replace the x86 and the 9631 with the appropriate architecture and version number for the driver you downloaded.

Now follow the instructions; if it complains about not finding a matching kernel-interface choose to download a new one. It will most probably fail and create a matching interface of its own. If it asks you to modify your xorg.conf, choose Yes.

Now reboot your system by typing:

sudo shutdown now -r
If you see the nvidia logo on a gray background after rebooting it means that the driver is running and installed properly.

Modify your xorg.conf file

Now you have to add a few lines you your xorg.conf file. This is necessary for Compiz to run properly. Failure to do this will result in no eye candy for you. There are two ways of doing this:

The easy way is to enter the following commands into a terminal:

sudo nvidia-xconfig --composite
sudo nvidia-xconfig --render-accel
sudo nvidia-xconfig --allow-glx-with-composite
sudo nvidia-xconfig --add-argb-glx-visuals

Now press Ctrl+Alt+Backspace to restart your X-server or reboot.

NOTE: If you use the above method, please check your xorg.conf file after you reboot and make sure the following lines are in the Driver section and NOT under the Screen section!

Option "RenderAccel" "true"
Option "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
The hard way is editing your xorg.conf file manually, but it isn't that hard. Open up a terminal and type the following:

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf-backup
sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Find this section:

Section "Module"
Load "i2c"
Load "bitmap"
...
Load "type1"
Load "vbe"
EndSection
Comment out dri and GLcore (if present), like this:

# Load "dri"
# Load "GLcore"
Make sure the glx module is loaded, like this:

Load "glx"
Find this section (your values may vary) :

Section "Device"
Identifier "NVIDIA Corporation NV40 [GeForce 6800]"
Driver "nvidia"
EndSection
Add the following lines below "Driver":

Option "RenderAccel" "true"
Option "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"
Find this section (your values may vary) :

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "NVIDIA Corporation NV40 [GeForce 6800]"
Monitor "SyncMaster"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1440x900"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Make sure DefaultDepth is set to 24, if it isn't already, then add the following lines below "EndSubSection" or above the first "SubSection":

Option "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "true"
Option "DisableGLXRootClipping" "true"
Save the file and exit the text editor. Now restart the X-server by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del or reboot.

Compile and install Compiz

Now you are ready to get Compiz running. First open up a terminal and navigate to the directory where you downloaded the Compiz source tarball and extract its contents by typing the following:

tar xvf compiz-0.5.0.tar.gz
This will create a compiz-0.5.0 directory; change to it in your terminal and type this:

./configure --prefix=/usr --enable-librsvg --enable-gtk && make && make install
If no errors whatsoever are reported then all went well and Compiz is installed.

For more information please refer to the Compiling Page (http://www.compiz.org/Compiling).

Test the installation

Now you will test the installation. To test if things worked, type the following line into a terminal:

compiz --replace gconf & gtk-window-decorator --replace &
If nothing weird happens its almost certain that Compiz is running ok, so you can proceed to the next step.

Configure Compiz

If nothing unexpected happened on the previous step it means Compiz is up and runing in your computer. You can setup Compiz and its plugins using the gconf-editor tool. There are other tools for setting up Compiz, but they are still in development. If you are using Ubuntu, gconf-editor is already installed, most probably. If it isn't then you can installing by typing the following command into a terminal:

sudo aptitude install gconf-editor
Once you've started the gconf-editor you can navigate to /apps/compiz. This is where the Compiz configuration keys can be found. Those for the plugins are under /apps/compiz/plugins/. If, by any chance you don't find any keys under the plugins folder, you can reload them. Open up a terminal and navigate to the source compiz directory, compiz-0.5.0 on this guide, and run the following command:

gconftool-2 --install-schema-file=plugins/compiz.schemas
gconftool-2 --install-schema-file=gtk/window-decorator/gwd.schemas.in
Now navigate to /apps/compiz/general/allscreen/options/ and right click on the "active_plugins" key; choose to edit it. Add these values in the given order:

gconf,decoration,wobbly,fade,minimize,cube,switche r,move,resize,place,rotate,zoom,scale,dbus
Alternatively you can use this command if you don't want to use the gconf-editor; type it into a terminal:

gconftool-2 -s /apps/compiz/general/allscreens/options/active_plugins
"[gconf,decoration,wobbly,fade,minimize,cube,switche r,move,resize,place,rotate,zoom,scale,dbus]"
-t list --list-type=string
You might also want to browse through the keys in gconf-editor to see what other options exist and play with them to see what they do; feel free to ask about them in the forums.

Create the startup script

To auto-start Compiz when you boot you can use this script:

#!/bin/sh

# Compiz startup script for version 0.4 or 0.5

compiz --replace gconf &
gtk-window-decorator --replace &
You can use any of these alternatives of the first line, use whatever works best for you:

compiz --replace --loose-binding gconf &
compiz --replace --indirect-rendering gconf &
compiz --replace --loose-binding --indirect-rendering gconf &
To save the script open a terminal and type:

sudo gedit /usr/bin/gocompiz
Copy & paste the above script into the editor (paste with right-click menu) and save the file. Make it executable by typing this into a terminal:

sudo chmod a+x /usr/bin/gocompiz
Now you can start compiz by typing gocompiz into a terminal. Alternatively you can use Gandalfn's Gnome Compiz Manager, but that isn't covered in this guide.

NOTE: As of version 0.3.6 KDE users can now use kde-window-decorator instead of gtk-window-decorator to have KDE window decorations!

You're ready!

We hope you have liked this tutorial and don't feel treated like a total idiot. We tried to make it as understandable as possible for all audiences. If you have comments, questions, additions or corrections please post them in this thread. Hopefully, with everyone's help, this tutorial can be extended for ATI card users and more distributions. Thank you for your patience!

Cheers,
The Compiz Community Team!

[cyberorg]

To add stuff into xorg.conf you would not have to do it manually.

# nvidia-xconfig --composite
# nvidia-xconfig --allow-glx-with-composite
# nvidia-xconfig --render-accel
# nvidia-xconfig --add-argb-glx-visuals

will insert everything correctly in its right place.

Here is the suse build requirments:

http://go-compiz.org/index.php?title=Compiling

[RYX]

Thanks, cyberorg - I added it. Trying it also proved that the "AddARGBGLXVisuals" and "DisableGLXRootClipping" belong into the Screen-section, not into Device - many people seem to have that wrong. Maybe you have some more SUSE-specific additions or notes? Thank you ...
:)

[delphinen]

I would like to add my experience with Ubuntu Dapper (not Edgy), Compiz, XGL and Nvidia 8xxx drivers.

Back when I started used Compiz, I only knew how to install Compiz-Quinn, so I was happy with it. After experiencing with other distros and the real Compiz, I wanted to "upgrade" my ubuntu from latest Compiz-Quinn, but I never could because Compiz would not start because I used old Nvidia drivers without the infamous extension, and on top of that, I actually _wanted_ to use XGL because of the smoothness.

I built Compiz as this thread explains, here's how I solved MY problem to make Compiz work with OLD nvidia drivers AND XGL:

LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/nvidia/libGL.so.1.2.xlibmesa compiz LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib/ compiz --use-cow --indirect-rendering --replace miniwin decoration transset state wobbly fade minimize cube rotate zoom scale move resize place switcher trailfocus water bs annotate &
gtk-window-decorator &


pretty lame, I know. But the important thing here is to note and remember that you have to link both LD_PRELOAD and LD_LIBRARY_PATH variables to their current dirs and files to make Compiz work with the "old" drivers and XGL.

[gnumdk]

On kde, the good method is:

gnumdk@lisa:~$ cat /usr/share/xsessions/compiz.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Type=XSession
Exec=/usr/bin/startcompiz
TryExec=/usr/bin/startcompiz
Name=Compiz

gnumdk@lisa:~$ cat /usr/bin/compiz.sh
#!/bin/bash
export __GL_YIELD="NOTHING"
/usr/bin/gtk-window-decorator &
/usr/bin/compiz --use-cow --replace gconf 2>~/.compiz.log

gnumdk@lisa:~$ cat /usr/bin/startcompiz
#!/bin/bash
export KDEWM=/usr/bin/compiz.sh
/usr/bin/startkde

[aldolat]

Hi to all forum, I am a new member. :D

I have Edgy and an Ati video board (Radeon 9800SE) with driver open.
I have successfully used the pre-compiled Compiz. But - to have a much more better performance - I am trying to compile Compiz by myself.
Compiling was very simple and it goes well.
I used
sudo checkinstall
instead of
sudo make install
All was installed.

When I check the installation as described in the howto (paragraph 6), all the window decorations disappear and I cannot move any window nor I can select one of them.
This is what the terminal says:
aldo@ubuntu:~$ compiz --replace --use-cow --strict-binding gconf &
[1] 31014
aldo@ubuntu:~$ libGL warning: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x4b
compiz: GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap is missing
compiz: Failed to manage screen: 0
compiz: No manageable screens found on display :0.0

[1]+ Exit 1 compiz --replace --use-cow --strict-binding gconf


So I must open a new terminal and enter
metacity --replace &.

What can I do?

Sorry for my English, but I am Italian :oops:

[mikedee]

It looks like it is linking against the wrong version of libGL.

I do not think yuo will see too much performance difference by compiling yourself, if you are really interested in that you should run Gentoo and compile everything :)

[aldolat]

Thanks for your answer. :)

If there is no performance difference, it's not convenient to compile Compiz by myself.
Bye!

[zupazax]

compiz: Another window manager is already running on screen: 0
compiz: No manageable screens found on display :0.0


I got this error message after
>compiz --replace --use-cow --strict-binding gconf &

what can i do ?

i use Mandriva 2007 with latest NVIDIA driver.
:(

[mikedee]

compiz: Another window manager is already running on screen: 0
compiz: No manageable screens found on display :0.0


I got this error message after
>compiz --replace --use-cow --strict-binding gconf &

what can i do ?

This is a strange error because the --replace should replace the current running window manager.

Try manually typing in the command, there may be a problem if you copy & pasted the command.

[RYX]

That's indeed strange. What window-manager are you running by default? You can try to kill it by using the "pkill"-command. For example if you have metacity running you can kill it with:pkill metacity
(some WMs may have process-names different from the executable-names)

If you have killed your WM, try entering the compiz-commandline again. Don't forget to keep the terminal open and other windows minimized before you kill your windowmanager.

[amgeex]

I installed XGL and I am using the old nvidia driver. I want to run the new compiz, so I compiled it myself and built a package. The problem is that everytime I want to run compiz window decoration dissapear. I get the following message:

arturo@thematrix:~$ go-compiz
/usr/bin/go-compiz: 7: gtk-window-decorator: not found
arturo@thematrix:~$ compiz: glXBindTexImageEXT is missing
compiz: Failed to manage screen: 0
compiz: No manageable screens found on display :1.0

Any ideas?

[RYX]

The first problem is that you didn't compile gtk-window-decorator (or you didn't install yet and try to run compiz from the build-dir?). The "glXBindTexImageEXT is missing" is new to me ...

When you run "configure" in the build-dir, make sure that the result contains "gtk: yes".

[amgeex]

Well, it did say "gtk: yes" when I compiled, I guess its a driver problem? I'm using the old nvidia driver. Maybe I should install the new one?

And I'm running on a widescreen monitor, not sure if that means something. Also, isn't the gtk-window-decorator installed by default? If not, where can I get the source?

[mikedee]

If you can you should use the beta nvidia drivers, they will mean you can run compiz on normal xorg.

As long as you can get xorg running then you shouldn't have a problem. I have to manually add the modelines but I had to do that for normal X anyway.

gtk-wd should be installed if you get the gtk : yes line.

[amgeex]

The new nvidia drivers broke X. I cannot get it to work. I checked the xorg.conf file generated by the nvidia installer and it seems fine, nothing wrong with it, I just don't know why it won't work... No useful errors are given, just your typical xorg output. :?

[mikedee]

Maybe you can post the error log, there is normally something useful in there. Try starting X from a virtual terminal by just typing X :0 and see what happens.

[amgeex]

Ok, I seem to have sorted this thing out with help from my girlfriend, who found the nvnews thread. To properly install the latest nvidia driver on a Ubuntu system you must comply with this:

Quoted fron NVNews (http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=72490)

Debian GNU/Linux or Ubuntu with Xorg 7.x

If you wish to install the NVIDIA Linux graphics driver on a Debian GNU/Linux or Ubuntu system that ships with Xorg 7.x, please ensure that your system meets the following requirements:

* development tools like make and gcc are installed
* the linux-headers package matching the installed Linux kernel is installed
* the pkg-config and xserver-xorg-dev packages are installed
* the nvidia-glx package has been uninstalled with the --purge option and the file /etc/init.d/nvidia-glx does not exist.

If you use Ubuntu, please also ensure that the linux-restricted-modules packages have been uninstalled. Alternatively, you can edit the /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules configuration file and disable the NVIDIA linux-restricted kernel modules (nvidia, nvidia_legacy) via:

DISABLED_MODULES="nv"
This last comment fixed my problem, as the kernel module for the linux-restricted driver was version 1.0-7184 and the latest driver was version 1.0-9629 and thus they conflicted with each other. Please include this in the guide so no one has this problem in the future.

[RYX]

Thank you, amgeex. I have added it to the guide. I hope I will find the time to re-install Edgy on my laptop so I can correct/finish the guide. (The main thing missing are the build requirements for compiling a kernel-interface for the driver - like "linux-headers" and some others ...).

If anyone installs on a fresh system, maybe he/she can post his/her additions? Thanks in advance ...

:)

[amgeex]

I did this on a fresh system, the kernel module was built correctly, but it conflicted with the linux-restricted module, so disabling this last one fixed the issue. I think most problems spawned from the erroneous nvidia driver installation procedure. Everything is working fine right now on my 6.10 system.

BTW RYX, what distro are you using? (just curious)

[RYX]

I am using Ubuntu Edgy (because I really like the Ubuntu philosophy). But I switched from beryl to compiz and had the driver installed before, so it was difficult to remember the exact steps I did. (So I never tried the tutorial myself on a fresh system, that's the reason for the red notice on top)

:)

[pichalsi]

Hi i just followed this guide out fo boredom, ive used beryl until now but after seeing some comments on this site well... im not very good at english so i wont say much (sorry).

You can tell everyone that compiz > beryl, however what i see the most problem is the lack of guides like this for compiz (i couldnt find any like a month ago when i wanted to try something like this). I also followed this guide but had hard time editing something in gconf-editor (i use kde). Then i tried the compiz-manager posted in the other thread although it crashed i think its very good thing to develop. You can tell me that the compiz core is better and faster and doesnt crash and everything but its ten times easier. I didnt post this to tell you how good beryl is but to tell you my opinion (i dont see many people like me here - i see mass programmer here). As many people i would like compiz and beryl together (i cant tell that from my own experience but from what i read here because i didnt know about beryl flaws before...).

And thanks for the guide !

[mikedee]

I think you are 100% correct. The lack of a common startup script and a decent howto guide is our biggest weakness.

As you can see, we are working on these things at the moment with a high priority :)

[webx]

I would like to add my experience with Ubuntu Dapper (not Edgy), Compiz, XGL and Nvidia 8xxx drivers.

Back when I started used Compiz, I only knew how to install Compiz-Quinn, so I was happy with it. After experiencing with other distros and the real Compiz, I wanted to "upgrade" my ubuntu from latest Compiz-Quinn, but I never could because Compiz would not start because I used old Nvidia drivers without the infamous extension, and on top of that, I actually _wanted_ to use XGL because of the smoothness.

I built Compiz as this thread explains, here's how I solved MY problem to make Compiz work with OLD nvidia drivers AND XGL:

LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/nvidia/libGL.so.1.2.xlibmesa compiz LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib/ compiz --use-cow --indirect-rendering --replace miniwin decoration transset state wobbly fade minimize cube rotate zoom scale move resize place switcher trailfocus water bs annotate &
gtk-window-decorator &


pretty lame, I know. But the important thing here is to note and remember that you have to link both LD_PRELOAD and LD_LIBRARY_PATH variables to their current dirs and files to make Compiz work with the "old" drivers and XGL.


This is the way I am doing mine now as well, and it works...but I really would like to have at least gconf or csm do it instead or at least know the variables that need to be in place for a plugin such as wobble, so that only windows that I grabbed onto would wobble, instead of everything that opens.

Currently, this is mine:


[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Exec=compiz --replace decoration water fade minimize cube rotate zoom scale move resize place switcher & cgwd &
GenericName[en_US]=
StartupNotify=false
Terminal=false
TerminalOptions=
Type=Application
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop


(note that I have removed wobble from the list simply because it gets way to annoying and hard on the eyes when everything wobbles..lol..)

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

[mikedee]

To use gconf for the configuration you should change this


Exec=compiz --replace decoration water fade minimize cube rotate zoom scale move resize place switcher & cgwd &


to this


Exec=compiz --replace gconf &


Gconf will then load all of the plugins that you specify in the active_plugins setting.


Or am I missing something ?

[webx]

To use gconf for the configuration you should change this


Exec=compiz --replace decoration water fade minimize cube rotate zoom scale move resize place switcher & cgwd &


to this


Exec=compiz --replace gconf &


Gconf will then load all of the plugins that you specify in the active_plugins setting.


Or am I missing something ?

Well currently, what I tried just after posting the above, is using the initial startup file I included within that post, and than after startup, using compiz-manager.

What would be nice, is to simply use compiz-manager from the get go instead of monkeying around like that, but I tried just having an autostart up with compiz-manager in the executable and for whatever reason, the system tray would not load up allowing access to the icon.

That has happened a couple of times now where the system tray simply doesnt load up but the enclosed processes (such as Kmix or in this case, compiz-manager) are running.

Another problem I am having is getting the single drop water feature to work. The configuration in compiz-manager says that the key is disabled and I was used to simply using CTRL+SUPERKEY but I cant get past that text area that says "disabled".

[webx]

Ok, I got the hang of this thing finally..lol...

As a hint to everybody (if it has not been posted before..and if it has..my apologies) that take a performance hit when running Compiz, I would like to suggest turning off some of those GUI settings in KDE found within the Style section.

(Control Center->Appearance & Themes->Style

Then, in the second "tab" of the style GUI named "Effects", uncheck the GUI effects option. This dramatically increased my performance.

I will be back later once I get a few more things worked out, but yeah..overall she is working just fine now. :D

[penguin]

hallo
I got a problem with compiz 0.3.6 , i compiled with this option
./configure --prefix=/usr --enable-librsvg --disable-kde --enable-gtk
then i got this result

the following optional plugins will be compiled:
gconf: yes
place: yes
dbus: yes
annotate: yes
svg: yes

and the following optional features will be compiled:
svg: yes
gtk: yes
metacity: yes
gnome: yes
kde: no

then a
make and make install
make and make install runs without any problems
at first start
compiz --replace
it happens nothing just metacity is gone and no effects


thx

sry for my english

[RYX]

You have most likely no plugins loaded and didn't start the decorator (the replacement for metacity).

Try these commands:compiz --replace gconf &
gtk-window-decorator --replace &

:)

[penguin]

You have most likely no plugins loaded and didn't start the decorator (the replacement for metacity).

Try these commands:compiz --replace gconf &
gtk-window-decorator --replace &

:)

Hi when i tries
dini@etch:~$ compiz --replace gconf & gtk-window-decorator --replace &
i get this

My Distro is Debian Etch /NVidia 6600GT the newest driver from nvidia.com[1] 4496
[2] 4497
dini@etch:~$ compiz: Failed to load slide: freedesktop


then i can use the 3D Desktop but i have no window decorator

[RYX]

You have to load the "svg"-plugin, looks like he can't load the cube caps image. Since v0.3.6, the svg-/png-loader code is separated from the core.

Add "svg" and "png" to your "active_plugins"-key ... and also check that the "decoration"-plugin is loaded.

:)

[penguin]

Hi

How can i do this to add the "svg" and "png" to your "active_plugins" to my active key and, how can i see that the decoration plugin is loaded.
thx

[RYX]

Open gconf-editor (enter "gconf-editor" in a terminal), navigate to "/apps/compiz/general/allscreens/options/", edit the key "active_plugins" (right-click/edit) so that entries 2,3,4 are: "svg", "png", "decoration" ...

You'll understand what I mean when you are in gconf-editor ...

:)

[penguin]

Hi
thx for your help i have made a new install of debian etch and then i follow your instruction
and it doesnt work but
then i open the gconf-editor and put all the plugin i need and now it works fine.
Other question how to change the settings easlie is there a compiz manager like beryl manager
thx

[RYX]

There is a settings-tool in development (see here (http://forum.go-compiz.org/viewtopic.php?t=153)), I think you can get it through gandalfn's repositories (but only for ubuntu I think) ...

[cope]

Someone should update the first post (is it still valid?), and perhaps http://www.go-compiz.org/index.php?title=Compiling aswell...

[amgeex]

What needs updating exactly? Thanks, we'll try to do it ASAP! :D

[mathias]

aldo@ubuntu:~$ compiz --replace --use-cow --strict-binding gconf &
[1] 31014
aldo@ubuntu:~$ libGL warning: 3D driver claims to not support visual 0x4b
compiz: GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap is missing
compiz: Failed to manage screen: 0
compiz: No manageable screens found on display :0.0

[1]+ Exit 1 compiz --replace --use-cow --strict-binding gconf



Even though it comes a bit late, it might be helpful for some people. The solution for that problem
could be load "extmod" in your xorg.conf:

/etc/X11/xorg.conf

Section "Module"
Load "glx"
Load "extmod"
EndSection


Works for me.

[amgeex]

Guide updated to version 3, it now works for 0.4 and 0.5, enjoy! 8)

[gimfred]

Perhaps a variable date could be included on the howto (H2), changed every time someone changes the H2. That way, it may be easier for newbies (like myself) to sort through which version to use. The "V3" only adds to version confusion. With a variable date as well, the it would be easier to sift through the old info.

I spent several days, running through howto's that were over 6 months old. Often the difference was little, but didn't work. (I didn't find H2 till I was almost ready to give up; yes, i came here at first, but was looking for something directly kubuntu related. My mistake.) I started looking at the 'latest' versions. I almost skipped H2 because it was dated back in Nov 2006!

[X04D]

Lost my title bars and have no compiz effects either. Monumental failure.

Not sure why, but it's complaining about gconf? o_O

loke@x04d:~$ compiz --replace gconf
compiz: Couldn't load plugin 'gconf'

[mikedee]

This means that it could not find the plugin gconf.

You can eithr try reinstalling (make sure you do not have different copied in /usr and /usr/local) or try running with the ini plugin like this.

compiz --replace ini

[X04D]

loke@x04d:~$ compiz --replace ini
compiz: Couldn't load plugin 'ini'

Heh.

[mikedee]

Looks like you don't have any plugins installed. What is the output of these commands?

ls /usr/lib/compiz

ls /usr/local/lib/compiz

ONE should have a load of files, the other should produce an error.

Also what is the output from these

which compiz

compiz --version

[X04D]

Here we are:
loke@x04d:~$ ls /usr/lib/compiz
libaddhelper.a libextrawm.so libmove.so libshowdesktop.la
libaddhelper.la libfade.a libneg.so libshowdesktop.so
libaddhelper.so libfadedesktop.a libopacify.so libsnap.so
libanimation.so libfadedesktop.la libplace.a libsnow.so
libannotate.a libfadedesktop.so libplace.la libsplash.a
libannotate.la libfade.la libplace.so libsplash.la
libannotate.so libfade.so libplane.a libsplash.so
libbench.a libfakeargb.so libplane.la libsvg.a
libbench.la libfirepaint.a libplane.so libsvg.la
libbench.so libfirepaint.la libpng.a libsvg.so
libblur.a libfirepaint.so libpng.la libswitcher.a
libblur.la libfs.a libpng.so libswitcher.la
libblur.so libfs.la libput.so libswitcher.so
libccp.so libfs.so libreflex.a libtext.so
libclone.a libgconf.a libreflex.la libthumbnail.so
libclone.la libgconf.la libreflex.so libtile.so
libclone.so libglib.so libregex.a libtrailfocus.a
libcrashhandler.a libgroup.a libregex.la libtrailfocus.la
libcrashhandler.la libgroup.la libregex.so libtrailfocus.so
libcrashhandler.so libgroup.so libresize.a libvideo.a
libcube.a libimgjpeg.so libresizeinfo.so libvideo.la
libcube.la libini.a libresize.la libvideo.so
libcubereflex.a libini.la libresize.so libvpswitch.so
libcubereflex.la libini.so libring.so libwall.so
libcubereflex.so libinotify.a librotate.a libwater.a
libcube.so libinotify.la librotate.la libwater.la
libdbus.a libinotify.so librotate.so libwater.so
libdbus.la libmblur.a libscale.a libwinrules.so
libdbus.so libmblur.la libscaleaddon.so libwobbly.a
libdecoration.a libmblur.so libscale.la libwobbly.la
libdecoration.la libminimize.a libscale.so libwobbly.so
libdecoration.so libminimize.la libscreenshot.a libzoom.a
libexpo.so libminimize.so libscreenshot.la libzoom.la
libextrawm.a libmove.a libscreenshot.so libzoom.so
libextrawm.la libmove.la libshowdesktop.a

loke@x04d:~$ ls /usr/local/lib/compiz
ls: /usr/local/lib/compiz: No such file or directory

loke@x04d:~$ which compiz
/usr/local/bin/compiz

loke@x04d:~$ compiz --version
compiz 0.5.0

[mikedee]

Your install is borken :(

Try typing this

sudo rm /usr/local/bin/compiz

And then try starting compiz again, if it complains that it cannot find compiz then reinstall it.

[X04D]

I tried re-installing and I got this error when trying to make. Here it is:
/bin/moc window.h > window.moc.cpp
/bin/bash: /bin/moc: No such file or directory
make[3]: *** [window.moc.cpp] Error 127
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/loke/compiz/compiz/kde/window-decorator'
make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/loke/compiz/compiz/kde'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/loke/compiz/compiz'
make: *** [all] Error 2

Also, how should I be installing this?

EDIT: Ah, had to --disable-kde

EDIT: No title-bar? :(
loke@x04d:~$ gtk-window-decorator --replace &
[2] 31547
loke@x04d:~$
(gtk-window-decorator:31547): Wnck-WARNING **: Unhandled action type (nil)

(gtk-window-decorator:31547): Wnck-WARNING **: Unhandled action type (nil)

[mikedee]

If you are compiling from source then delete /usr/lib/compiz and/or make sure that you add --prefix=/usr to install it into /usr rather than /usr/local

[X04D]

Bah, I'm lost. I've tried compiling it from source so many times I don't know what to delete now.

[mikedee]

No problem :)

Remove your normal distro packages.

Delete the following directories

/usr/lib/compiz
/usr/local/lib/compiz

Then make sure you delete these if they exist

/usr/bin/compiz
/usr/local/bin/compiz

Then recompile making sure that you pass the option --prefix=/usr to the configure/autogen.sh line. This should put everything into /usr/bin/compiz and /usr/lib/compiz for the plugins.

[X04D]

make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/loke/compiz-0.5.0/po'
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/loke/compiz-0.5.0'
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/loke/compiz-0.5.0'
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
test -z "/usr/lib/pkgconfig" || mkdir -p -- "/usr/lib/pkgconfig"
/usr/bin/install -c -m 644 'compiz.pc' '/usr/lib/pkgconfig/compiz.pc'
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/loke/compiz-0.5.0'
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/loke/compiz-0.5.0'
loke@x04d:~/compiz-0.5.0$ compiz --replace
bash: /usr/local/bin/compiz: No such file or directory
This is hopeless.

[mikedee]

What happens if you type these?

/usr/bin/compiz --replace gconf

And

file /usr/bin/compiz

[X04D]

Managed to get it going by doing a "locate compiz" and deleting every instance. Thanks for the help!

[new2linx]

WHen I had anything to do with gconf on the first line, nothing worked but opacity and wobbly so I did this and all is GRAND

#!/bin/sh

# Compiz startup script for version 0.4 or 0.5

compiz --replace &
gtk-window-decorator --replace &