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Popular ideas Here are the latest ideas about Compiz Advanced Settings (ccsm) that have been approved.

Synchronise desktop settings between computers  
Written by PaddyLandau the 14 Jan 12 at 18:30. New
For years, I have wondered about being able to sign on to any computer (even a library one) and have your own desktop appear.

Imagine my surprise when I loaded the preview version of Windows 8 in Virtual Box to find that Microsoft will be doing exactly that! Well, OK, not quite any computer, but along those lines.

(For interested parties, here is the link to Windows 8 Preview:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516
)

Microsoft's method is to let you log in to Windows using your Microsoft Live ID (subject to Administrator approval), and synchronise your desktop settings.

This is, of course, opt-in (imagine the privacy implications if it were not).

I think that Ubuntu would be well placed to do something similar.
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Solution #1: Opt-in option to synchronise your desktop settings over Ubuntu One
Written by PaddyLandau the 14 Jan 12 at 18:30.
Allow a user to "link" his desktop settings to his Ubuntu One account. The linking would allow the user to synchronise the following items (each one would have to be opt-in; none would be done by default):

* Wallpaper
* Theme
* The entire set of Compiz Config settings

(I'm open to other ideas as to what to synchronise.)

When linking a new login for the first time, the desktop would ask whether or not to synchronise each of the items (again, for privacy concerns, they would be opt-out by default).

Obviously, there would have to be a "sanity check" when synchronising onto a target machine. Thus:

* Themes would be synchronised only if the target machine supported that particular theme (so, for example, you wouldn't try to sync a 10.04 theme with its panels onto a 12.04 theme with Unity, or an imported theme onto a computer without that theme being available).

* Compiz Config settings would be synchronised only if the target machine had the same version of Ubuntu (so don't try to synchronise (say) Kubuntu with Lubuntu).

EDIT: Communications with Ubuntu One are all encrypted and stored safely. This would, of course, apply to this option.

See the 15 comments or propose a solution >>

More intelligent window resizing options  
Written by Zta the 3 Nov 11 at 20:06. New
I want additional window resizing options so I can do this (without the use of keyboard shortcuts):

§1: I want to be able to quickly maximize a window vertically (tall) while retaining its width. This is how I prefer my browser.

§2: I want to be able to quickly maximize a window horizontally (wide) while retaining its height. This is how to prefer my terminal with a tailing log file.

§3: I want to be able to quickly maximize a window vertically (tall) and have it aligned with the right edge of my desktop. This is where I prefer my chat contact list.

(Try and move a window to the right edge of your desktop and watch it resize to fill the right half of the screen, and you'll get the idea of what I want.)
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Solution #1: Maximize Window Height/Width
Written by Zta the 3 Nov 11 at 20:06.
Compiz already has a variety of window resize action to choose from, depending how various actions such as dragging window edges or dropping windows in certain areas of the desktop. I suggest adding more options to this existing list, which can be found here:

CompizConfig Settings Manager > Window Management > Grid > Edges > Resize Actions.

Three new actions should be added to satisfy the above problems:

§1 Maximize Window Vertically.

§2 Maximize Window Horizontally.

§3 Maximize Window Vertically and Align with Right Desktop Edge


See the 2 comments or propose a solution >>

There should be an easy way of configuring screen-edge graphic features  
Written by tryfonaration the 22 Oct 11 at 11:53. New
I don't think that there is an easy-to-find, simple and straightforward way of activating certain extremely useful and productivity-enhancing graphical (Compiz) features when the user's mouse pointer hovers over screen edges. Features such as the Windows Picker, Show Desktop, Show Workspaces, Show Widget Layer etc.
As far as I know the only application which offers such a functionality is CompizConfig Settings Manager, which is anything but easy-to-use and easy-to-find and Ubuntu Tweak which, on the other hand, realizes it in an extremely elegant way, as it should be.
I believe that there should be somewhere in the core Ubuntu interface a link to a small settings application with this specific purpose and interface as simple and elegant as Ubuntu Tweak's Compiz Settings screen.
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Solution #1: Additions in System Settings->Appearance screen
Written by tryfonaration the 22 Oct 11 at 11:53.
Certain additions can be made in System Settings->Appearance screen to realize the simple accessibility of configurating the screen-edge settings. I propose a very similar approach to Ubuntu Tweak's Compiz Settings screen. A nice screenshot can be found here: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pfhAVkckhd0/TfYdMkHW3SI/AAAAAAAACM4/LhiIAZQ7ir8/s1600 /ubuntu_tweak.png

See the 2 comments or propose a solution >>

Scrolling on laptops could be even easier  
Written by ginjaninja405 the 24 Feb 11 at 14:14. New
The problem with scrolling on a laptop is that it feels very cramped tracing a line on the side of the trackpad, and the multi-touch features are poor in their response when trying to use two-finger scrolling or something, most of the time the multi-touch trackpads aren't even implemented yet. The Macbooks do it fairly well, but I'm saying that it could be easier than that, it should flow better and be more like interacting with the page directly. Smartphones have an advantage because your touch interacts with the page directly. I'm suggesting we find something as easy as that.
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Solution #1: Key command switches Trackpad into Scroll-area
Written by ginjaninja405 the 24 Feb 11 at 14:14.
As a compiz plugin, or just a feature in trackpad/mouse options, you could have an accessibility option to create or assign a small keyboard switch that disables the mouse temporarily, and makes the trackpad a scrollable area.

For example, make the "Alt Gr" key, without combining it with anything else, switch the trackpad into an area for only scrolling, so you can scroll up or down, left and right and in all directions limitlessly and freely moving about.
I find myself reading articles and doing a lot of scrolling in Ubuntu on Firefox, Chrome, Evolution, Banshee and even in Nautilus, so having a switch as quick as my example, might give Ubuntu a usability advantage when compared to anything else. Apple implement a multi-touch scroll quite nicely, but this could be even easier, and more simple to create.

To turn it off, simply press "Alt Gr" again, press escape, or give the option to exit out of the scroll mode using just a click. I know this is a long explanation, but it could be really cool, if implemented system wide. People would only need to be aware of the feature. I hope this is understandable as a concept.
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Solution #2: Same as #1, but with less key pressing
Written by TheDudeAlex the 28 Feb 11 at 19:21.
I think this is a really good idea... But why not go to "scroll-mode" when some key is pressed and "mouse-mode" when it is released. Saves some time if you ask me.

You would also need an option for lefties, like myself, to have the scroll-key on the other side of the keyboard.

Grtz, Alex
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Solution #3: Combining #1 and #2
Written by ginjaninja405 the 1 Mar 11 at 17:06.
Make it so you can choose from any leftover keys, and be able to decide whether it's a scroll-on-press trigger, or an on/off trigger.
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Solution #4: Enable two-finger scrolling by default
Written by Toxicbits the 9 Mar 11 at 17:10.
Instead of using keys or the little scrolling bar at the side of a touchpad two-finger-scrolling should be enabled by default.

See the 3 comments or propose a solution >>

auto adjust brightness depending on the clarity of the image displayed  
Written by kenjiu2002 the 17 Nov 10 at 15:49. New
This was originaly a rather stunning fonction integrated to some NEC screens. NEC called that technology "auto-bright". I thought we could adapt the concept in software. Excessive or insufficient brightness tires the eyes. Therefore, as some pages are white (as google) and others are dark, the only way to keep the best setting is to compensate this frequent color variation by the appropriate brightness correction. This could also improve the autonomy of laptops.
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Solution #1: Modify compiz plugin AND create an independant package.
Written by kenjiu2002 the 17 Nov 10 at 15:49.
Modify the compiz plugin "opacity, brightness and saturation" by adding the auto-bright fonctionnality and giving choice between two modes: screen mode and window mode. The window mode would adjust brightness of each window according to its own colors, while screen mode would adjust the entire screen brightness (or backlight) to its colors too.
.
AND
.
Create an independant package doing the same stuff, so that everybody can use it, either he uses compiz, metacity, or other. For example, take the case of the netbook that i am using now: compiz slow it down significantly so i don't use compiz on this computer, and i am constantly changing manually the brightness setting because of my particular sensitivity of the eyes.
.
See the french thread on this subject that i recently launched:
http://forum.ubuntu-fr.org/viewtopic.php?pid=3851918
Contributions are needed.

See the 9 comments or propose a solution >>

Add Compiz settings Visual Effects Tab of the Appearance Preferences  
Written by icyitscold the 8 Aug 10 at 03:50. New
This idea is similar to (but not as drastic as) the following idea (http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/16655/). Why not integrate Compiz with out of the box Ubuntu? Compiz is a stand out tool which can enhance the Ubuntu UI to the point that its better than MAC or Windows.

The thing is (as a recent Windows convert myself), new users will have to go looking for compiz and install it. If they dont know about it then could be stuck with a boring stock Ubuntu UI (and quickly flee back to Windows before realizing the Ubuntu potential).

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Solution #1: Why not Include CCSM with stock Ubuntu and add settings to Appearance Preference
Written by icyitscold the 8 Aug 10 at 03:50.
You should include CCSM with stock Ubuntu but you should go one step further and integrate the some of the relevant settings to the Appearance Preferences dialog. That would be the logical place for some of the visual effects so that new users could find them easily and be blown away by Ubuntu.

See the 2 comments or propose a solution >>

Launch windows at a specified height and width  
Written by pirat3 the 18 Apr 10 at 03:35. New
have some windows that always open at a certain size.
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Solution #1: Place Windows - Windows with fixed size option
Written by pirat3 the 18 Apr 10 at 03:35.
Add an option in Place Windows "Windows with fixed size"

Add a comment or propose a solution >>

It's not easy enough to install a desktop cube in Ubuntu  
Written by dragoon76 the 23 Jan 10 at 14:32. New
Many people want to try linux and ubuntu because they've heard of it and one thing people often hear about linux is the desktop cube which (seems so exiting).

It is currently not that easy to get a desktop cube in ubuntu if you don't know the systeme. You need to install a specific package (compiz-config) and in the first place search the internet to actually know this is the thing to do.

We should make desktop cube easily accessible in ubuntu beacause it atracts people.
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Solution #1: Install simple compiz config manager by default.
Written by dragoon76 the 23 Jan 10 at 14:32.
Simple compiz config manager is a very simple and user-friendly tool to configure compiz. It gathers the most important options. None will feel lost with this tool.



On top of that let's not add an icon in the menu (in order not to overload it). The user can acces it throw Appearance prefencres if he wants more options.
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Solution #2: When SCCSM is installed make a tab in "Apperance Preferences" for it
Written by Andaril the 7 Feb 10 at 17:39.
integrate it in main Appearance window. If it is installed and optionaly ofcourse.
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Solution #3: include the cube in extra
Written by danielt998 the 17 Feb 10 at 22:54.
replace the desktop wall with the cube when the user selects 'extra'
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Solution #4: Also provide an option to install the full config manager
Written by cos the 20 Feb 10 at 10:08.
The compizconfig-settings-manager package is what you want if you like experimenting with plugins and effects.
Most coming to Ubuntu to see compiz will prefer this manager to the simple one, though not many people know about it: there needs to be a quick and easy way to install it.

See the 12 comments or propose a solution >>

compiz should come with some pre-defined profiles  
Written by gabak the 22 Nov 09 at 00:35. New
There's so many options, I really need to make it easier to make my ubuntu desktop to have nicer efect without loosing hours trying to make to look it good and with pretty efects.
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Solution #1: compiz should come with some pre-defined profiles
Written by gabak the 22 Nov 09 at 00:35.
Solution #1:Either compiz should come with some pre-defined profiles,

or

Solution #2:we should have some hosted for download somewhere out there.

See the 1 comments or propose a solution >>

System->Prefs->Appearance->Vi sual Effects should link to Compiz Settings Manager  
Written by atorch the 11 Nov 09 at 09:12. New
System->Prefs->Appearance->Visual Effects has three choices: None, Normal or Extra.

If Compiz Config Settings Manager (CCSM) is not installed, those choices do make sense.

However, once the user installs CCSM, it would be nice if Visual Effects included a fourth choice, Custom, next to which there would a button to Open Compiz Settings Manager.

When CCSM is not installed, the Custom button and compiz link would be ghosted (unclickable), with a little line reading "You must instal CompizConfig Settings Manager to customize visual effects."

Custom could be designed to always remember the most recent Compiz configuration. That way, if you want to temporarily disable visual effects, you could just click on None, and then later click back on Custom, without having to go back into CCSM and re-specify your favorite settings. (Currently, when the user disables visual effects, his most recent Compiz configuration is forgotten, which is unfortunate.)
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Solution #1: Poster's Solution
Written by atorch the 11 Nov 09 at 09:12.
As described above. Here's a (very cheaply done) mockup:

http://stanford.edu/~atorch/QuickMockup.png

A few little extra ideas: clicking on Custom when CCSM is not installed could open up the Software Center, or prompt the user with "Would you like to install CCSM?"

Once CCSM is installed, clicking Custom could prompt the user with "Would you like to open CCSM?"

See the 1 comments or propose a solution >>

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