PCQLinux '07: Desktop Effects in KDE

PCQLinux 2007 desktop features rotating cubes, translucent and wobbly
windows, but all these work in GNOME. It is the default window manager

(in layman terms, the default desktop) when one starts X Window-by issuing the
startx command. The cool desktop effects shown in the article Add Cool Effects
to you Desktop, page 66, in the March 2007 issue of PCQuest show up only in
GNOME. For users who prefer KDE, these desktop effects do not work.

But with a piece of software called Beryl, you can get these effects working
on KDE too. We tell you how to go about it.

How to switch to KDE

When you are in GNOME, click on Applications> Accessories>Terminal. Here, issue
switchdesk in the terminal window. Next, select KDE from the 'Desktop Switcher'
applet that pops up. Stop X Window by pressing 'CTRL+ALT+Backspace'. Issue
startx again. This time you will be dropped into KDE.

Install and start Beryl

It is simple. Login as root and issue the following command to download and
install Berl.

yum install beryl-kde

If you get an error saying 'Existing lock /var/run/yum.pid: another copy is
running. Aborting', issue the following command (to stop the Yum update daemon):

service yum-updatesd stop

Then re-issue 'yum install beryl-kde' . Wait for the Beryl package (along
with its required packages) to download and install. Type 'y' for any prompts
you get during the download/ install. Once done, start X Window and assuming
that you are in KDE now (read the box 'How to switch to KDE'), click on the
Start and select 'Run Command...'. In the text box, type in beryl-manager and
click on Run. You may notice a small flicker on your desktop and then a Diamond
icon that appears on the system tray (where the time and date are displayed).
Try moving the window(s) around and notice the wobbly effect. Beryl is in action
for you now. You are now ready to play with all the desktop effects on KDE too.

With Beryl, you do get all the desktop effects mentioned in the previous
article, and there is more (see the screenshots). Right click on the Diamond
icon and select 'Beryl Settings Manager'. To achieve the transparent cube effect
as shown in the screenshot, click on Desktop>DesktopCube>Transparency on the
'Beryl Settings Manager'. Check the box labeled 'Transparent Cube'. To see the
various minimize and maximize effects, click on Visual Effects>Animation and
select the one of the effects from the drop down. Feel free to enable and play
with the plethora of effects offered in the settings manager. If GNOME users are
envying the Beryl effects, Beryl can be downloaded and installed for GNOME using
'yum  install beryl-gnome'.

Notice how the windows in the various virtual desktops are popping out in the 3-D space even in KDE

The transparent cube shows you all the opened windows across all your (cluttered) virtual desktops

Here's Alladin's magic lamp effect while you attempt minimizing/maximizing a window

You can see the window burning to disappear when it is clicked to minimize

You can even get the window to explode to pieces when it is minimized/maximized

Last but not the least, the Beryl Settings Manager-a one-stop tool that affects the effects