…. and I mean that in a good way.

For those unfamiliar with compiz, it is the bling’d out windows manager for the Linux X window systems (including the popular Ubuntu). Picture flames, sparkles, and lots of things animating in 3d for no particular reason. In a recent article HOWTO: Convert A Friend To Linux the author’s best advise is:

“Whenever you wanna dazzle a potential convertee, fire it up. Whirl the cube, wobble, minimize, and shade the windows and they will be gagging for the Linux CD. ;)”

This rings true though. Wobbleing windows and spinning cubes are what really convert people to switch over to Linux. It happened to me and I’ve seen it happening to those around me. Hardcore Linux users should stop hating on Compiz and recognize that it may be the single most important piece of software brining Linux out of the dungeon’s and dragons closet and into main stream culture. In fact, the best thing Ubuntu could do right now is drop everything else and just Bling that shit out even more. No one is going to switch to Linux because it has a whole lot of print drivers ready to go…. they are going to switch to Linux because they want an OS w/ some D’s on it.

Case in point: while the single most viewed youtube video for the search term ‘linux’ is a Rick Roll, the second most viewed is screen cast video showing off the screen effects in Ubuntu (2.5 million views, not to shabby).

If the Linux community wants to wipe Windows and Mac out of the OS business all they need to do in focus all of their collective efforts on developing Compiz. With the combine intelligence of hundreds of thousands of nerds we could develop the most pimped out windows management system known to mankind. The kids don’t want stability, they want an OS w/ rims that spin.

(Any bias in the above article may stem from the fact that I sort of view FFFFFat as the compiz of the new media art world…… and I mean that in a good way)