Pixel abuse: the wonders of 3D graphics
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| Desktops themselves have seen little breakthroughs: the un-innovative
| Microsoft Windows 95 (and subsequent version) looked so much like 1986's
| GEM environment I wonder how they didn't get sued over it, Gnome is still
| mind-numbingly bare, KDE looks more like an overturned toolbox than a
| desktop, Enlightenment is getting less innovative (I preferred e16 to
| e17), and MacOS is a nice piece of wrapped candy. Yes, I tried to spare
| no one.
|
| [...]
|
| On one side, we have Microsoft touting a brand-new OS with a 3D interface
| requiring state-of-the-art graphics capabilities to work transluscent
| window borders, stacked windows in the focus switcher, and transparent
| windows when you can figure out the keyboard shortcut. This is also what
| Windows users are supposed to be stuck with for the next five years at
| least, with no improvements to come - looks more like isometric 3D (it
| gives an idea of depth, but you can't make use of it).
|
| On the other side, you have composite display managers: Xgl, Xegl, and all.
| It works more or less well depending on your hardware's driver
| capabilities, it blends more or less with existing desktop managers, adds
| this or that effect depending on whatever crazy idea crossed the mind of
| its developer and/or developer... That's better: the cube-shaped virtual
| desktop is really starting to look like 3D, mosaic effects give a live
| overlook on all your running applications while they run, and transparent
| windows add real depth to your desktop - this is like Z-buffered vector 3D
| (it allows some 3D use, provided you only have one finger).
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http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/node/1577
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