Advanced

good idea

Story: Canonical's Working On A Unity 2D DesktopTotal Replies: 10
Author Content
tuxchick

Jan 15, 2011
6:54 PM EST 		There always needs to be a lo-fi fallback. 3D graphics is a big fat pain, even when you have a good well-supported video card. I ran into an odd Nvidia issue and haven't resolved it yet-- it won't do 1600x1050. Prolly have to give Nvidia tech support a try since it's a new card with the latest driver.
montezuma

Jan 15, 2011
9:24 PM EST 		Also on a laptop a 2D desktop makes sense because it chews up less power so the battery lasts longer and it runs cooler. Also who really needs 3d effects anyhow?
tuxchick

Jan 15, 2011
11:43 PM EST 		Who needs 3D effects? I play some games that require them, and I like OpenGL screensavers. I don't like the idea of making the desktop environment dependent on them.
hkwint

Jan 16, 2011
12:23 PM EST 		TC: Sure it isn't 1680x1050? I had some issues with it too in the beginning, though now it's ok.
gus3

Jan 16, 2011
1:12 PM EST 		Putting all possible desktop rendering work onto the video chipset, has two benefits:

1. Video chips are faster than CPU software.

2. Video chips generally use less electricity (and generate less heat) to render the same frame.

(Edited for wording.)
tuxchick

Jan 16, 2011
2:58 PM EST 		Yes Hans, it is 1680x1050. There is a 1680x1024 option, and so far all I've found is other users also wanting 1680x1050.
montezuma

Jan 16, 2011
4:31 PM EST 		Gus,

Yes that is correct. The question I have though is whether all the additional power consumption which goes into 3d effects (even if pushed onto a gpu) is worth the additional desktop functionality... I am skeptical
Sander_Marechal

Jan 17, 2011
3:33 PM EST 		You can still render on the GPU and disable 3D effects.
Steven_Rosenber

Jan 18, 2011
12:37 PM EST 		This is a very good sign. There are plenty of machines out there w/o 3D capability, and Linux developers who assume everybody is running the latest are generally assuming wrong.
montezuma

Jan 22, 2011
4:30 PM EST 		I put this on a Thinkpad X300 and it isn't too bad at all even in rough alpha/beta form. It is fast, runs cooler than gnome, is nice to use and look at. The level of functionality still lags a bit compared with standard gnome most particularly with respect to accessing system settings and the like but it does show promise. I am using it right now to write this. The Ubuntu ppa is here:

https://launchpad.net/ ~unity-2d-team/+archive/unity-2d-daily

worth a look at least.
JaseP

Jan 24, 2011
9:31 AM EST 		@ Tuxchick:

Things like Transparencies (or more properly: Translucencies) are often dependent on 3D compositing. And before you ask, transparency is needed when you have overlays (previews, on-screen keyboards & pen input boxes), most of the time.

For a simple desktop or laptop, I kind of see your point. But for tablets, phones & HTPCs, it's more necessary. By the way, I penned this with CellWriter on my M912m convertible touchscreen tablet/netbook.

Post a reply to this thread:

A free account is needed to post. Write your comment here first: your text is kept in this browser while you sign up or log in, and is waiting for you when you come back.

Your message:
|||||
10
Markdown: **bold**, *italic*, [text](https://link), - lists, > quotes, $x^2$ for math. Formatting help

Sign up and post (it is free)  or  Log in and post