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Software Linux

Looking-Glass Based Distro Reviewed 108

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the looking-at-the-looking-glass dept.
mymaxx writes "Tuxmachines.org has a review of LG3D, a LiveCD distro using Sun's Looking Glass technology. It looks very promising for the future of desktops, but it still has a ways to go." Tuxmachines also has a few screenshots for your viewing pleasure.
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Looking-Glass Based Distro Reviewed More

Looking-Glass Based Distro Reviewed

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  • ISO! (Score:5, Informative)

    by Koiu Lpoi ( 632570 ) <koiulpoiNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Monday October 24, 2005 @06:16PM (#13867153)
    Here [sourceforge.net]

    • User experience (Score:5, Informative)

      by lightyear4 ( 852813 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @07:01PM (#13867398)
      I stumbled across this liveCD two days ago on distrowatch [distrowatch.com] and simply could not help downloading it, if only out of curiosity. I had thought LookingGlass to be defunct, but it seems theyre making quite some progress. The livecd [java.net] is slax-popcorn based, boots in about two minutes with some (very) minimal hardware detection - though to be fair, it picked up on my video card and configured it for acceleration. When it loads into X, youre dropped into a plain ole minimal fluxbox desktop. At this point, I started poking around wondering when and where the Looking Glass would show up. But, never fear, its simply loading. Give it a little while and the java desktop will load in a window unto itself. Its a little cpu intensive, so you would benefit from a faster box with a decent amount of ram. The interface is rather slick..think aqua which has traded perfect eyecandy novel three-dimensional windowing (its still in development, so perfection is by no means expected - expect a few random lockups). If anyone does download and boot from it, I suggest clicking on the blue star at bottom right - it has information concerning the desktop's operation. At top left are three funky icons that are virtual desktops. The menu doesnt really work too well, but all things considered it does look pretty interesting. Window focussing and transparencies are rather well done as well. Concerning the innovative features and functions of the wm, you just have to see it; an explanation in text would not do it justice. The website is, of course, on its knees thanks to the slashdot deluge, but hopefully this little bit will help.
      • Yes, well and responsive, but....

        after few active (very active) minutes as any Java app consumes your memory, swap and starts working 0.5fps. And from that point in 10 minutes it didn't go anything better. Actualy first wrong response was when LG tripled menu.

        Would be interesting if it wouldn't be in Java. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind Java as long as it is used for standalone desktop application, but writing desktop or server service in any language that has sloppy memory is plain stupid. These work non
        • Did you try it, or your just flaming?
          • I did.

            I have an Athlon64 3200+ and 1 GB of RAM. It was very sluggish and the performance constantly dropped until it became completely unresponsive after 5 minutes and shut itself down.
            • actually the topnotch cpu doesnt really count that much i guess. it looks as it's based on opengl and thats where the hardware of your graphics card hits in ... i for example own a laptop with a sluggish sis chipset, and i wont even try to download the stuff, since i know it cant work with reasonable speed ... by the configuration you have, i assume you could have a proper graphics card ... have a proper driver to it too ?

              but an nv6800 equipped amd x2 might pretty well cut it, one core looking out for the 3
    • The main page for looking glass: http://www.sun.com/software/looking_glass/ [sun.com] Video demos of the desktop environment and screenshots: http://www.sun.com/software/looking_glass/demo.xml [sun.com]
      • Sun URLs [sun.com] show several different slideshows of what this interface looks like in use. It's pretty cool, if gratuitous and annoying, and I wouldn't waste screenspace on it unless I had a much larger screen than my laptop has. Basically you've got a 3D space, and instead of windows being parallel to your screen, they can be turned arbitrarily, stacked in front of each other, etc. So you can have windows sitting half-sideways in perspective scattered around an image of Stanford campus or your apartment, l

  • 0 comments already and images slashdotted already (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Work Account ( 900793 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @06:17PM (#13867158) Journal
    Why can't editors add a sentence or two to stories or add a Coral Cache link?

    I mean, it's a small-ish site with screenshots and you're giving it /. FP

    Think it'll really last?

  • Corel Cache. (Score:5, Informative)

    by bfizzle ( 836992 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @06:18PM (#13867166)
    http://www.tuxmachines.org.nyud.net:8090/gallery/l g3d [nyud.net]

    • Re:Corel Cache. (Score:3, Informative)

      by timeOday ( 582209 )
      thumbnails only :(
    • almost looks like it's /.-ted too... and I'm not behind a firewall.
    • Here's a screenshot of the coral cache, since it was all I could get (took almost 5 minutes). http://oss-in-efl.info/~danielbo/lg3d.png [oss-in-efl.info] Good luck.

  • Link hosed before the FP ... (Score:5, Informative)

    by evolve75 ( 759569 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @06:21PM (#13867193) Homepage
    The link is down before the FP!
    Here are some screenshots for Looking glass from Sun's site:
    http://www.sun.com/software/looking_glass/details. xml [sun.com]

  • You know... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Insert obilgatory slashdot comment: "if they were running [insert distro here] their server wouldn't be needing life support right now!!"

    Every time we slashdot a small site god kills a kitten. What about the kittens?!?! (oh wait.. maybe that was masturbation...)

  • Torrent! (Score:5, Informative)

    by patrickclay ( 898576 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @06:25PM (#13867207) Homepage
    Here's the Looking Glass Live CD torrent [torrentspy.com]

  • other 3d cool tools (Score:5, Interesting)

    by neologee ( 532218 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @06:28PM (#13867226) Homepage
    3d stuff too:
    It's not very useful and only looks great for like 10 min. of playing around with :/ .
    • Well, were Sphere XP to work without the requirement of having to install the large .NET framework, I'd actually use that instead of my boring 2-d desktop. I have a movable sphere where I can place windows and icons, still ALT-TAB between windows, and icons galore, same resolution, much more usable space.

      Now if it could actually run the programs, with their windows within the actual 3-d environment instead of making an overlay for the active program, it'd be cooler (Imagine ClaraGL webbrowser.) Let's no
      • I think it's only going to get interesting once there is software that actually works with SphereXP or 3d Desktop that permits you to move the desktop with your hands Minority reports style.
        The sphere is too big, you gotta drag it around to get to your program once you load too many, and you also lose count of how many programs YOU HAVE loaded. It's too fancy for a mouse and keyboard.
    • I use 3D-Desktop on my laptop, and actually find it very useful when working
      with 4+ desktops, as it allows you to zoom out and get your bearings easily...

  • Minor correction (Score:5, Informative)

    by bcmm ( 768152 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @06:29PM (#13867235)
    LG3D is not a livecd. LG3D is a unconventional desktop environment that Sun Microsystems is developing. LG3D-livecd is a livecd for trying it out.
    • So, why don't they release a beta that can be installed on any Linux desktop? Is it not at that point yet? Has it been released and it's just not being talked about? Or am I living under a rock?
      • I believe they do, but a liveCD does make sense for something like this, which will take a lot of compiling, installation, configuration (including changing system config) and disk space.

  • ATI card on linux (Score:3, Informative)

    by ohsoot ( 699507 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @06:33PM (#13867252)
    I think I'll need to get the 3d working for my ATI card on my laptop before I can use this.

  • Nothing new to see here... (Score:3, Informative)

    by InvalidError ( 771317 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @06:41PM (#13867283)
    This story was first posted back on March 2nd:
    http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/03/02/ 201216&tid=189&tid=102&tid=106 [slashdot.org]

  • For everybody... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 24, 2005 @06:43PM (#13867304)

    ...who says that all open-source software can do is copy proprietary desktops.

    I think 3D interfaces have a long way to go and need work on display and input devices to become as usable as our current 2.5D interfaces, but at least this is something to shut up everybody who wants a 3D desktop or wants to moan about open-source software.

  • Been waiting, LG3D has been influential though (Score:5, Interesting)

    by mattnuzum ( 839319 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @06:46PM (#13867320) Homepage

    I've been wating for something usable since January of 2004 [blogspot.com] and even earlier. However, I will say that Looking Glass has been very influential. That new feature in OS X Tiger that allows you to see 3d widgets has the same "flip over for options" feature that was demoed with LG3D.

    Will this ever become a usable project? I don't think so, but every time a profound new innovation like this appears it affects the other products that came out in later years. There is some good stuff here and I suspect we'll see it pop-up in very unusual places.

    I can't wait to see where.

    • I'm still waiting for a window manager based on a first-person shooter interface (and no, I mean something more sophisticated than shooting processes with the double barrel shotgun). You know, you can walk around your "desktop," interact with objects or windows, and use middle mouse button to auto-position the camera on a window or something. Aim at a window to bring it to focus, though I suppose WSAD would have to be remapped to something else. Furthermore, you can "throw" an object/window away when you
    • Widgets might not be the only Apple product to be inspired by Sun's Looking Glass project.

      This screenshot [nyud.net] from the Sun website seems very similar to the UI for Apple's new Front Row application that comes bundled with the new iMacs. I recall seeing an animation of this during a demonstration of Looking glass, and I believe the CDs moved in the same "circular 3D plane" motion that Front Row's application icons move in when you are toggling between applications.
  • As the page is already slashdotted and CoralCache doesn't seem to be too happy either. Anyways, is this that 3D desktop thing that Sun were flaunting a while back?

    If the speed of Java is anything to go by, then I'm not interested.

    Furthermore, has anyone managed to make a 3D desktop/OS which is actually as good as it promises?

    Perhaps we could do with different monitors for such a thing, some sort of hologram or projection, maybe?

    I have a horrible feeling I'm not talking about the right tech, so I'll shut up

  • First Impressions (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Koiu Lpoi ( 632570 ) <koiulpoiNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Monday October 24, 2005 @07:03PM (#13867413)
    It's very cool. However, it has some problems. I was going to make this post inside it, but it got terribly unstable and crashed. Also, it was somewhat slow, but I blame that on the ATI drivers. Overall though, the interface is much more intuitive and actually workable than other 3d interfaces I've tried out.
    • Oh! Forgot to add that it has one major flaw in the GUI:
      The icons in the taskbar have no popup text, so all you have to go off of is an icon. Frankly, this doesn't cut it at all. That one simple thing introduces a much larger learning curve than it would otherwise require.

  • It is useful; (Score:5, Interesting)

    by drijen ( 919269 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @07:05PM (#13867418)
    but its awkward at first.

    I just got done playing with the lg3d live cd (based on popcorn slax). Hardware wise its ineffecient, but nowhere near to the point of Microsoft Windows(tm).

    However, after 10 minutes of playing with it, i got to be pretty fast at running 5 apps at once (Its a live cd, normally i power task dozens of applications/windows). You can use an app even after it has been shunted to the side of the screen, by mousing over it. (It gives it a sort of half focus) Middle clicking a window immediatly puts it aside, and moving the mouse into to clean space makes all windows transparent. Doing this allowed me to read irc, while having firefox up directly over it.

    The only problem i really saw with it, is that it was a bit non-intuituve to use, and in some points did not repsond/spawn windows/refocus windows the way i thought it would. Its still beta, but i can honestly say i look forward to this type of technology becoming mainstream.

  • pfft! (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Solapse ( 925467 )
    This is nothing particularly new as many people including fair newbies (such as me) have managed to get looking glass running in other distros. There was a nice faq/walktrhough for ubuntu. Although i've yet to try out this livecd I'm sure its a lot more stable than running lg3d in Hoary.
  • of some program I used to use back when I still used windows. It was called SphereXP and you'd have a sort of room you could place windows in and move around in. It was quite useless and used too many resources. I'm only half way downloading it, but I can't say I believe it will live up to the hype, even with the positive comments of the slashdotters before me. (but who knows perhaps I'll be suprprised)

  • X.org composition manager (Score:3, Informative)

    by cachimaster ( 127194 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @08:30PM (#13868037)
    Little off-topic, but anyone with Linux, a nvidia card and x.org should test xcompmgr [freedesktop.org], it gives you hardware-accelerated translucency, ala OS-X. It looks gorgeus, and works with gnome and kde. A must have!
    Disclaimer: Iam not related in any way to xcompmgr. Just a happy user.
  • First I just let it go on its own but it didn't detect my video card. (nVidia)

    Next I booted with 'slax dbg' and selected nVidia but it didn't work:

    insmod: error instering '/lib/modules/2.6.12.2/kernel/drivers/video/nv/nvi dia.ko': -1 No such device

    So then I booted with 'slax dbg' and selected Bash and I cd to /lib/modules/2.6.12.2/kernel/drivers/video and there's no 'nv' subdirectory, let alone 'nvidia.ko'

    What gives? My first guess is that my ISO is corrupted or something, because I couldn't really see them

  • LiveCD (Score:2, Interesting)

    by lpcustom ( 579886 )
    I tried this out over the weekend and I will admit its still a bit too buggy to use as a main desktop. That aside, it's a great start. I really didn't like the mouse pointer. That is a bit nit-picky though. For a LiveCD it was actually one of the faster I've seen. I imagine it would run very nicely if it were installed instead of running from a livecd. I like eye-candy myself. Most of the really cool eye-candy for Linux is still very beta though, such as Enlightenment DR17 and this Looking Glass Project. As

  • Slashdotted (Score:2, Funny)

    by faqmaster ( 172770 )
    Every link is already slashdotted. Maybe they should call it "broken glass."

  • Screenshots (Score:3, Funny)

    by SpinJaunt ( 847897 ) on Monday October 24, 2005 @09:40PM (#13868422)
    Well thank you fellow /.'ters.. I guess you all had the same intentions as me.. look at the pretty pictures first then maybe RTFA after? well be a sport, and please let me view the pictures, please?
  • Was I the only one who read the headline and hoped for a new Thief game?

    I didn't really get into the post-LGS Thief III.

    • Re:Looking Glass Studious? (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      No no no!! I was hoping against hope that somehow the looking glass guys were involved, not that it would make any difference in a desktop, but still.

      So you are not alone. However, since I posted this anonymously, it probably will never get modded up and of course never read. So nevermind.
  • I do not like the linux at all and use to Free and now netbsd. FreeBSD is no longer reliable on my computer so I am screwed. Sigh

    I wonder how bad this would run in software opengl with mesa?
  • Watch Executive Vice President Jonathan Schwartz demo Project Looking Glass. The video is kind of old but first time I saw it was pretty impressed relative to the desktop eye candy at the time:
    http://webcast-east.sun.com/archives/GSN-1312/GSN- 1312_forjds.mov [sun.com]

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