FAQ

1. How does it work?

3ddesktop is different from most pagers in that it waits in the background until activated (by running 3ddesk). When it is activated it takes over the entire screen (like a fullscreen game). However, even though it is fullscreen you don't notice it because it presents an image of your current desktop and "zooms out" from that (this is the "seamless" part). Once it has zoomed out you see your other desktops and can select one to go to. Once you make a selection it zooms in on it, deactivates and you're now on that desktop.

2. What the heck did you write this program for? What were you thinking? Are you on crack?

In order, the answers are: For fun! I was thinking it would be cool! Nope.

3. The images sometimes do not match my real desktop.

Don't use any pagers other then 3ddesktop.

3ddesktop has to periodically do a screen capture of your current desktop to maintain updated images. If you always use 3ddesktop to switch desktops no problem, but if you use the default screen switcher then you may switch before 3ddesktop gets the most recent update of you previous desktop so it could become out of sync.

4. The images of my desktop are sometimes incomplete when I use --acquire.

Give an argument along with --acquire, such as --acquire=1000.

With the --acquire switch 3ddesktop goes through all your desktops and acquires them. However, when switching desktops some of your apps on each desktop may not have had a chance to refresh before they were "acquired". With a parameter to --acquire 3ddesktop will wait for a bit at each desktop so apps can refresh before the acquire. The default is to wait a little less then a second on each desktop.

5. I just get white/gray squares (no images of my desktops).

Some graphics cards or Opengl versions are limited in the texture size they support. Try turning down the texture size when running 3ddeskd (run with the argument --texturesize=64).

Let me know if you have this problem.

6. It says I don't have enough desktops... or I only get one.

You are probably using an unsupported windowmanager. 3ddesktop tries to guess what types of workspaces/viewports you are using and normally this should work. There are some flags to force a particular mode, see the README.

7. Why are the viewports disconnected and float in space? Viewports are supposed to be continuous.

(If you don't know what I'm talking about (this info is a little out of date with the latest gnome) then just ignore me.)

I don't use the characteristic of viewports where they are actually connected on the edges so I see them more as separate desktops and so that was how I created 3ddesktop. This is my personal preference for using virtual desktops, your mileage may vary. I don't see the point of having viewports and workspaces (the subtle differences are just confusing) although 3ddesktop supports GNOME workspaces instead of viewports with the --workspaces flag.

Try using linear mode with the option linear_spacing set to zero (in 3ddesktop.conf). This will show viewports right next to each other. (Also mode cylinder is 'joined' in this way).

See the README for more info about other windowmanagers and the workspaces flag.

8. Does it work with KDE 3?

Yes. Use the --kde3 or --ewmh switch to 3ddeskd. GNOME 2 and KDE 3 use the same EWMH standard.

9. How do I make a keybinding to 3ddesktop in GNOME with Metacity?

Run "gconf-editor". Drill down to apps --> metacity --> global_keybindings. Find "run_command_1" and change it to your key such as "F12" or "<Control><Alt>S". Then in apps --> metacity --> keybinding_commands find "command_1" and set it to "/usr/bin/3ddesk".

Kudos to the person who made the anonymous suggestion for this.

10. Compilation/link error about -lttf

If you get the following link error, edit Makefile and remove -lttf. 'imlib2-config --libs' adds this and I don't believe it should on some systems.

/usr/bin/ld: cannot find -lttf
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
make[1]: *** [3ddeskd] Error 1

11. Does it work with fluxbox?

The last time I checked was with fluxbox 0.1.14. If that is what you have then you need a patch, grab it here. Fluxbox didn't update the X atoms that describe the current workspace or number of workspaces. 3ddesktop needs these updated to work. I don't know if the lastest version of fluxbox does this or not.