Compiz is a desktop manager based on XGL. It is a Linux project that allows the user to manage the workspace in new ways. It takes advantage of the XGL project code, using OpenGL to fuel some very innovative GUI enhancements.
You can find a short demo (11 minutes) and some screenshots here.
If you run Linux, you can also download it via a CVS.
Currently my main operating system is Microsoft, but it is looking more and more like Windows Vista will be a trojan horse for DRM. More-likely-than-not, I will be switching exclusively to Linux in the future. That is in no small part due to truly amazing, free projects such as Compiz.
The future of computers is Open Source. A bold claim, but a true claim. Proprietary operating systems and software do not extend usability and customizability to the users and their organizations.
Open Source does exactly that. You can imagine an Art Department customizing Linux & a setup such as Compiz to allow for the following scenario:
The department head could simultaneously view the works in progress of the artists, and give feedback, as well as allowing the individual artists to see what one another was doing. If one artist was better at working on part of what another was doing, the control of the workspace could be “switched,” allowing the second artist to instantly jump in and work on the piece.
This is all possible using current technology. It wouldn’t be very easy with a closed-source system, but it wouldn’t be that hard with linux.
Anyway, I encourage you to watch the video for yourself.