I’ve been watching some of the more recent BERYL videos on youtube, and I really can’t get over how great it looks. For those of you who might not know, BERYL is an Open GL enhanced window manager for Linux that provides 3d desktop switching as well as a number of great window effects and visual enhancements. While I’m a developer and my primary role in most projects is to make things work functionally, I’ve always held fast to the notion that form and function are equally important in all things. That being said, the presentation of the Windows operating system has always been a constant source of irritation for me. Over the years things have improved somewhat, but I generally find myself installing unsigned themes, so called “MS Power Tools” and third party software just to gain back a fraction of the features that come with OSX or GNOME/KDE based systems. Recently, despite my “If its not broke don’t fix it” mentality, I’ve been checking out Vista just to see if its something I’m interested in upgrading to, and whereas it does look considerably prettier than previous versions of Windows, it’s still light years away from OSX and BERYL. If only I could have the compatibility and software available to Windows and the good looks of BERYL or OSX all in one system. Maybe one day, right?

ian OS