Every now and then, I bug the KDE developers with requests to include the Oxygen Transparent theme by default Mostly because it's the only KWin theme I like and maintaining it separately is hard, plus I believe defaulting it would make KDE so much prettier. The answer is always no because the Oxygen Transparent widget style has several problems, especially with video players. I can confirm some myself which is why I don't use it for widget style either.

Still, I use the Oxygen Transparent KWin theme for months, and have never had the smallest problem with it. Coloring works well, everything shows fine both with and without desktop effects, and it doesn't crash anything or get in the way. So I was wondering if the developers could make a compromise, and include only the Oxygen Transparent KWin theme but not the Plasma one. Another option is to simply take the transparency component from OX-T and add it as an optional setting to the default Oxygen. People can manually turn it on if they also use Blur compositing... and since for KWin transparency doesn't require separate libraries and many custom themes have it, this should be simple.

Would including Oxygen Transparent for KWin but not Widget Style be something the developers could consider? Been waiting to see this theme defaulted somehow, and this would seem like a reasonable and stable option. Pretty please

I think your at the wrong place to ask this question. It's not a decision KWin can take as it belongs to Oxygen. One of the ideas behind the Oxygen design is to blur what is the window and what's the decoration. Your request would break with goal. So I don't think that the Oxygen devs would agree to something like that even if it is technically feasible.

From what I know, the people who maintain Oxygen are part of the KDE team. If not then my question is for who maintains Oxygen.

As for the goal, I know Oxygen Transparent is meant to offer transparency for both the window and widget style. But if widget isn't ready yet, would it harm anything to default only the KWin part for now? Doesn't mean the goal has to change, but if one part works and can be used independently I see no wrong in that, until the qt style will also be stable and can get in. Everything looks ok to me when using Oxygen Transparent for KWin and normal Oxygen for qt, so I don't believe it would bother anyone.

From what I know, the people who maintain Oxygen are part of the KDE team.

Yes, but not part of the KWin team, so you are wrong in the KWin subforum.

As for the goal, I know Oxygen Transparent is meant to offer transparency for both the window and widget style. But if widget isn't ready yet, would it harm anything to default only the KWin part for now?

Think about it. The idea of Oxygen is to have the border between decoration and window content not visible. With what you want as a "default" this border would be visible. You would break one of the basic ideas of the complete style. Yes that can be considered as harming.

Oh, I didn't see this is in the wrong thread. Please move the topic to the correct area then.

As for how it would break the purpose of Oxygen, I still don't understand, but it doesn't mean I'm right. I only know that Oxygen Transparent for KWin looks good with normal Oxygen for widget style (it's my configuration for months) so I don't see why the working part can't be added till the other is ready too. Maybe one of the Oxygen developers can explain in more detail, but that's just what I think and the devs who made it know its purpose best of course.

MirceaKitsune wrote:Oh, I didn't see this is in the wrong thread. Please move the topic to the correct area then.

As for how it would break the purpose of Oxygen, I still don't understand, but it doesn't mean I'm right. I only know that Oxygen Transparent for KWin looks good with normal Oxygen for widget style (it's my configuration for months) so I don't see why the working part can't be added till the other is ready too. Maybe one of the Oxygen developers can explain in more detail, but that's just what I think and the devs who made it know its purpose best of course.

I've not really noticed a difference between oxygen and the oxygen transparent window theme. The main thing I notice is that when I'm using the base oxygen transparent theme then the transparent window theme helps to keep the color and blur effect of the titlebar the same as the client area. Using the plain oxygen window theme with oxygen transparent gives the titlebar has a different blur effect making the titlebar stand out instead of blend in with the client area. You can have transparent titlebars with plain oxygen, what do you get when running the oxygen transparent window theme with the plain oxygen base theme?

vayu wrote:I've not really noticed a difference between oxygen and the oxygen transparent window theme. The main thing I notice is that when I'm using the base oxygen transparent theme then the transparent window theme helps to keep the color and blur effect of the titlebar the same as the client area. Using the plain oxygen window theme with oxygen transparent gives the titlebar has a different blur effect making the titlebar stand out instead of blend in with the client area. You can have transparent titlebars with plain oxygen, what do you get when running the oxygen transparent window theme with the plain oxygen base theme?

Oxygen Transparent window theme + plain Oxygen widget theme is what I'm using since I moved to Linux. It is true that a transparent titlebar and a non-transparent client area don't perfectly right, though it doesn't look too bad either, and it's the best I can get safely. I'd like Oxygen Transparent to be fully included with KDE, but it's not due to problems with transparent widget style, hence why I hoped only KWin part could be included at least.

MirceaKitsune wrote:Oxygen Transparent window theme + plain Oxygen widget theme is what I'm using since I moved to Linux. It is true that a transparent titlebar and a non-transparent client area don't perfectly right, though it doesn't look too bad either, and it's the best I can get safely. I'd like Oxygen Transparent to be fully included with KDE, but it's not due to problems with transparent widget style, hence why I hoped only KWin part could be included at least.

You can get the same effect without oxygen transparent. In the dialog box from systemsettings/desktop effects/all effects/translucency there is a slider to adjust the transparency of "Decorations". That will give you transparent window decorations with the plain oxygen window decoration theme.

I believe the purpose of the oxygen transparent window decoration theme is because the blur and transparency of the desktop effects does not match the blur and transparency of oxygen transparent's widget's. To get oxygen transparent to have a seamless "no titlebar" appearance I had to turn off the desktop effects translucency for "Decorations", and then use the oxygen transparent window decoration theme. Otherwise the transparent title bar and the transparent window/widget area didn't quite match each other.

I'm a long time oxygen transparent user and only have two frustrations. Enough that I can see why KDE doesn't make it official, and it's beautiful and solid enough that I can see why KDE still keeps it. I'd be sad if it went away.

I couldn't be happier with Video. VLC written in Qt works great with no issues at all on my system and looks sharp with transparency. SMPlayer works fine if I create an application specific exception in the oxygen transparent settings. This feature makes any problem application work fine which leads to my only two frustrations. GTK apps like Firefox, Gimp, ..., look beautiful but don't have transparency. The only other problem I have with oxygen transparent is that with the help/about dialogs that show the program version; the text of the version information doesn't show up. The rest of the dialog content is fine, just where the version info is, there's no visible text. I can ctrl-a, ctrl-c then paste into kate and see it. It's the only glitch I experience and to me it's minor. The Gtk not matching isn't my favorite but oxygen transparent is beautiful and the Gtk apps have a similar overall shape and color.

vayu wrote:You can get the same effect without oxygen transparent. In the dialog box from systemsettings/desktop effects/all effects/translucency there is a slider to adjust the transparency of "Decorations". That will give you transparent window decorations with the plain oxygen window decoration theme.

Aaah, I never knew about this! I gave it a try now, but sadly it won't work properly. If I select the default Oxygen theme for KWin and set decoration translucency to a lower value, the decoration turns transparent but there is no blur The buttons are also made translucent, which looks uglier although it's acceptable.

Is this a bug, or does setting transulcenty on decorations cause the blur effect to not work? I use the fglrx (proprietary ATI) driver if that matters. I might switch to this instead of Oxygen Transparent if it's better, but only if blur will work on top of it.

MirceaKitsune wrote:Is this a bug, or does setting transulcenty on decorations cause the blur effect to not work? I use the fglrx (proprietary ATI) driver if that matters. I might switch to this instead of Oxygen Transparent if it's better, but only if blur will work on top of it.

It's been a while since I've done that and I don't have time to check, but I remember blur working on the titlebar, you do have to set it in systemsettings desktop effects blur.

I don't know that one is better than the other. Personally I'd use what's working. I don't have many problems with oxygen transparent. Except for what I outlined in the post above, it works great for me.

Different video drivers can sometimes provide different results but in this case I don't believe so. I have KDE w transparencyworking well on both nvidia and fglrx setup computers.

vayu wrote:It's been a while since I've done that and I don't have time to check, but I remember blur working on the titlebar, you do have to set it in systemsettings desktop effects blur.

I don't know that one is better than the other. Personally I'd use what's working. I don't have many problems with oxygen transparent. Except for what I outlined in the post above, it works great for me.

Different video drivers can sometimes provide different results but in this case I don't believe so. I have KDE w transparencyworking well on both nvidia and fglrx setup computers.

Blur does work, including on the KWin decoration. But only if I use a theme that is meant to be transparent. If I use a non-transparent theme for KWin then set decoration to be transparent in the Translucency effect, it doesn't blur.