Composite Extension

{{Short description|Extension for X Window System}}

The Composite Extension of the X Window System renders the graphical output of clients "...to an off-screen buffer. Applications can then take the contents of that buffer and do whatever they like. The off-screen buffer can be automatically merged into the parent window or merged by external programs, called compositing managers."{{cite web | url = http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/CompositeExt | title = Software/CompositeExt | date = 2008-08-23}}

This enabled the creation of compositing managers for X, capable of effects like transparency, 3D rotation, and jiggly windows.

The composite extension was added to X.org in version X11R6.8{{cite web | url = http://www.x.org/archive/X11R6.8.0/doc/RELNOTES2.html | title = Summary of new features in X11R6.8 | accessdate = 2010-01-02}} in September 2004.{{cite web | url = http://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2004090901826NWDT | date = 2004-09-09 | title = PR: X.Org Foundation Announces X11R6.8 Release of the X Window System | access-date = 2011-01-02 | archive-date = 2015-05-16 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150516170149/http://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2004090901826NWDT | url-status = dead }}