I was already dabbling in Linux with shared hosting for my hobbyist website, but Compiz made me lean into Linux and development full tilt.

Showing friends the crazy 3D desktop, the wobbling, burning windows, and all of the other crazy customization and effects it provided gave me a kind of unique confidence and excitedness in my explorations. It was like jet fuel for learning. Bash, vim, Unix philosophy, Python - all things I got sucked into because I liked the aesthetics and promise of Linux. Lessons that outlived the window manager and paved the way for my career.

Compiz couldn't have done a better job.