Run the following code to prepare for the script (one-time only):

sudo apt-get install libnotify-bin compizconfig-settings-manager
sudo touch /usr/local/bin/compizswitcher
sudo chmod 777 /usr/local/bin/compizswitcher

Use your favorite text editor to save the following script as /usr/local/bin/compizswitcher:

#!/bin/bash -u
# quietmint.com Compiz Fusion wrapper script (8/26/08)

if [ $# -lt 1 ]; then
echo “Usage: $0 <command>”
exit 1
fi
ICON=”/usr/share/ccsm/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps/plugin-showdesktop.svg”
LOCKFILE=”/tmp/compizswitcher.lock”

# Disable?
if [ ! -e $LOCKFILE ]; then
echo “[compizswitcher] Disabling Compiz Fusion”
DISPLAY=$DISPLAY metacity –replace 2>/dev/null | cat /dev/null &
notify-send –expire-time=3500 –icon=$ICON “Application Compatibility”
“Visual effects are temporarily disabled.”
else
echo “[compizswitcher] Duplicate instance, Compiz Fusion was already disabled by another process”
fi

echo “$$” >> “$LOCKFILE”;
trap unlock INT TERM EXIT

# Run the original command
$@

unlock() {
# Enable?
OTHERS=$(grep -v “^$$$” “$LOCKFILE”)
if [ ! -z "$OTHERS" ]; then
echo “$OTHERS” > “$LOCKFILE”
echo “[compizswitcher] Duplicate instance, leaving Compiz Fusion disabled for other processes”
else
rm -f $LOCKFILE
echo “[compizswitcher] Enabling Compiz Fusion”
DISPLAY=$DISPLAY compiz –replace >/dev/null 2>/dev/null &
sleep 2
notify-send –expire-time=3500 –icon=$ICON “Application Compatibility”
“Visual effects have been re-enabled.”
fi
}

After saving the script, run the following commands to create a “wrapper” application for VLC (repeat for other applications, switching “vlc” with the appropriate application name):

sudo mv /usr/bin/vlc /usr/bin/vlc.real
sudo touch /usr/bin/vlc
sudo chmod 777 /usr/bin/vlc
echo ‘compizswitcher vlc.real $@’ > /usr/bin/vlc

Now you can enjoy high-quality, flicker-free videos without completely sacrificing the aesthetic 3D effects of Compiz Fusion.