I don't get this obsession with compositors. I just switch them off. Has no benefit for me. If I'm so inclined I can move windows with video running in Full-HD without any tearing across several screens like mad. When I'm in a terminal window of some sort I don't care for the real transparency, because it is unergonomic. When I'm in some other application the same applies.
The app thumbnails in macOS’s Mission Control [1] and GNOME’s Activities overview [2] provide a nice way of managing graphical windows and workspaces which requires a compositor. Animated window management in general is a UI affordance that I value. I’m not sure if it’s a “real benefit,” but consistently getting this right is one thing that attracts users to macOS and iOS.
I know them. Maybe I'm just an old fart and "set in my ways", but it's not even "nice to have" for me when it compromises the general haptics of the environment, as in dragging it down with sluggishness.
Can someone enlighten me about the real benefits?
Seriously.