The Clutter library, largely promoted by Intel, provides developers with easy access to the OpenGL and OpenGL ES programming environments to enable them to use their features effecively for PC, mobile device and embedded device user interfaces. These include, for example, a whole series of simple to use animation and effects for multi-layered 2D interface elements and support for multiple pointing devices.

Because the C-written library has language bindings with C++, C#, Perl, Python, Ruby and Vala, developers can pretty much use their favorite programming language. Intel itself uses Clutter as the basis for the current Moblin v2 user interface. Clutter also works well with GTK+, Cairo and Gstreamer, thus prompting GNOME developers to adopt the library. The interface for the new GNOME 3.0 to appear in 2010 will be based on Clutter.

The new version 1.0.0 of Clutter now available serves as the first stable release of the 1.0.x series, providing stability for the API and the COGL GPU rendering library that is the basis for all the future versions to follow in the series. A source code tarball is available under LGPL 2.1 license on the project download page. Precompiled Debian and Ubuntu packages from "Edgy" through "Hardy" are in the OpenedHand repository. Details on the current status of Clutter and its practical applications are available as presentations that the developers did early July at the GUADEC 2009 and OSCON 2009 conferences.