How to turn off the Ubuntu 13.04 window fade effect
Solution 1:
You can do so using the Unity Tweak tool. If you don't have it installed, just press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open Terminal. When it opens, run the command(s) below:
sudo apt-get install unity-tweak-tool
Once installed, search for it in dash, click on it. Once it comes up, click on Window Manager --> General. See image below.
Once the new window open up, click on Animation, and choose None under Minimize. See image below.
Note: You may have to close the applications and open it again for it to work.