Practical use for multiple desktop screens?

March 6, 2008 12:17 AM

What are some practical uses for multiple switchable desktop screens?

I find the option of having multiple switchable desktops in Linux interesting, if not terribly practical. I see there's a power toy to do this in Windows, too.

A lot of the eye candy in Linux (compiz fusion, etc.) involves multiple desktops. How do you MeFites use multiple desktops? I can't think of a practical application for this.

Of course, it took me a while to really grok having tabs in an internet browser, and now I couldn't live without them...

posted by mamessner to computers & internet (24 comments total)

In my experience, Virtual Desktop Manager PowerToy does not work as well as the multiple desktops in most Unix window managers.

If you are working on multiple tasks at once, it can be useful to switch between a set of windows. Even if you have a maximized window in each desktop, if you have good keyboard shortcuts set up, it can be easier to switch between desktops than to minimize one and maximize another.
posted by grouse at 12:28 AM on March 6

I tend to do it to segregate things I'm working on. So if I'm working on a report for work I might have a few word-processor documents, a spreadsheet and a file explorer open in one screen for that task, while I'll have email and web-browser in another and maybe a vmware session fullscreened in a third, then I might have a bunch of stuff I leave running in the background like torrent clients and things in a fourth. It'd nothing you can't live without, but once you start using it you miss it when it's gone. That said I don't use it at work where I use windows, the couple of plugins I tried were kludgey. Might have to have another look though, that was ages ago.
posted by markr at 12:30 AM on March 6

I have twelve desktops spread across two monitors (well, 6 desktops according to KDE, but with two monitors, you get the idea), and I use it for organizing my work flow. One set of desktops has IRC and IM windows across from a desktop with a maximized terminal window for general use when talking with coworkers. The next set of desktops has Opera in one and Firefox in the other, the next set has kdevelop open to the C headers for the project I'm working on across from kdevelop open to the source files, the next three sets have terminals open for debugging and testing and monitoring logs and all the other things that come along with being a programmer.

The last time I tried to use Windows for anything it drove me nuts not being able to have multiple desktops. Hitting a key combo to switch to a particular desktop is much faster than looking down at the taskbar or hitting Ctrl-Tab and looking for what I need.
posted by cmonkey at 1:00 AM on March 6

I have four desktops:

1 is for mail
2 is for work and priority applications
3 has one or two terminals open for utility stuff
4 is for other applications that aren't priority

This is on GNOME on Linux.
posted by PenDevil at 2:01 AM on March 6

This is on Spaces in Leopard (and also on Linux, etc): I organize my virtual desktops vertically, in a four-level hierarchy. My logic is that whatever gets the most attention is at the top; the least at the bottom. This way, the hierarchy is visual as well.

1: Work applications: word processors, Indesign/Photoshop, etc: whatever I'm working on at the time
2: All web browsing and email: really, the internet should be less of a priority than my work
3: Planners, GTD programs, post-its/text windows that I require once in a while
4: Music players and background programs
posted by suedehead at 2:20 AM on March 6

Ah, I'm sorry, I'm being a jerk.

What I'm getting at is that everybody's answer here is essentially going to be the same: virtual desktops are used for multitasking. What, exactly, each person does with their applications will be different, but on an abstract level everybody is doing the same thing. An increase in logical desktop space allows for more specific groupings of tasks, which makes it easier to do more things at once. This question is like asking why is it better to have more drawers, or closets, or shelves, in that the answer is self evident. More space is better.
posted by tracert at 2:48 AM on March 6

I used to think the multiple desktop thing was a fad when I only had small screens, as I just ran everything full screen anyway, and I always had it down in my head as a virtual way to compensate with a lack of screen real estate but with that mind set, it made no real difference to me.

However, in more recent years where I've had much bigger screens, and can actually position multiple windows around a single screen layout using multiple desktops comes into it's own and I've used it as other people have mentioned for grouping particular sets of applications around individual tasks.

It takes a bit of time to get used to and take full advantage of it, but when I was using multiple huge monitors it certainly made me more productive.
posted by paulfreeman at 2:57 AM on March 6

Another way to think about it: Imagine you have a laptop, three reports to cross reference, and a notepad with important info. Would you rather work on one of those little airplane tray tables, or a nice big wooden desk where you can spread everything out? On which will you spend less time bumbling around looking for the right paper and more time getting things done? Which is more efficient?

At work, it's not uncommon for me to have 4 terminals, a spreadsheet, emacs, a browser window or two, a pdf, and my email program open. trying to find the right window would be a nightmare if I couldn't spread them out over multiple monitors and multiple desktops.
posted by chrisamiller at 3:27 AM on March 6

I have a small screen on my notebook (eeePC), having multiple desktops allows me to keep everything maximized and yet easily switch from one app to the next, more than alt+tab would.
posted by furtive at 4:41 AM on March 6

Personally, I find that the confusion and lack of persistence in setting up multiple desktops and keeping them that way, and remembering what goes where on the numbered slots, is not really worth the effort (using Spaces, at least). Given the limitations of targeting individual application windows and lack of semantic information in the windowing system (i.e.: the OS has no idea that I'm using one terminal window for email and one for watching a log file on a remote server), it's just far too frustrating to try to make this work for me in any way that makes sense.

I also find that when I'm working on a task, I flip back and forth between lots of different applications in ways that aren't predictable. I can't just say "I'm reading web pages now so I need X application open" or "I'm writing code now so I need Y application open".

When I'm reading web pages, I'll often want to mail off a link, or something I'm reading will remind me that I need to go edit something in a document I was working on. When I'm coding, I'm referring to web reference pages and emails and notes and diagrams, and testing in a browser.

I MUCH prefer having a fast task switcher that will let me easily find the next app I need, and not have to do these big context switches which don't map to how I actually work. On OSX, that switcher is Quicksilver.
posted by Caviar at 5:57 AM on March 6 [1 favorite]

I use multiple desktops because I'm usually doing multiple, unrelated tasks. I'm horrible at doing any one thing for more than an hour solid.
For instance,
1) Remote Desktops and VirtualPCs
2) Purchasing options and technology research
3) Outlook and random websites
4) Database software.
It's not uncommon for me to have 10+ Windows opens at any different time and trying to manage those in one desktop gives me a headache. I find that having 3-4 different workspaces with specific tasks makes life more manageable. I try to keep the desktops self-contained with their own discrete functions (ie, if I'm using desktop 4, I won't need to switch back to desktop 2 to do some of my database work).
IMHO, Microsoft's own desktop manager is wretched. I recommend VirtualWin to any potential Windows users reading this.
posted by jmd82 at 6:19 AM on March 6 [1 favorite]

At work, I have a double-monitor, quad-desktop set up. This allows me to easily see how long my tests have been running, the current status of my network(s), and easily switch to surfing the web while staying aware of one of those two.
posted by Xoder at 6:20 AM on March 6

On all my machines (Linux, Windows [DeskWin], Mac [Desktop Manager]) I need my four desktops: Core stuff (CAD, windflow analysis), Auxiliary stuff (GIS, Excel), E-mail, and Web.
posted by scruss at 6:39 AM on March 6 [1 favorite]

I've been experimenting with Spaces in Leopard, and while I don't claim to have the ideal workflow figured out, some of my work does seem to benefit from segregating virtual workspaces.

Space 1 is my default space. E-mail, web, RSS, whatever.

Right now I'm working on a project where I need to keep 4 windows open in 3 apps and have them all visible. I've manually tiled them on screen to maximize usable space. Obviously this is kind of fussy, so it's nice to be able to leave it as-is. I've opened all that into space 2. I think it's this kind of situation where virtual desktops really make sense.

Games (to the extent I play them) are explicitly forced into space 3 using the "application assignments" settings in Spaces. I don't have a boss, but virtual desktops make for a great "boss key."
posted by adamrice at 7:08 AM on March 6 [1 favorite]

I do web development on a system with 2 monitors, each with 4 desktops. I group the primarily interactive stuff on the right monitor (1: editor, 2: console, 3: IM client, music player, etc, 4: windows vmware) and put the primarily feedback stuff on the left (1: firefox, 2: firefox javascript console, 3: opera, 4: ie or another console following an error log).

I use E17 on Linux which I like because (a) it lets me scroll the desktops on the two monitors independently, and (b) it allows me to scroll desktops by moving my mouse off the edge of the screen. I've found that (b) has a bit of a learning curve but that once you get it you really get a sense of a physical orientation of the desktops, almost like I actually have 4x the resolution I can visualize the console as sitting there below vim &etc.

That's just the scheme that works to me, but I think any rational division of multiple desktops will improve your productivity after the adjustment period. Just give it a shot for a while and see what scheme emerges.
posted by moift at 8:08 AM on March 6

The times I've tried using virtual desktops, I've spent more time trying to get them to do something useful than I've saved with their "productivity-enhancing" "features." So you are not alone. Give me two or three 24" widescreen displays anytime.
posted by kindall at 8:18 AM on March 6

Contrary to others:

Web browsing when I should be doing work. Here comes the boss, better jump back to the other virtual desktop with my report open...
posted by fogster at 8:40 AM on March 6 [1 favorite]

Pretty much same as everyone else. Mail on one, irc on another, im on another, work web stuff on one, personal web stuff in another, emacs on one, then usually half a dozen with open terminal windows doing various things. I pretty much never iconify/minimize anything, just switch desktops.

Apps pretty much always go into the same places every time. ctrl+cursorkeys to move around desktops is pretty much hardwired somewhere between my brain and hands these days (been using more or less this setup for ~15 years on various OS'es).

The keybindings are critical. I like ctrl+cursorkeys because I can move desktops without really moving my hands off the home keys. I don't find workspace manager applets that let you see whats in each window particular useful, since I rarely "search" for something.

I also tend to keep one empty window up, and switch to it when I leave my workstation.

I find myself occasionally just flipping though the desktops. Especially if I have gotten distracted.
posted by alikins at 9:20 AM on March 6

The one in windows is dog slow. I don't see them virtual desktops as really useful but that depends on the tasks you work with. In particular, if you constantly have two or more tasks each involving multiple apps and these tasks don't overlap - i.e. programming and web design where you're not programming _for_ the web design project, then virtual desktops are really great. Without them, you'd have to minimize the 3-4 windows devoted to coding and then maximize 3-4 windows for web design, then do the same to go back. With VDs you just hit one shortcut for the same effect. However if the tasks do overlap, it can be a bit annoying that you need a window that is on another desktop. I haven't used them for a very long time, though, so it may become second nature to move windows around or use keyboard shortcuts for each specific desktop. Right now I use ctrl-alt-direction to switch VDs. What I really hate about compiz is that there is no quick alt-tab, because it insists on bringing up a transparent switcher, and there's no way to turn off the transparency/previews in it. I often want to switch just to the last app and back quickly, and it's annoying as hell, and the switcher also crashes Emerald about once a day so I turned it off completely.

I also use a separate VD for graphics editing, because gimp opens many windows that are hard to deal with because properly they should be inside main window the way Photoshop does it but this is really a gimp problem, but VDs help to work around it.

Another thing I do is I have two file managers open in a separate VD for heavy file management, but again this is just a workaround for linux not having a decent two pane manager, like windows' xplorer2.

All in all VDs make up for some linux desktop problems, in windows I never really miss them at all. But I've only used them for a few months so this may change yet..
posted by rainy at 9:51 AM on March 6

I use multiple desktops primarily so that I don't have to use the mouse. It is much faster for me to have each application on its own desktop and to switch between them with a control arrow key than it is to find the mouse and choose which window I want. I know there are other ways to switch between apps with keys, but the nice thing about desktops is that I have a very standard layout for what goes where that I have been using for about 15 years, and I have a strong sense of where I am and how to get where I want to. Many of the other ways to switch between apps (alt-tab) do not put the apps in the same order all the time, so I actually have to look to get where I am going.
posted by procrastination at 12:44 PM on March 6

Also, most VD managers like Virtual Dimension let you drag a little program icon to swap which desktop the program is in. It saves me from having crunched up apps in the task bar (over 10 and it starts getting hard to read the web page titles, for example).
posted by IronLizard at 1:05 PM on March 6

Hiding your porn.
posted by mynameismandab at 8:56 PM on March 6

laptop:
1: shell, root, root@remote, IM, browser, misc momentary stuff.
2: SSH with a tunnel to Solaris work machine and VNC for email and root to other machines.
3: SSH with a tunnel to Linux desktop and VNC for VMWare Windows 2k crap.
4: current hack project, few windows for docs, few editors, one to run the damn thing.
5: network monitoring Java crap 1.
6: network monitoring Java crap 2.
7: network monitoring Java crap 3.
8: well i forget what 8 is for.

desktop at work:
two machines (the Solaris/Linux duo), three monitors, use "x2x" to control both with single keyboard.
S1: shell, root, email, misc
S2: roots
L1a: shell, browser
L1b: IM, mp3 player
L2a: Java crap 1
L2b: Java crap 2
L3a: Java crap 3
L3b: *nothing*
L4ab: current project.
L5a: VMWare
L5b: random crap.
L6ab: shells to servers, root and otherwise.
L7ab: emergency work.
posted by zengargoyle at 10:23 PM on March 6

Aside from the occasional dialog box that pops up in the wrong desktop, I really like Spaces in Mac OS X 10.5. I've got all my apps categorized into spaces for my different tasks and workflows. I also have virtual machines running full screen in some spaces so I can just command+arrow back and forth between MacOS, Linux, Windows, etc. Very nice.
posted by bigtex at 3:46 AM on March 7