Tyler on Ubuntu: Your Virtual desktops

By , Published April 29, 2010

Remember when I asked you about how you used your virtual workspaces? Well, ever since then (yes, ever since last Friday. It seems like a long time) I’ve been doing my darndest to collate the data I received from you guys, and trying to decide what I thought of it all. You can read about some specifics of what I found over at my personal blog (with charts! and graphs!), but I’ll give you guys the skinny here.

The Skinny

Heres the simple version of the stats: The majority of you guys used 4 workspaces, predominantly in a 2×2 wall, but also in straight lines and some cubes. More people used even numbers than odd for the number of workspaces, and no one used 7. Most of you had particular workspaces for particular apps or tasks, and switched between them using mostly keyboard shortcuts, but also fairly often with Expo. The number one desire and hope for you workspace users? Unique wallpaper assignable to each workspaces, and/or social/work/task specific assignments for workspaces.
To me, it became quite obvious a few basic facts. Curious? Well, I kinda figured you were.

The Basic Facts

We like order; we like organization. We use workspaces to reduce clutter, even to the degree of simply not wanting a minimized icon on the taskbar. We often run all apps fullscreen on their workspace, and we switch to them even for simple tasks of checking a single email, writing a reply on an IM, or changing a song on our media player.
Many of us don’t like minimizing apps €“ ever. Instead, we just switch to a new workspace, again, even for simple tasks.

So what?

Well, thats the real question, isn’t it? The way we are using workspaces is certainly not bad, but its far from optimal. In my thinking, there simply has to be a better way to approach something thats remained untouched for as long as it has. Given that our primary use seems to be as an overblown application switcher so as to not see clutter while we’re using a different application, than there has got to be something available to give us all the same piece of mind of seeing no clutter, but bringing us our apps with the same speed as a simple key combination, and allowing for full user configurable use.
But what does that mean? Well, I’m not totally sure yet. But if you have a continued interest in following where I go with all this, join me over at my blog or track me down (usually tyler-james or some variant) in the #omg!ubuntu! IRC and send me some ideas.
Article originally appeared on omgubuntu.co.uk

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  • Anonymous

    Reminds me of my mockup idea from a long time ago:
    http://jiceland.com/software/wm.php
    Here the basic idea is have desktops with different tasks which also contain their own set of icons, and to open apps “fullscreen” in separate tabs / workspaces.

  • Will

    So what you’re essentially saying is something like the netbook remix application switcher is what we REALLY want (instead of / as well as workspaces)?

    • Anonymous

      probably as well as, and probably something not quite that but similar (possibly)

  • Anonymous

    (Or post your idea in the Ayatana ML)

    • Anonymous

      well, yeah, or that. :D

  • Calvin

    I don’t use multiple workspaces. I just remove the switch, and minimize windows. Works for me, and it’s much easier.

  • http://www.FreezingMoon.org/ Dread Knight

    I think more than 2 virtual desktops are stupid. One application per desktop? Otherwise how many are you running to want to actually use 4 virtual desktops all the time?
    Learn to use a dock like avant window navigator, in panel mode with edge and transparent modes… and a hide windows and show desktop applet on the bottom left side.

    • daas88

      It might sound stupid for you, but some people might feel more organized and have a better workflow with more than 2.
      I have to admit most of the times I don’t actually need the 4 desktops I have, because I always close the apps I’m not using (I guess it’s because I used a low end computer for years), but there’s times where you are working of several different tasks and 2 desktops is not enough…

  • Soop

    It’s EXACTLY what I do – 4 desktops in a 2×2. I move between the desktops MUCH quicker than I could changing focus of apps on a single desktop.

    Dread Knight -> why is it stupid? At any given time I have at least 5-6 applications open during development: virtual machine, 2x consoles, 2x code IDE, browser…switching between fullscreen apps on different desktops is much easier than constantly moving through a list of 5 windows to change focus.

  • Anonymous

    Man, this won’t be a problem with gnome shell / docks.
    Simply minimise applications on alt-tab, or have hotkeys set up to show an app, and close all the others (It’s how i use AmaroK in KDE)

    Personally, I’m against a separate wallpaper per desktop; I have a wallpapers folder with over 10,000 images in it, which cycles a different one every ten seconds, meaning both monitors have a different picture at all times :D

    • daas88

      Wallpaper freak! ^^

  • Charles

    I think the value of workspaces over a task switcher is where each “task” that you’re working on has more than 1 window. Typical examples include – using gimp, doing development using an editor & terminal window, etc. Using workspaces to separate the tasks preserves Z-order and grouping when switching.

    • Anonymous

      Indeed, I agree. I’m just trying to find out those specifics of why, so that I can hopefully propose an adjustment. :D The last thing I want is to suggest something prematurely that sucks.

    • Anonymous

      Indeed, I agree. I’m just trying to find out those specifics of why, so that I can hopefully propose an adjustment. :D The last thing I want is to suggest something prematurely that sucks.

  • http://orkutcidio.deliriocoletivo.org Peterson Espaçoporto

    KDE can attach activities to workspaces, so you can have different wallpapers AND widgets / icons in each workspace. Hooray! =D

    And the thing about minimizing – well, since Gnome Shell is all about “use this workspace for this specific thing you’re doing right now” it could ditch the whole minimizing thing and use only workspaces / indicator applets =)

    But even then it wouldn’t make a difference when it comes to have one workspace for each kind of thing, like in KDE; they would all work the same way.

    Well, is it too late to integrate Plasma into gnome? =P

    • daas88

      It’s obvious I haven’t digged kde options very thorough… I’ve never seen those options xP
      I’ll reboot and check it out :P

    • RP

      A second for the KDE4 Activities approach; they’re persistent separate desktops which can be set up to emphasize different sets of work. I have three separate activities: 1) Personal, 2) Work and 3) System Maintenance. Each activity can have separate workspaces with it, separate background, different program icons on the desktop, etc. There’s a plasma applet which provides buttons for easy switching between activities. You can zoom out to see all activities and drag applications and applets between them.

      Well worth a look.

      • http://orkutcidio.deliriocoletivo.org Peterson Espaçoporto

        I think the zooming thing needs some polishing, and the whole thing is so amazing it should be more well explored by KDE — like hey, come on, we have this amazing feature, come and check out (right now it’s something kinda.. Obscure).

        But it is indeed well worth a look ^^

  • jonny

    I have to admit, if I had to use keyboard shortcuts for workspace switching, I would not use more than one workspace. Also, it is quite nerving to move the curser out of the working area (center of screen), to reach a screen border.
    I simply assigned the workspace switcher to my mouse wheel. If I tilt it to the right (not scroll), I’m on the right workspace and the curser is where I need it. Then I tilt it to the left and I’m back on the previous workspace. I personally find it easier than anythng else. You can try it! In compiz config, it’s called button6 and button7.

  • Anonymous

    It’s far from optimal? What does optimal look like?

    What I saw from the list was people dedicating a workspace to a kind of work; everything else was based on personal preference, whether they use Compix and the cool switcher…..but everyone was using one-per-purpose.

    Anything else is conjecture. This doesn’t suggest to me a clear and present path to take. Maybe the idea that keeping the organization and changabllity up to the user is the way to go?

    • Anonymous

      Not to sound like a dick, but I’m pretty sure I was paying more attention to what people posted then you were. Theres quite a bit of info I found in this study, and its more then just one-per-purpose.

  • http://lebor.net/ Chad

    Like it, or hate it, the iPhone OS 4 is attempting to address this sort of. Switch from one app to another and it seamlessly minimizes one app and brings the chosen one up fullscreen. This seems to me a graceful way to deal with fullscreen app switching without having to minimize. Of course, it works better with the touchscreen interface. On a keyboard/mouse driven interface, I think virtual desktops better minimize the efforts to switch apps and reduce clutter.

    • Anonymous

      actually i was just having a discussion about that with danrabbit.

  • http://gnuski.blogspot.com lefty.crupps

    > The number one desire and hope for you workspace users?
    > Unique wallpaper assignable to each workspaces

    Sounds like people want KDE to me ;)

    • Anonymous

      one feature does not a convert make. :D

      Theres always some, slight yearning for features found elsewhere.