Ask Slashdot: How Do You Organize Your Virtual Desktops? 125
hyphenistic writes: As a programmer I find myself switching between multiple projects on a daily basis. Virtual desktops have been a big help in grouping my related programs together. I try to have a virtual desktop open for each project I'm working on. Although I've used Linux in the past my currently preferred desktop OS is Windows 10. For the most part I have found the new virtual desktops to be easy to use. My primary issue (regardless of OS) is that I really don't want my virtual desktops to interact with each other. In the past I have accomplished this with a separate login for each project but that brings the hassle of managing multiple sets of OS and application preferences. Can someone suggest a better method for organizing my virtual desktops?
Easy, just stop procrastinating (Score:5, Insightful)
I mean, procrastination is half the fun, but don't fool yourself.
Re:Easy, just stop procrastinating (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Easy, just stop procrastinating (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:1)
Multiple desktops for OS X? (Score:1)
I use OS X, but I have great trouble using Mission Control's workspaces or desktops or whatever the fuck they're called. The whole setup is just so unintuitive, especially with multiple monitors.
I have years of experience with KDE and GNOME, so I understand how their virtual desktops work. Typically, it's all very sensible: you set the number of virtual desktops you want, each one spans all monitors, and you can rapidly switch between them using a dock control that shows the grid of virtual desktops. Runnin
Re:Multiple desktops for OS X? (Score:4, Informative)
Chech out totalspaces [binaryage.com]
Re:Multiple desktops for OS X? (Score:4, Informative)
If you don't use full-screen-as-a-separate-space, it only requires a little tweaking of default parameters to get something usable, even if not to your liking. (By the way, is there some setting so that the default action is zoom and the alt/option one is full screen ?)
In settings -> mission control, deactivate automatically rearrange spaces, which is probably why you think that some applications appear on multiple spaces: actually, it's only on a single space (by default), but the spaces keep being rearranged.
If you want a space to span all monitors, I guess you can do it here too, but I'm a fan of distinct spaces on distinct screens, a feature I had 15 years ago on X11 (but which implied the inability to move windows between screens). Note that GNOME 3 does (did?) something "interesting" by default, which is a single desktop on the secondary screen, and virtual desktops on the primary one. Probably useful on laptops in presentation mode. (Is the default over-ridable) ?
In settings -> keyboard -> shortcuts, activate Mission control per-space bindings, so that you can swap between spaces with ctrl-(number). The catch is that you have to organize your spaces by task. You can then bind applications to some spaces. You can do that by alt-clicking in the dock and looking in options. Older versions of Mac OS X with Spaces (instead of Mission Control) had a list of assignations.
The space selection widget is gone though, if you won't use shortcuts, it's F3. Each space is rendered as a thumbnail on the top, you could choose a different background for each space if it helps you. The bottom part is all of the windows in the currently selected space. What is not very obvious is finding the currently selected space, depending on your color scheme: the white border is not very visible on white background.
Re: Multiple desktops for OS X? (Score:2)
>By the way, is there some setting so that the default action is zoom and the alt/option one is full screen ?
You can do this (among other awesome things) with Better Touch Tool, although the setup is quite unintuiti e.
Re: (Score:2)
If you have multiple monitors: one desktop, multiple monitors. Works fine. Applications are already in windows. That's perfectly functional isolation. No need for more than one desktop.
Works great for me -- I have six monitors.
Re: (Score:1)
virtual workspaces and accounts (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
so, if you're doing emails to family, you log out and log back in to read /.? that doesn't sound very convenient...
Re: (Score:2)
He likely uses a Mac.
No need to "log out" just to "log in" again, you simply switch to a different user.
Either that one is logged in and you end in "his session" or you log on. Then you switch back to any other user you want.
Windows actually somehow supports the same thing, but I don't know how it is integrated into the UI.
On a Mac you simply click on your user name in the upper right edge of the screen, to the right of the menu bar.
Re: (Score:1)
i used to use virtual desktops - in the last millenium. Since it becamse possible to use more than one monitor, this is m preferred method of work.
At work I use an Ubuntu workstation with 2x 24" monitors for my main work area - typically with one running a 3d view of whatever i'm working on (robotics stuff) and several consoles for running processes, and my main IDE on the other monitor.
In addition I have an old laptop running ubuntu that I use to do stuff like pull up documentation and sometimes edit a scr
Re: (Score:2)
"i used to use virtual desktops - in the last millenium. Since it becamse possible to use more than one monitor, this is m preferred method of work."
Mine too... in addition to several virtual desktops. Why not having the best of both worlds?
"At work I use an Ubuntu workstation [...] In addition I have an old laptop running [...] with a newer laptop running Windows 7"
So, you see? You not only have several virtual desktops, but several physical ones. There must be something about it.
As for the original que
Re: (Score:3)
"who in the world uses virtual desktops?"
Someone not working on the console. I have 3 monitors at work (laptop display plus 2 external). Laptop display is for things running natively on the laptop. Each monitor is a VNC session where I am running multiple desktops, currently a 3x6 grid on each.
Re:Easy, just stop procrastinating (Score:5, Interesting)
Seriously? Because I've used virtual desktops since I fist discovered them in Linux in 1993, and as soon as I found the Windows Powertools or VirtuaWin I've always had them in Windows as well. In 1993 when the machine I had could a bunch of things in Linux when the exact same hardware would thrash in Windows, virtual desktops were awesome. I could have my desktop for coding, the one for FTP sessions, the one for the web browser. I remember using SLIP and having four terminal windows open for my school stuff.
Once you get used to them, the idea of having everything on one desktop feels moronic and cluttered. I don't want to go hunting for my window, and I tend to stay in one window (or set of windows) for a while at a time.
I don't close programs. I open them, and keep them open for days (if not weeks) at a time, and I keep them in separate desktops. I don't want to waste my time opening it, and I don't want it cluttering my view when I don't need it.
Hell, I've got a dual 24" monitor setup (one of which is shared with my laptop with a KVM) and I still run 6 virtual desktops to keep it from being cluttered and annoying to work with. And I find when I'm stuck with a single desktop, it's a nuisance to find stuff -- in part because I'll have 15-20 Windows open.
I can't imagine not using virtual desktops, because they've been part of how I work for over 20 years.
My "normal" load on my personal desktop is 3 different web browsers (for separate things and different levels of trust), 2-3 different VMs, iTunes, about 4 Windows Explorer windows, the software for my GPS, and occasionally my photo organizing software or my backups running.
Re: Easy, just stop procrastinating (Score:2)
Having multiple RDP sessions in separate virtual desktops works very nicely for me.
Re: (Score:2)
Back in my day there was no finer waste of time than configuring your window manager. I even ran twm with tabbed title bars.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Windows has had the Desktops application and the PowerToys suite before that, which allowed for virtual desktops for decades now (since the NT 4.0 days.)
It is front and center in Windows 10, but it isn't really anything that wasn't able to be fetched before.
As for what I do, I use virtualization a lot, so instead of virtual desktops, I use the column selector to pick the VM I want to use, and go with that. Yes, there is definitely the performance hit (mainly I/O, which can be mitigated by a good amount of
Re: (Score:2)
But it was fragile crap that seemed to fall over hourly. Matrox had a better implementation on MS and then Nvidia had one on MS, but they still fell a bit short of even twm and tended to stop working after updates.
My first thought... (Score:1)
"People are really this anal about window positions?"
But then I realized that I spend five minutes every Monday morning setting up my workspaces (I shut down my machine when I go home on Friday). I imagine that completely unproductive time only increases as a function of one's workload.
Virtual Machines (Score:2, Insightful)
The easiest way to isolate virtual development environments is virtual machines. The same base image can be used for each environment and then a script to install project-specific applications and other resources.
tmux, cygwin (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Any C hackers know how you port around that tragic occurrence?
Re: tmux, cygwin (Score:1)
You are looking forSlashdotofyesteryear
Re: (Score:2)
Fullness (Score:4, Interesting)
The others do it too, they just won't admit to it.
Re: (Score:1)
I'll never admit to breathing! Ever!
*gack*
Re: (Score:2)
Split by task (Score:2)
It's been a while since I used Linux as a work desktop, like nearly 10 years, but here's how I often did it:
One virtual desktop for the IDE/coding tools. That might be an actual IDE or maybe just a console with vim. Whatever the project was.
Another virtual desktop for database related stuff.
Another one dedicated to documentation, like just having the browser open to Javadocs, or Google, or whatever.
The fourth and final was for mudane stuff like email and/or an mp3 player running.
I never split them out by
Simple... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
If this is a Mac system, the right monitor would be rotated in portrait mode.
Why wouldn't you rotate it if you were running another OS? It's certainly possible on X, it is after all what one of the R's in Xrandr stands for, though which R precisely, I couldn't say.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Most Mac users rotate the monitor on their own without ever filing a help desk ticket. Go figure.
Builtin rotate sense switch? Most cheap monitors seem to lack one of those.
Re: (Score:2)
Turn Them Off (Score:3, Troll)
First thing I do on any fresh install of Linux is to turn off virtual desktops. My experience has been that if I've got so much going on at once that it makes a single desktop instance seem too cluttered, that's a sign that I need to reconsider how I handle my time.
Having to close and reopen tools forces you to cut down on context switching. At least for me, that helps productivity.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
I just can't wrap my head around this. I've been using virtual desktops for about 20 years now, and I think it's the best thing since sliced bread. If I see others struggle with their giant set of apps and windows using the next best thing (expose-like), I wonder why virtual desktops never have managed to break through. It maps so wonderfully well in my head.
Maybe I should explain just how I just them exactly. The most important thing for me is absolute addressing of workspaces. Don't think of them as 'goin
Re: (Score:2)
Essentially the same as how I used to work. My problem is that having that much stuff open to begin with ends up being counterproductive. Context switching is what I try to avoid. I don't want to manage many different applications simultaneously, I want to only have the applications I'm using right now open. If I have so much stuff open that I can't fit it on two monitors, that's a problem to me.
Nowadays: IDE on left screen, browser on right. Skype for talking to colleagues minimized in the tray. Mail clien
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, virtual desktops are great, and my set-up is similar to yours, with keyboard shortcuts to switch between them, each VD with a task focus that I keep constant (general terminals, ssh, browser 1, IDE, development terminals, browser 2, email, video, etc.)
One thing that the NVIDIA Linux driver can do is have each monitor be a separate X-screen (no Xinerama connection). This means you have a separate set of VDs on each monitor, so if there are five on each, you can use keyboard shortcuts to easily disp
Re: (Score:1)
BINGO.
For me on Windows it's: Desktop 1 holds email, mostly "read-only" stuff, and a
Re: (Score:2)
The most important thing for me is absolute addressing of workspaces. Don't think of them as 'going to the next or previous one (or worse, a grid). No, think of it as "My browser is on tab 4", "My chat client and music client are on tab 5". "My editor/IDE is on tab 1", etc. This makes switching between contexts insanely fast and completely painless. You don't need to hunt&pick with your mouse, scroll through lists, etc.
Ditto. Incidentally, when I got started with Linux, the default (with Gnome at the time) was a 2x2 space where you'd select each quadrant by number. Of course it could be extended, but there was still the idea of spatial organization, e.g. so you could move windows smoothly between adjacent areas. I still maintain the spatial idea with my Alt-F# desktops, even though I no longer use such a model, and I think of certain screens being "down below".
Re: (Score:1)
I couldn't agree more. I keep a huge workspace switcher in the bottom right of my screen, with 10 rows and 3 columns, yes that's 30 desktops, but in they are not all meant to be used, some are just there to separate and create regions. I feel over-crowded if there are no empty desktops.
No need for taskbars or anything like that. And it's perfection, it uses my spacial memory so that I always know exactly _where_ my applications are and can find them in a second and a click. It's exactly like a physical desk
Re: Turn Them Off (Score:2)
That's exactly how I work, too. And when I say exactly, I mean that my desktops have the exact same content as well :-)
I've never seen anyone else working the same, really. Virtual desktops are even among developers not that popular.
Not Turning Them Off Here (Score:3)
> Having to close and reopen tools forces you to cut down on context switching. At least for me, that helps productivity.
Good for you. For me, it guarantees that thoughts will be dropped before they can fully form, so it's deadly to productivity.
Maybe it's the fact that I don't always have control over context-switching. I don't control when somebody shows up in my face with a demand for attention; pushing what I've been doing aside, with all the contextual cues I can marshal, by switching to another des
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, watching applications load ... an utter waste of my damned time.
When I first boot a machine, I incur the startup time of "OK, this browser gets these 12 tabs, this browser gets these tabs, here's my iTunes, here's my virtual machines, here's this, here's that" ... they all go on their appropriate desktop. And then I don't need to worry about it for weeks until the next time I reboot.
When I need a program I flip to the appropriate virtual desktop, and I'm there in under a second. I find it more like
Re: (Score:2)
Virtual desktops all the way:
1) browser
2) Terminals to remote machines (DB servers and such)
3) remote X applications started in those terminals
4) Main IDE
5) Running instance of the application I'm working on.
6) Documentation
7) Email, skype and such
8) iTunes, spotify, etc.
I could not be as productive with all of that cluttering up a single screen.
no10 (Score:1)
Really ? (Score:1)
You forgot to profess your love for Visual Studio, and how you used to program with vi or emacs.
Because apart telling us than Windows 10 now has virtual desktops and how bad a job you're doing at organizing them, I don't know what was your point.
If you can't keep your stuff organized, try invoking $MOTHER, because your issues are not technical in nature.
Re: (Score:3)
I use activities exclusively instead of virtual desktops. It works well and helps me keep focused. The other good thing about activities is you can stop and start them. when you start one it can spawn a lot of apps for you. I have a media activity that spawns my media locations, has amarok running all the time on it and shortcuts to various media apps on the desktop.
My programming activities have the env set for the project i am working on, spawns several consoles and loads up my coding playlist. Each has a
Usually by task domain (Score:2)
Main task on the primary, secondary tools for the main task are on another, terminals/utilities in another (sometimes a couple), then low-importance things as far from me as necessary. Usually terminals/utilities are "left" and secondary tools are "right". Low importance things are the greatest difficulty to access as they are of low importance.
At least, that's how I've always done it with XFCE, fluxbox, and most other window managers I've used. Sadly, I suffer through using Win8 on most of my computers tha
Virtual??? (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
by not looking at that monitor. Seriously. I have 4 and find it quite easy to not put anything on them that might distract
Re: Virtual??? (Score:2)
I use two monitors, but I often "lose" my mouse pointer for some reason. Don't you have the same?
Re: (Score:2)
There are "find my cursor" settings in the accessibility settings area. Then you get some animation around the cursor.
KDE Activities (Score:4, Interesting)
You can set up a bunch of activities and assign individual windows to a particular activity.
When you swap activity you get the associated windows.
Tiling Window Managers (Score:3)
But, the really cool thing is that a window can exist in multiple "tags" which are kind of like "virtual desktops" but a lot more powerful.
I'd recommend at least trying out a tiling window manager and seeing what you think.
Re: (Score:1)
Somewhere at microsoft, there is a team of programmers learning by watching him type, keystroke-by-keystroke.
Application-centric approach (Score:1)
Re: Application-centric approach (Score:2)
I don't like to talk about my VD in public.
What do you mean "interact"? (Score:2)
What do you mean "interact" in this context?
I use Linux, and I usually have a 2 monitor setup with 2x10 (i.e. 20) sized virtual desktop (and no disjoint ones---FVWM allows both modes you see). I tend to group stuff spatially with a blank desktop between projects.
As for interacting, most programs are OK, but ones like GIMP need to be told to run in a new instance if you want two instances open without them affecting one another. Quite a few programs can do this, but you'll need to investigate options.
One thi
Re: (Score:1)
I typically gravitate towards Google services for all my needs so I can easily access them from any device. My primary computer is a desktop so it doesn't go anywhere. I'm looking forward to the day when everything I need comes from Google and I could just as easily pick up a Chromebook and get to work but I'm not there yet. I have a few Windows-specific applications that I'll go into later.
What I meant by interact is that if I have Inbox open in one desktop and click on a link it will open a new tab in
I don't get OPs problem (Score:2)
Multiple OS and application preferences .. what? Windows 10 has multiple desktop support. Even if he didn't mean that Windows 8+ have settings syncing (not necessarily going to save your bacon for apps but will at least for the OS itself). Some applications play nice with that model already. Ex. VS 2013: I use the same login at home and work so I get all my addons, font settings, etc synced over for me.
I'm not sure how desktops work in win 10 if apps "see" that they are already running or not. That was my p
What I use for dev on linux (Score:2)
desktop 1 / screen 1: terminal
desktop 1 / screen 2 : IDE / text editor
desktop 2 / screen 1 : web browser
That's the global idea. Other apps usually start on desktop 1 / screen 1 and I move them around as needed.
On Windows, it's... a mess. It's basically all windows stacked on top of each other and a lot of alt+tabbing.
Unbeliever !! (Score:2)
You need OS/2 WARP (Score:2)
I did it my way... (Score:1)
Remote login (Score:2)
When I was a developer 15 years ago I used gnome's virtual desktop with a 2x3 grid. Didn't have (m)any issues with cross contanimation. Mouse edge for .2 seconds for transition as well as hot keys. Today as an admin I use remote login to a server, same user account (hence same prefs) with multiple concurrent sessions. When a new problem interrupts my current tasks I open a new session.
JS Pager (Score:1)
My setup (Score:2)
I find virtual desktops helpful when working on a large single project which requires many files, webpages and applications to contribute to the final result.
For example, if I'm creating a scientific document in Latex, this is what I do:
4 desktops
1: (far left) - my working directory is open, with webpages and pdf files used for referencing
-I can drag files from my working directory to other workspaces and drop them into the relevant application from here.
2: usually an application like a spreadsheet or R (st
One desktop for each sub-chip design (Score:1)
I'