
See How Virtual Desktops Let You Get More Done in Less Time - nickjj
http://nickjanetakis.com/blog/see-how-virtual-desktops-let-you-get-more-done-in-less-time
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herbst
IMO it's like Conky or Compiz. When you get it you are amazed, then optimize
it to purposely create a better work flow and soon after that it wears off and
you get back to your "classic" approach.

As Linux user i never had no workspaces, and honestly i used it more when
windows managers still looked like windows 98 (Gnome 2, KDE, XFCE, ...). But
since Window Managers evolved into something much more usable (New KDE, Gnome
3, Unity...) i barely find a use case where it makes sense.

It may is worth it on a mac tho, i "lose" windows here way to often.

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nickjj
I've been using them for about 6 months now and I don't see them as a novelty
that wears off.

I still use them constantly because it's way better than not. They save a non-
trivial amount of time every day.

If anything, I use them because most window managers are pretty bad.

Virtual desktops are a great way to give you a glance-able view at many tiled
window set ups without having to use a tiled window manager.

It's very similar to a t-mux set up where you might have a few work spaces,
except you're not limited to terminals or using buggy tiled window managers.

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herbst
Ok now we are going a bit far ;) i use tiled wm-plugins/terminals/editors to
have more in my view, what workspaces certainly do not provide. I used my
Compiz cube for over a year (I dont know if you know compiz, but back in the
glorious days of linux there was a 3d cube where each side was a
workspace/virtual desktop). And i remember making fun of my windows friends
for not having workspaces.

Maybe its really just Gnome 3 that made it somehow redundant for me so i don't
use it anymore. The way it groups windows passively and the different ways to
access those is just (IMO) much more comfortable, and you never happen to
create situations where you want to use both workspaces at once, because you
only have one.

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nickjj
Workspaces give you a way to have multiple screens of "things".

So instead of tiling 9 windows on a single screen and being crazy distracted,
I can tile 3 things on a single screen and switch between workspaces when I'm
ready to context switch.

I remember compiz cube from way back and seeing the youtube videos haha. The
animation is gimmicky but the idea of workspace separation isn't.

What does Gnome 3 offer that make workspaces redundant? I use xfce with
xubuntu.

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herbst
Its hard to explain properly (doesn't help that english is not my first
language). Its small little gimmics that make the whole experience. The way
windows present themself next to each other when your press the Super key and
the way how this sorting is somehow consistent. They way how the sort order
can change based on the focused window. The way ALT+TAB offers grouping if
wanted. Its really worth the try. I never felt as focused before and my mac at
work feels like a bad joke UX wise.

~~~
nickjj
Thanks. I'm a huge fan of xfce but I'll spin up a Gnome 3 based VM later to
test it out first hand.

I'm not convinced it'll replace virtual desktops, but hopefully I'm proven
wrong!

