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mishranurag
March 16th, 2006, 08:36 PM
Don know if any of you noticed, but you can install powertoys from Windows XP and one of the power toys (Desktop Manager) to make four virtual desktops, as it is on linux. Looks like Windows learning pretty slow from linux. It took them years to introduce this functionality ;). Anyways, I am liking it as I use XP at work and UBUNTU dapper at home.

Enjoi

l.capriotti
March 16th, 2006, 08:50 PM
The powertoy functionality is really limited, you may want to try the following virtual desktop utility:

http://www.dexpot.de

Freeware, but not open-source.

Cheers
Luigi

poofyhairguy
March 16th, 2006, 08:50 PM
I tried it, but I dislike the "zoom" effect.

Rather have a cube spin.

mishranurag
March 16th, 2006, 09:54 PM
cube spin.

Hmm. Looks like you have got into habit of XGL/Compiz effects of dapper :).

Lord Illidan
March 16th, 2006, 09:56 PM
Hmm. Looks like you have got into habit of XGL/Compiz effects of dapper :).
Lol, what do you expect from the author of the XGL howto?

Very limited in functionality the windows powertoy is, talking like Yoda not good is.

mishranurag
March 16th, 2006, 10:06 PM
Yeah! I was just kidding! I have to use XP at office, so I am using that powertoy. But I like the Dexpot thing. I think its definitely better, and probably I will use that on XP for now.

Anurag

Lol, what do you expect from the author of the XGL howto?

Very limited in functionality the windows powertoy is, talking like Yoda not good is.

Master Shake
March 17th, 2006, 12:33 AM
That power toy has been around for about a year or two.

And yes, it sucks.

ember
March 17th, 2006, 12:52 AM
The powertoy functionality is really limited, you may want to try the following virtual desktop utility:

http://www.dexpot.de

Freeware, but not open-source.

Cheers
Luigi

This is very nice - I just installed this software and it seems, now even Windows XP benefits from multiple desktops (not yet as perfect as under Linux, but nevertheless useful).

Jucato
March 17th, 2006, 01:16 AM
Never had that much use for multiple desktops in XP. Just because I barely use anything there anymore, or that it wasn't that conducive for opening many apps. At least on my not-so-up-to-date system. :D

But in defense of M$, I think it's good that they're catching up (IE7, and power toys, even if it's been around for quite a while). Better late than never, I guess. But still, it's one thing to have it added on, and another to have it built in. I wonder if Vista comes with multiple desktops built-in?

ember
March 17th, 2006, 02:17 AM
As far as I know, it doesn't. But I'm quite happy to have multiple desktops in XP because
a) I never disliked Windows XP that much (actually since Windows 2000, Microsoft OSs became quite useful), I just think Linux performs better in many areas
b) I depend on Windows, because I am developing C#/.Net Applications with Visual Studio

So I welcome any useful features that come from the Linux side - and when IE7 is finally there, I hope it cares more for web-standards than its predecessors.

Jucato
March 17th, 2006, 02:25 AM
I don't dislike XP either (well, not all of the time :D). I still use it for games and stuff I don't/can't have on Linux.
It's just that, like I said, it's not conducive for running multiple apps for me. One wrong move in one app can take the whole system down or freeze it up.
But still, I appreciate MS's efforts to bring in this features that are slowly becoming a standard. I just hope that they won't say that they thought of it/did it first or that it's "award winning" feature/software (they always say that anyway :D).

ember
March 17th, 2006, 02:41 AM
Hmm ... If it does so for you, you have my respect ;) ... in all the years since Windows 2000 the only way I succeeded in generating bluescreens was by defect hardware *hehe* ...

Nevertheless, Windows goes to sleep now and so do I ;)

eriqk
March 17th, 2006, 03:53 AM
I think the best way to get multiple desktops on XP is by installing Blackbox.
Nice way of unclunkifying XP, too.

Groet, Erik