workspaces....does anyone use them?

[northwestuntu]

it seems like a cool idea, but i never could find a use for them.

[ve4cib]

Yes, I use them a lot. If I'm working with multiple maximized windows I'll often put one on each workspace and just change workspaces instead of changing windows through a dock or window list. It just seems easier and faster to me.

Could I live without workspaces? Yeah, probably. But I've gotten used to working with them, so if they were suddenly gone I'd miss them.

[TheNerdAL]

Me too, I just use it to show off my 3D Cylinder. :lolflag:


I would like to know any ways to use the workspaces.

[Linye]

I do.

one for browsing and im
one for the music player alone
one for anything else.

[northwestuntu]

Me too, I just use it to show off my 3D Cylinder. :lolflag:


I would like to know any ways to use the workspaces.

lol well that's me at the moment too :p

[northwestuntu]

I do.

one for browsing and im
one for the music player alone
one for anything else.

but my question would be why can't you just change apps on 1 workspace?

[TheNerdAL]

I do.

one for browsing and im
one for the music player alone
one for anything else.

I usually just minimize my music player which would sometimes be Pandora.

[RiceMonster]

I use them all the time.

[Marlonsm]

I use them quite a lot, not all the time, tho.
IMO it's much better than having all windows cluttered in one place.

Even now, using Windows 7 (don't ask), I installed a program to have multiple workspaces in it, it's not as good as in Ubuntu, but does a decent job.

[kio_http]

Not always. When I'm working hard, Word-processor, virtualbox, photo-editor ... open then yes.

[betrunkenaffe]

At home, not really. At work I could REALLY use them. I'm needing 3+ monitors at this point and only have 2 to work with. If I had 2 monitors and 2+ workspaces, wouldn't need 3rd monitor. Stuck with Windows though which doesn't support :(

[sydbat]

but my question would be why can't you just change apps on 1 workspace?

You can. The choice is yours.

However, I find that sometimes it is really good to have separate desktops because I am running something I do not want to accidentally close or have interfere with the other things I am working on.

Think of it like this - It is sort of like working on a real desktop where you have stuff you are working on right in front of you and the phone is next to you and other papers are off to the side in their own pile, etc. To me, it makes sense...you don't have one pile that has stuff on top you are looking at and then you have to go through that pile to find the next thing to work on...they are separate piles. Does that make sense?

[Rasa1111]

but my question would be why can't you just change apps on 1 workspace?

you can.

but why, if you dont have to?

I use mine often as well.
One workspace I will have the browser up,
another I will have my music going in,
another for GIMP or something else,
and another for my IM's.

I dont always use all 4 at once,
and I never really started using them until a couple months ago.
[only been using Ubuntu for 6 months].

but now that Ive started using them...
i love them!! lol :)

[MooPi]

I always have multiple workspaces in use.I even find myself trying to scroll to a different space when I use Windows. Dohhhh.

[ratcheer]

I also use workspaces all the time. It is a good way to keep my desktop organized so that I don't get confused with a whole bunch of windows in a single workspace. I have been using workspaces for many years since I began working with CDE on Solaris about eleven years ago.

Tim

[oldsoundguy]

Workspaces (from what I have read) were designed for the serious multi-tasker and find their greatest usage in an office environment. (especially those limited to one display) (great for cross referencing!) One of the "niceties" that is put in the system to open up the commercial market .. but usable by all!

Got to remember that computers are not just for dinking with and playing with .. they are also work tools, though you won't see much on the forum from those that use them for such. As once they are on the job working, experimentation is not on the agenda.

[Chame_Wizard]

4 of them .:lolflag:

[Sam]

I use one workspace for my current tasks, a second for e-mail and IM, and a third with secondary stuff. And when I take a break (checking my RSS reader, etc), I always use an empty workspace. In a general manner I don't mix personnal and work on the same workspace.

[Marlonsm]

At home, not really. At work I could REALLY use them. I'm needing 3+ monitors at this point and only have 2 to work with. If I had 2 monitors and 2+ workspaces, wouldn't need 3rd monitor. Stuck with Windows though which doesn't support :(

In Windows I use this program:
http://virtuawin.sourceforge.net/
with the I-Conized module.

It's not close as good as in Linux, but is good enough.

[Irihapeti]

When I was running a presentation to a small group, I set up two workspaces. One had OpenOffice Impress on it, and the other had a media player.

Quite frequently, I'll have Writer open in one workspace and Firefox in another. Not always - it depends on what I'm doing.

If I'm running full-screen apps and want to burn a CD or DVD, I'll often use another workspace for that.

[Old_Grey_Wolf]

I use them at work all the time. I may be using ssh or remote desktops on 20 servers at the same time with applications running on each of them. I like to have each server in its own workspace so I don't get confused as easily. People get upset when you start making modifications to the wrong server.

At home I really don't need them except when I want to showoff the Compiz Cube. :D

[paydaydaddy]

Thanks to Marlonsm for the VirtuaWin info. I use multiple workspaces a lot and was missing them on my recent Win7 install. Not any more. The compiz cube is what seems useless to me. I looked at it once and was slightly amused for about 30 seconds the turned it off.

[arvevans]

My setup is routinely configured for 8 (or more) workspaces. one runs email, one runs a firefox browser, and one runs the chromium browser. Beyond that the other workspaces are rather dynamic, depending on what projects I might be working on at the time. The radio transceiver design group that I participate in is usually up on one workspace. schematic and PCB editors are on another, and one supports a group of Google Gadget links to on-line tools for electronics and for microprocessor code development.

One thing that makes all this useful is that I label the desktops so switching between tasks is just a matter of clicking on the proper label.

I tried doing all this in a single desktop and using the application names as clickable links, but the names are too long and rapidly ate up the available display space on the application bar.

So, to answer the original question...YES, I do use multiple workspaces, but NO, you don't have to use them. It is a matter of what you need, what works for you, and whether they are productivity enhancers or detractors for how you use your computer. Maybe it all comes down to how many balls you can juggle at once (multitasking) without dropping some of them.
_._

[Fenris_rising]

I use them a lot. I was delighted to find such a useful idea and rapidly got used to it. It is even better with multiple screens as well!!

regards

Fenris

[Ewingo401]

They come in very handy for me once a year during my fantasy football draft. I have so many spreadsheets and player ranking pages open that it would just be a total mess without multiple workspaces.

[dyltman]

They do come in handy, I used to use them alot, now I've lost the habit but I remember that when I did use them they were actually quite usefull and kept my desktop clean and tidy

[beercz]

I use them an awful lot - up to 12 sometimes!

I am a busy person.

[abenbot]

I use the multiple workspaces to separate my work. You cooouuuulllldddd do this all in one workspace but separating things makes life MUCH easier.

When I am writing code I usually have one or two terminals open and a text editor on one workspace, if I need to I can expand the editor or the terminal and when switching between them I only have those windows to worry about.

I'll use another workspace for purely browser research; this workspace is where I look up interesting ways to solve problems or to look up commands I am not used to.

One workspace goes to nonsense and leisure so I can escape the work whenever I need to but keep this separated.

Then my fourth workspace is generally one big manpage to look up commands. It's just an alt+ctrl+-> away :D


This is what I use them for. Ubuntu 8.10 let me have certain windows on every workspace and I would use that with chat windows. If I opened something in a workspace and needed to move it to a more appropriate
workspace I would alt+ctrl+shft+<- or -> and put it somewhere else.

Hope this is some insight on others use \o/ <(. .^) (^. .^) (^. .)>

[Icarus_Complex]

I use it constantly when I'm running virtualbox(In fullscreen mode). If I need to get to windows xp all I do is press a key on my keyboard it switches over to windows(in a different workspace), and vice-versa with ubuntu. I love workspaces.

[Superkoop]

When I'm just relaxing I only use one workspace. However, when I'm working on the computer and I need to do projects, or when I'm working with graphics, it's wonderful to have multiple workspaces. So when I'm working on huge research projects, or I need to have multiple large pictures I'm editing at once, it's great to have separate spaces for each.

Though I will admit, when I'm not working I never use them... most apps I use in my offtime use tabs - no need for multiple windows. =]

[V for Vincent]

Yeah. Background apps (rhythmbox, thunderbird,...) in one, foreground apps in another. And if I'm running a virtual machine, that gets its own workspace, too.

[cbecker78]

another vote here for using workspaces to switch between ubuntu OS and a virtualized OS. Also handy when working on a paper's introduction if pulling heavily from a few sources. A lot easier to key between a word processor and open pdf's on a few workspaces than having to sort through the open windows on one workspace.

[spupy]

I access my 4 workspaces with the F1-F4 keys. In fact I use workspaces more than the taskbar. When I was using Fluxbox I had the taskbar on autohide, because I found workspace navigation faster and easier.

[samalex]

For me it's a must-have app. Even at work where I'm stuck on Win XP I run Dexpot (http://www.dexpot.de/index.php?lang=en) which creates virtual workspaces in Windows.

Honestly for anyone who runs more than a couple of apps at once I don't see how the desktop doesn't become a mangled mess without using virtual workspaces/desktops of some sort.

Sam

[screaminj3sus]

I dont see much use for them aside from quickly hiding pr0n

[oldsoundguy]

When I need to run a project and have separate instances of the same page open or just work pages vs surf pages .. having the ABILITY to put them up separately and thus keeping the task bar UNDERSTANDABLE is really a nice feature.

Have seen a lot of "well I don't use such and such so therefor it's worthless" posts on many topics of late.

If you use something and have an experience with it, either positive or negative .. then put your 2 cents in.
IF you NEVER have used it, negative comments show your intelligence!

[MindSz]

I use them a lot ... Helps keep my projects organized.

[Letrazzrot]

For a little while I was sceptical, and never used them. Now, I am constantly using up to 4 of them at a time. What's more, when at work on Windows XP, I find myself sorely missing the convenience of organizing my various tasks into different workspaces.

Of course, when at work on Windows XP, the machine barely keeps up with only the 3 or so apps I have running at a time. (Antivirus + certain enterprise softwares will do that to the best of machines).

[handy]

I use 6;- when Openbox starts it automatically opens Worker, Sakura, Firefox & I have to drag the Firefox interface for the Transmission torrent slave onto its own workspace after it opens.

That leaves me 2 more workspaces for doing other less common tasks.

I find it much easier to scroll between workspaces or to click on the desktop switcher than to be forever shrinking & expanding windows.

I occasionally use OS X, which has 4 workspaces & a vastly inferior method imho of switching between them.

[Windows Nerd]

Not always. When I'm working hard, Word-processor, virtualbox, photo-editor ... open then yes.
Thats me

[ctrlmd]

all the time

[betrunkenaffe]

In Windows I use this program:
http://virtuawin.sourceforge.net/
with the I-Conized module.

It's not close as good as in Linux, but is good enough.

Sold! You literally just made my life 3+ times easier at work.

[Khakilang]

I do use occasionaly if I have to open a lot of software. Browser, Word, Games and downloads. That's practically cover the 4 workspace.

[murderslastcrow]

Considering the amount of varied work I must do simultaneously, workspaces have become a necessity. Without them, I would waste quite a bit of time.

[BrokenKingpin]

I use them a fair bit. Keeps my task list cleaner.

That being said, ever since I started using dockbarx and added a second monitor I have been using them less.

[98cwitr]

havent assimilated into workspaces yet :?

[bailout]

The only time I use them is when I have to use a multi window app like gimp or xsane which are a pain when other apps are also open on the same desktop. Otherwise it is just as easy to swap between apps as swap between desktops.

[3Miro]

Right now I am at work and I have 15 opened windows. I need and use all of them (I do programming and cross referencing different files, plus browsers, mail clients, media players and so on). It would have been hell for me to have them all on the same workspace. I use 4 - 8 workspaces on regular basis and this is one of the main reasons why I cannot use Windows anymore.

[Dkkline]

I use them, quite a lot sometimes, but it depends on what I'm doing.
but I think they are very handy, and very cool with compiz!

[oldsoundguy]

question: (not trying to hijack the thread)
Never had the need, so never tried it .. but can you cut and paste from one workspace to another? IF NOT, that might be a cool feature to add.

[malspa]

question: (not trying to hijack the thread)
Never had the need, so never tried it .. but can you cut and paste from one workspace to another? IF NOT, that might be a cool feature to add.

Yes, you can copy and paste from one to the another.

[oldsoundguy]

Yes, you can copy and paste from one to the another.

Thank You

[3Miro]

question: (not trying to hijack the thread)
Never had the need, so never tried it .. but can you cut and paste from one workspace to another? IF NOT, that might be a cool feature to add.

Sure, it is just like cut and paste from one window to another. You can freely move windows from one workspace to another with keyboard or drag with the mouse. You can set up keyboard shortcuts to move the screen from one workspace to another or you can use middle scroll on the background (with compiz, kwin and xfwm, I don't think nautilus can do this). Workspaces give you no restrictions, just more space for organization.

[mamamia88]

i don't really see the point with the scale option in compiz

[ubuwatson]

Yes love 'em

Workspace 1: Work
Workspace 2: Virtualbox
Workspace 3: Porn

[mihai.ile]

OMG every time I go back to windows I notice how good it is to have workspaces in Ubuntu...
I am using them since the first time I used Linux and it was like a relief... great way to organize work.

P.S: I know som sort of software exists to emulate more or less the same, but...

[KdotJ]

I didn't used to, but now I use them all the time. I only have a 15.6 laptop screen so I hate it when everything gets cluttered up on one screen. Especially if I'm using maximised programs, so much easier to switch with the keyboard

[northwestuntu]

Yes love 'em

Workspace 1: Work
Workspace 2: Virtualbox
Workspace 3: Porn

lol

[WinRiddance]

1 .... For Desktop Publishing, Web pages, and Virtual Box
2 .... Photo, Video, and Image Design
3 .... Everything else


4 .... But I also use the Windows Selector (panel applet) which allows me to pick anything from any workspace at any time, should the need arise.