Do you use multiple workspaces?

[muguwmp67]

Do you use the multiple workspace features of linux? It looks like it would be useful, but I'm so used to my single workspace in MS Windows, that I never use it.

So if you use them, why and how (not how do I move between them, but how do you have them organized). Do you have any advice for someone who wants to make more use of this feature?

[rev_b]

Yes I do. Very useful feature. With the taskbar workspace switcher, I know where all the apps are. Excellent for running full screen programs, also.

[highneko]

When one gets crowded. It's a great thing.

[karellen]

yes, of course. it helps me get organised

[bvanaerde]

A few years back, I used a "multiple-desktop program" (in Windows XP) that remembered the location of the applications you used.
Really useful, as the applications get sorted automatically this way.

But it takes a while before you start to see the advantages of it... so I can understand why people stick with just one desktop.

[muguwmp67]

Any advice for breaking the single workspace 'habit'? Are there certain things you do that are just reflexive now? A parallel example would be multiple tabs in firefox, I am so used to them that it is just normal for me to right click a link to 'open in new tab'.

[doobit]

I use them once in a while, to keep certain tasks separated and less confusing. Also, when I want to come back to a project I'm working on at a later time, but don't want to close it and have to go searching later.

[trav5]

Yes I use the rotating cube in Beryl. With your keyboard shortcuts and alt tab app switcher its very handy. I just got a newer nvidia card and can actually take advantage of beryls functionality and of course the eye candy:popcorn:

[doobit]

Any advice for breaking the single workspace 'habit'?

Beryl. It's so much fun, that you want to use multiple work spaces.

[newlinux]

definitely. At work I use multiple desktops on XP as well, although it takes longer to switch :)

[trav5]

Any advice for breaking the single workspace 'habit'?

Get Beryl:guitar:

[Sunflower1970]

I just started to see the usefulness of them. Right now I only use two. Usually one for my music program, and the other desktop for Firefox.

[Kateikyoushi]

No, I am used to full screen windows and see little to no reason why hassle with the mouse to switch or drag windows around, full screen and alt + tab is my friend.
I guess I used ratpoison for too long.

[kevinf311]

I use 4 workspaces (or viewports in Beryl).

Workspace 1: Internet Browser (Swiftfox)
Workspace 2: Mail Client (Thunderbird)
Workspace 3: Instant Messaging Client (Gaim)
Workspace 4: Music Player, minimized (RhythmBox)

I use workspace 4 for most other programs too, but those in the list are the 4 that are always open.

I use Shift+Alt+Left/Right to drag instant message conversations to whatever workspace I'm on.

By the way, Alt+Tab in Beryl (switching between all viewports) is CRAZY. The cube totally wigs out! I love it!

[Kateikyoushi]

I wonder why is it better if they all got their workspaces than just simply alt+tab to change between them ?

[FuturePilot]

I use them a lot. In fact I just realized how much I use them and how much I take them for granted. I had to boot Windows for something and I had a bunch of stuff open, so I go to switch workspaces and, oh that's right, Windows, no workspaces. I almost felt claustrophobic not having my workspaces.:lolflag:

[Omnios]

I find mu;tiple desktops realy usefull when I do Gimp work.

[rev_b]

Any advice for breaking the single workspace 'habit'?

When using several apps (like writer, calc, firefox, vmware, evolution, amule, gimp) it becomes natural wanting to move your windows to other desktops.

And you don't need beryl for that. With the default 2d Metacity window manager you can already have as many virtual desktops as you want ant move around with ctrl+alt+arrow. Of course beryl, besides looking really nice, has the advantage of giving you spacial perception moving from a desktop to another - with a 2d desktop it only changes the screen, you can't intuitively tell if it's the one to the left or to the right you were before.

Another great thing about beryl is also the "scale" thing, where it can display all the windows from all desktops.

[trav5]

Another great thing about beryl is also the "scale" thing, where it can display all the windows from all desktops.

Thanks rev_b I was looking for that but did not know what it was called :confused:

[MystaMax]

I find them very helpful. I use one of them for my various vmware sessions, the others for music, web browsing, and other stuff.

I've got beryl running on dual displays, which i have to say is awesome!

When I'm at work, I also have dual displays and still use multiple desktops on windows using virtual desktop manager (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx).

[Choad]

Do you use the multiple workspace features of linux? It looks like it would be useful, but I'm so used to my single workspace in MS Windows, that I never use it.

So if you use them, why and how (not how do I move between them, but how do you have them organized). Do you have any advice for someone who wants to make more use of this feature?
i find its useful for categories of tasks. i usually have it set to 3 workspaces

main workspace = normal use. web, gaim, that kind of thing
design workspace = glade, gimp etc.
dev workspace = dev stuff

i cant imagine multiple workspaces being that useful if you arent seriously in to multitasking. also, if torrents, music and the like didnt minimise to the system tray, then i'd probably end up having a seperate workspace for them

[rev_b]

I've got beryl running on dual displays, which i have to say is awesome!

Me too. Yes, best computing experience I had in years.
Besides multiple workspaces, multimonitor is so much better implemented in Linux than Windows. Yes it can be a pain to set up, but after that, it's mind-blowing.

[jpkotta]

I use FVWM (www.fvwm.org). I have 4 desktops (workspaces), each consisting of 4 pages (screens) in a 2x2 pattern. I rarely have more than a quarter of them being used, but it's very helpful to have all of that real estate. Desktops are used according to task, and pages are used to spreadout messy tasks.

Going back to a single desktop is probably the most annoying thing about Windows. I can't stand it. I've spoiled myself. I will have to check out that virtual desktop thing.

It's weird that almost every Unix window manager has had virtual desktops for decades (and usually by default), and the "other OSs'" GUIs don't even have it as a hidden option. Is it that hard of a concept to get across? Do most people forget what is on which desktop?

[muguwmp67]

I never used it, but I think the drivers for nvidia cards allow you to set up multiple desktops in windows.

[grte]

The most useful trick in breaking out of the one workspace habit is to learn the ctrl-alt-left arrow/ctrl-alt-right arrow shortcuts.

It's even better in openbox, where I have alt+tab set up to allow me to choose any app on any workspace.

[jpkotta]

I never used it, but I think the drivers for nvidia cards allow you to set up multiple desktops in windows.

Yes, and it's not as nice as most Unix WMs.

[JAPrufrock]

Of course!!! Not using multiple workspaces in Ubuntu, particularly if you use either Compiz or Beryl, is like driving a Ferrari with two spark plug wires disconnected. Why on earth would you want to do that?

[ghowells]

I use multiple workspaces in Beryl (Cube) at work and find it immensely useful. The way I lay it out is as follows:

Desktop 1 - Multi-tab Gnome-terminal (normally 7 tabs for various things)

Desktop 2 - Firefox

Desktop 3 - Thunderbird

Desktop 4 - Everything else, sometimes rdesktop if I have to use a Windows server for anything, sometimes he GIMP also NXClient and sometimes PuTTY sessions.

I am lost when Beryl crashes (I use Trevino's SVN repo!) But I was too a Windows guy struggling to see the point a few years ago. Just play and persist and you'll soon realize the value:)

[Choad]

interestingly enough, i have beryl but i dont like the cube. i have it all flattened out

[WinterWeaver]

I also use the workspaces, have my firefox and Thunderbird open on the one, All chat clients on the other (gaim, skype, xchat), dowloaders (azureus) and Amarok on the other, Blender and gimp on the last.

Beryl makes Life sooooo easy with all of those open. Cause I just hit F8 and I can pick the program I want to go to. Simple as that!
F9 works well if I want to quickly switch to a app on the same workspace.

This tiling feature is the biggest reason I use Beryl! ^_^

WW

[TLE]

Oh yeah baby. I use them a lot. 6 Desktops one for different tasks.
1. Skype and GAIM
2. Firefox
3. Work
4. Azureus (and work)
5. Full size terminal for irssi and cmus
6. FAH and and extra terminal always opened in my multimedia location (So I can get those Scrubs episodes opened faster)

So in essence to answer some of the questions that have been posed earlier.
Why not just use alt-tab like in windows. The answer is I also use alt-tab, it's just that the list of programs you have to go through when you use alt-tab to find the right program is shorter when you categorize them on desktops.
How do I use it? I use shortcuts all the way. I rarely even touch my mouse unless for resizing and web-browsing or software I don't use often. "ctrl-alt-arrows" for switching in between desktops. "ctrl-alt-shift-arrows" to move programs in between workspaces. "ctrl-space a return" to make gaim windows show on all desktops.

[kinson]

definitely. At work I use multiple desktops on XP as well, although it takes longer to switch :)

How do you do that? Is it by the windows xp power toys multiple desktops? Cause I find that one horrible to use :( On other desktops, my icons are still on the taskbar, which means its still cluttered, kinda defeats the purpose for me. If its not the power toy..what is it? Cause I'd be happy to use it at work :p

Back to the topic. I love the multiple desktops ! Didn't use it much at first, but after using it a while, you only need to boot back into windows and use it for a little while before you feel the need for it :P I know I can't realli live without my multiple workspaces anymore :p

Cheers,
Kinson

[celsofaf]

I usualy use...

1 - Firefox, Kopete
2 - Amarok, KTorrent
3 - Random apps
4 - Bash sessions

[AndyCooll]

There was another thread about this not long ago IIRC.

Yeah, I use them all the time and find it a pain in the backside when I have to use my XP desktop at work which doesn't have multiple desktops. I find they help me to be more organised.

I have four. On the first I usually have Firefox, the second is my work desktop, and maybe my folder browser, the third is for music and download apps, and the fourth I use for terminals (ssh'ing into other machines etc) and Vmware.

:cool:

[hoagie]

I only use them when one workspace gets crowded. Say for example when I rip a movie which takes a lot of time I leave at one workspace and I sue another one for anything else, then I rotate, I see the status and rotate back

[trav5]

How do you do that? Is it by the windows xp power toys multiple desktops? Cause I find that one horrible to use :( On other desktops, my icons are still on the taskbar, which means its still cluttered, kinda defeats the purpose for me. If its not the power toy..what is it? Cause I'd be happy to use it at work :p

Yeah in m$ your taskbar still gets full:( but I found you can rotate your mouse cursor(with nvidia driver) to switch desktops which makes it a lil easier.
BERYL still :guitar:

[tubasoldier]

Everything people have posted sounds quite useful.

In KDE you can have multiple and different wallpapers on different desktops.
So it becomes a simple "porn-be-gone" button for anyone else who has no idea that the other desktops exist.

[trav5]

Everything people have posted sounds quite useful.

In KDE you can have multiple and different wallpapers on different desktops.
So it becomes a simple "porn-be-gone" button for anyone else who has no idea that the other desktops exist.

Porn-be-gone BRILLIANT! I use Mepis with 3D desktop on my lappy ATI](*,) NO BERYL

[Mateo]

i use 2. i used to have all 4 as the default goes, but i found that I never really used more than 2 (don't even use 2 all that often, maybe when something is downloading i move it to the second desktop, or if I'm writing and take a break to play a game i go to the other desktop). so i decided since I only use 2, no point in having the other 2 wasting space.

[Henry Rayker]

I use them when I work with Cadence, especially. Or occasionally when I'm writing code recreationally. I keep 5 desktops around (1 for my "home" desktop, 1 for text editor (for modifying SPICE simulation decks/edit scripts and things), 1 for my schematic/layout editing, 1 for documentation (either documentation I'm writing or resources I'm reading) and the fifth is "just in case")

I've had in excess of 200 individual windows open at one time (during my internship..so not on my personal machine)

[cephlon]

Just switching back to linux so I am getting used to the multiple desktops. But Beryl and VMware make it so fun. I keep WinXP in vmware on screen 3, hit alt-3 and boom, I have windows. alt-1, back to linux. Its fun!

1. Firefox, file browser
2. Music, torrents, movies
3. Vmware WinXP (need it for quickbooks, and invoicing software)
4. Bluefish (php), ftp, ssh

They get mixed up every now and again and I have to reorganize. But like I said I am still getting used to it. Booting back to windows does feel weird now without Beryl.

[RandomJoe]

I just keep adding monitors! :) I like having everything out in front of me, especially since usually when I have multiple windows open I'm referencing one while working in another. Having them on separate desktops is a pain, and having them overlay each other on one screen is not much better. So I almost always run dual-screen, and this desktop I made sure I could use three. (I used two dual-head cards, so I actually have the ability to do four! ;) ) Sweetness...

I still have the pager on my side-screen panel, because there are (rare) occasional uses for dumping some long-running process off by itself out of the way...

I did use a Windows pager quite a bit at work for a while. The laptop I had didn't handle dual-head very well, and I needed to have a bunch of unrelated apps open all the time. I can't remember the name of the thing now, it wasn't a MS product though. It installed a little window in the systray that you could use to switch screens or you could set up hotkeys. The only "catch" was it worked by show/hiding/withdrawing windows. While it worked very well, and the taskbar only showed items for that screen, it once or twice did go braindead and "forgot" about a few running apps! Had a heckuva time getting them to reappear! I'd forgotten all about that until just now...

Edit: Ah, I believe this is the one I used:
http://virtuawin.sourceforge.net/

[tesuki]

I use vtwm and if it counts as using a big virtual 4x2 the screen. and I catigorize my dev stuf in the 3 at the bottom to the right. and in the 2 top to the right is for used when i install an logging of things. then the 3 other is for lynx, firefox, irssi and chat.
one of the dev parts usualy goes to fullscreen apps such as feh slideshow or VLC.

[glotz]

I wonder why is it better if they all got their workspaces than just simply alt+tab to change between them ?Me too... I can definitely understand people wanting to show off or play with xgl/compiz or beryl but besides that?

I'm sure everybody knows already but let's still state it here, you can change the amount or workspaces thus: alt+f2 > gconf-editor > apps / metacity / general / num_workspaces

[spoot]

Probably due to the same reason, that is being used to a single desktop all these years I almost never use them. I tend to just minimize everything nicely, you're not really working on more than two things at the same time anyway. And I find alt-tabbing or simply clicking on the app to bring it back up just as fast as switching workspace, but that might simply take some time to get used to it :)

Only occasion I remember is when I was downloading some stuff from a newsgroup, which tends to leave you with a lot of open programs, Klibido, Nautilus, a shell for par2 checking etc. While the programs were doing their thing, I moved to workspace #2 and went on with some programming work there.

I expect I'll use it more and more frequently. I find most of its uses in doing two completely unrelated tasks that require more than one window, such as in the above example.

[the_darkside_986]

I can use it to hide a window... so non-Linux users can't find my windows which I don't want them to see--not that ever have any of those type of windows up ever of course.

[kevinlyfellow]

I use six if I'm busy. While I was an undergrad:
1. Web Browser
2. Open Office Writer
3. Octave
4. Open Office Spreadsheet
5. Dia
6. Gaim and XMMS

I still have 6 desktops, but rarely use them all now

[peterbro]

For web development I stick to this always:

1. Browsers - firefox, opera
2. Editors, Gedit, Open Office
3. Terminal and File Browser
4. Thunderbird

The first thing I do when I login is to open up these apps in the correct workspace. Can't stand working without multiple workspaces now I am used to it, so much better than a single cluttered desktop!

[Mr Wrath]

It's great for multitasking

example: E-mail : Researching : Legal documents : Junk

I use mine all the time.

Edit: oh...the terminal....sweet sweet terminal

[dtruesdale]

I wouldn't trade it for the world, I love leaving apps open and switching desktops to them. Every time I sit in front of a windows box I get frustrated by there only being on desktop and having to open and close multiple windows.

[thomasaaron]

Actually, multiple workspaces was one of several factors that convinced me to move to Linux. I had them on xp too, but for some reason it was buggy, and I got irritated with it.

I make my living as a freelance copywriter using my laptop. I often work on multiple projects at once. I've got workspaces set up for "Online", "Admin", "Project 1", "Project2", and "Terminal".

In the "Online" space, I keep Firefox and Evolution.
In the "Admin" space, I keep GnuCash.
"Project 1" and "Project 2" are for jobs I'm doing.
"Terminal" is for my terminal emulator and my file browser.

Once you get used to it, you wonder how you ever lived without it.
It is definitely good for my productivity. Keeps everything nice and tidy!

Best,
Tom

[jclmusic]

not very much, nope.

[revertex]

being a former fluxbox user, i used to use 8.

with fluxbox is just a matter of scroll the mouse wheel and you are in another workspace.

less than five minutes using it and you can't live without anymore.

multiple workspaces helps a lot you to get the full potential of your box without a cluttered desktop.

hopefully with beryl i can achieve the same feature.

the only thing that i miss is something featured like fbpager.

[TheMono]

Not so much, though I make a lot of use of my two screens - they are the main reason I don't use workspaces any more.

[Corvo78]

Let's see. Per-default I open XMMS (nowadays that is Audacious) on workspace 4 . Why? Because that is right next to the 'main' workspace 1.
I usually open up Thunderbird on workspace 2.
The rest (mainly Firefox and/or Synaptic) I use on workspace 1.
If for some reason workspace 1 is getting cluttered I start switching some apps to workspace 3 (Select app and then SHIFT+CTRL+ALT+arrow keys).

This way I can quickly shift to my music-player and or mail-client. Allthough lately I'm using Compiz/Beryl's scale feature a lot (similar to the MacOS exposé feature... or so I'm told).

Workspaces needs gettings used to. But in the end, you won't settle for anything less. Heck, I ended up installing multiple desktops on XP (at work).. and that's a Dual-monitor setup :KS

[chakkaradeep]

I use when I program so that I separate the programming tools and others :)

really useful feature !

[graabein]

Just using one desktop gets really messy. I spread my applications on different workspaces to their purpose like this:


Internet
File transfer
Music
Graphics

[graabein]

The first thing I do when I login is to open up these apps in the correct workspace. Can't stand working without multiple workspaces now I am used to it, so much better than a single cluttered desktop!

There's a little program called Devil's Pie (http://burtonini.com/blog/computers/devilspie) where you can configure the placement and many other things of each application. Here (http://wiki.foosel.net/linux/devilspie) is some more information.

[macogw]

I started because of the Gimp being 3 windows big. Now though, I put gaim on one, firefox on another, and irssi (used to use xchat but it's broken) on another then switch between workspaces instead of having to minimize/unminimize a bunch of different apps

[PartisanEntity]

Yes, and it really helps getting organised. I have two monitors, and I open up various window and applications on different workspaces on both monitors. I did not use this feature that much when I first started using Ubuntu, but now I can't live without it.

[diskotek]

i'm normally using two workspaces:first for browsing through internet & doing main jobs with terminal etc...
second workspace for instant messenger's mess, music players & file transfering.

by the way i would like to use more workspace if i had a seperate wallpapers.

[Pepse3]

Being a Linux user for 6+ years, let's just say that multiple desktops is like an addiction. I hate when I have to go to my XP hard drive and deal with one window; rather frustrating. It has always been very useful to me. 4 desktops are very adequate. Don't know what I'd do with all 16, besides having 16 different wallpapers:biggrin:. To me it is reaaly nice.

Later. Pepse.

[misfitpierce]

Yup I use 4 to be exact. Usually got Internet window and IM in first window... Music / Vid editing in second window... Little game and text editors etc. and 4th window usually contains fullscreen Deluge client sharing ubuntu torrents. Bout it really.... And surprisingly this all usually takes place all at once.

[GFree678]

Absolutely. They give me a cube, I'll work on all sides thank you very much! :)

[miggols99]

Yes. If one gets cluttered, I move it :)

[wersdaluv]

I have four.

On the first one, web browsers. On the second one, I have my IM windows. As for the third one, I have my music player. On the fourth one, I have Evolution and BasKet Notepads.

I do not use a cube primarily because my laptop cannot handle compositing and it is much faster to switch to another desktop without effects.

Also, my four desktops form two rows. With two rows, it is faster for me to switch from desktop one to four and vice versa.

[riomx]

I've been using multiple desktops for 7 years now. I've always used Litestep in Windows and Ubuntu is the first Unix-derived OS that I've used a GUI on, save for trying Redhat a few times (I've always worked on FreeBSD through a terminal).

Before it was just for fun. Once I began doing more work on the Web and needed to increase my productivity, it became essential for me to work well altogether.

I normally use 4-6 desktops, each with a specific purpose, depending on what I'm doing at the time:

1 - Firefox
2 - File Manager or RSS Reader
3 - Makagiga (Personal Organizer) or Dreamweaver
4 - Photoshop CS3
5 - MP3 player (ITunes at work)
6 - E-mail client

It's taking some getting used to Ubuntu's VWM. I'm accustomed to grabbing windows and moving them into other desktops directly on the panels. So far I haven't figured out if that's possible or not.

[Ozor Mox]

I used Ubuntu for quite a while only using one workspace, but now I'm working on quite a bit at once when I have my computer on, so I decided to try using three workspaces for keeping various things in as one workspace was getting very cluttered. At first it felt a bit odd, switching desktops all the time, but now I'm used to it it's practically impossible to go back to using one workspace! Now I find Windows even more difficult to use than before.

[Depressed Man]

I use to use it in Windows (well more for hiding Windows then actual use). Though the 3D cube in Compiz Fusion and Beryl helped me make more use of it (I can imagine my windows on a cube, and I know where each one is). Now I can fly between workspaces and do what I need to do lol. It also comes in handy for monitoring new emails (TB's notification is kinda funky and clicking on it won't take you anywhere. Plus it's sound is kinda low).

[Mazza558]

I love using the cube feature of Beryl on both my PCs. It really helps spacial awareness and makes the computer feel more "real".

[handy]

I like to set Window List preferences to Show windows from all workspaces on a panel at the bottom of the screen. With this setting you can see all your open window titles from all of your workspaces & just mouse select the one you want to open it up in it's workspace which you have been instantly transported too.

I know some distro's automatically set KDE or Gnome to use this feature & some don't, it is often working with just one panel which I find can get a bit crowded if you also use the panel for holding Application Launchers & such.

[proxess]

Yep, i use multiple desktops for organization, i use 6 actually!

[mthei]

So far, I've only had the need for two, but it's still a tremendously useful feature, especially when I'm busy with actual work. Either Gimp or OpenOffice in one, and a browser or Evolution in the other. Maybe Audacious in the second one as well. Basically one for work and one for other things, related or not.

[Kingsley]

I used to utilize up to six workspaces on my desktop. Now that I'm on my laptop, just one workspace suits me. I think I used so many more on my desktop because the machine was usually on for weeks at a time.

[cookieofdoom]

I'll use up to nine workspaces, although I'm trying to limit myself to six. Usually if I'm using nine it's because I'm messy. I love being able to only have two or three applications running on each workspace. When I'm doing web design stuff I'll often have GIMP on one side, Kate, on another, Firefox on another, TeamSpeak and Pidgin, on yet another. It actually helps me stay focused. Once you get used to it, you never want to go back. Using Windows make me want to rip my hair out now (although it did before).

[jgrabham]

Yup, three - beryl makes it look like a fat toblerone :D

[Dread Knight]

multiple workspaces rock :guitar:

[kuja]

I sometimes use them, but for the most part anymore I use multiple monitors and/or computers.

[smiggs]

As soon as you start doing web development, multiple desktops are essential

1. browser, email maybe some others im, amarok
2. gimp, file browser
3. html editor, ftp, another browser session for testing

Gimp simply demands a seperate desktop because of the way it's set out and the volume of other applications makes it a requirement elsewhere.

Have to say though if you can dual monitors are even better, I've got one at work and it's very useful for spreadsheet work if I'm working on multiple sheets (not so much coding at work :( )

[greymongrey]

I use them all the time. In fact, when I go to work and use Windows I feel lost without them.

[Happy_Man]

Use them all the time. Even if it is just so I can have 4 different wallpapers.

[coldstatue]

I start with Sunbird (or term and other computer related work) on 1, Firefox on 2, and Thunderbird on 3. Invariably, I end up with bill files on the calendar desktop, some text prog with email, and other web stuff with firefox. When you have workspaces set aside for specific tasks, or 'areas' of work, it just makes sense. many would argue that you could just have the window you are using full-screen, and switch via the task bar. Well, once you have 10 things running, which are grouped together in separate categories in your mind, multiple workspaces are the ONLY way to live. Not to mention that the 'cube' (mine is a triangle) is the firggin' coolest visual thing ever to happen to linux, and its fame on you tube is the reason for at least 50% of converts in the last year. Or, if not responsible for their conversion, at least for grabbing their attention. I used slackware on my first-gen imac. I wasn't ready for it... or vise-versa. When I saw my first Beryl vid, in November '06, it was time to give it another try. I made the full switch on May 1st, and the multiple desktops, and the freedom/organization/productivity they provide, was a huge part of that.

[argie]

I use some 3 out of the 4 workspaces usually. It makes minimising much less necessary.

[nowshining]

i thought in the beginning why would I need multiple desktops - so later I learnt why and they became really useful - and now i use them a lot - i set up everyone of them to be available i use the ctrl + alt + arrow keys to switch between them..






edit: I just fixed something i forgot to - put them in two rows ...lolz :D since when in one they disappear after so many to somewhere only God knows where..

[hessiess]

yes, but only when i have a huge nomber of windows open, i just dump some of them to a diferent workspace

[Ultra Magnus]

Multiple workspaces are well useful - except when you forget that an important piece of work you haven't saved is on the other side of the cube and is minimised so it doesn't show up on the switcher and you shut your computer down, losing everything. - Beryl Cube is Fun though

[Mud.Knee.Havoc]

I use four workspaces and I've got it set up so each displays a label: Main, File, P2P and Net. If you're crazy about being organized, it works out well. :D

[Kingsley]

I blame iGoogle for the reason I rarely use more than 2 workspaces.

[chessercizes]

I find them really useful. Because i don't restart ridiculously much anymore, having multiple workspaces is nice. It lets you throw windows to the side and out of your way. I usually have 4 workspaces:

1) Internet and AIM.

2) Whatever else (gimp, or possibly something for school that i need to dedicate a fullscreen to)

3) Music (i usually end up having both quod libet for organized music and audacious for unorganized, playlists, etc)

4) FAH (i keep all the stuff that just goes on, like downloads, here, so they are out of site)

and Compiz Fusion gives you an amazing reason to use them. Every time you change workspaces, it just looks so cool :lolflag:

Multiple Workspaces + Dual Monitor = Organization and Multitasking to the max
=D

[nilord]

Yes.

It is very usefull when you multi-task.
For example, installing in one workspace, and surfing the internet in another.

When you use small resolution, the current workspace will be easily crowded, so another workspace is a must have.

[Circus-Killer]

i always have 4 workspaces up, even when im not using them. and i only use them on the rare occasion. for the most part i can get by on a single workspace, but there are special occasions that sometimes require workspaces to make this easier.

plus, you gotta love the way beryl flips (or slides) between workspaces ;)

[sawjew]

When I absolutely have to use a windows program which won't run in wine I have windows 2000 installed in vmware. I find the multiple desktop feature excellent then because I leave windows in fullscreen on one desktop and use the others for running my linux apps. It's very easy to switch between systems then by just Control>Alt to release from vmware and then Control>Alt>Left/Right to switch to another desktop and I see windows rotating to another side of the cube. Very,very handy.:)

[neonl]

I simply can't get used to it...

[LowSky]

i like to have pidgin on one sceen, banshee on another, firefox on another, and thunderbird on the forth.... this way all i have to so is mouse scroll to find the program i need, instead of minimizing 4-6 windows all at once... just realised i could just use Alt-Tab, but that no fun compared to beryl

[aaaantoine]

When I remember to use them, my desktops are set up like this when I'm working:

Workspace 1: Ctrl+Alt+UP = Nautilus FTP + Kate (for web development)
Workspace 2: Ctrl+Alt+DOWN = Firefox (for previewing), other programs

I have Pidgin open in both.

[OldGaf]

I force some applications to open in particular desktops.
(Advanced / Special Application Settings - tick desktop and choose "Force" from 1st drop down and choose a desktop from 2nd drop down)


nothing forced - Used for what ever I am doing (usually surfing)
Email opens up here.
Frostwire opens up here.
Amarok opens up here.


I don't always have these running...... especially if I am working. But that is how I like to organize things when I am computing on my time. When doing allot of work I manually send apps to different desktops as required. I REALLY miss that when I am forced to use winblows......

[Pedro0727]

Yup! it help me more organized my workspaces and more comfortable

[Cannaregio]

A parallel example would be multiple tabs in firefox, I am so used to them that it is just normal for me to right click a link to 'open in new tab'.

Hehe, if you would use Opera instead of firefox you would gain speed, no need to right click: shift+Enter does the new tab opening job. Mouse clicking is carpal_tunnel_syndromic, pity the poor windows users without CLI :-)

Now understand me right, Firefox is a fine browser: can even be almost as good as opera out of the box, if you do finetune it like a madman.

Re workspaces, I am using four, and I always will. Beside the new leftwindows+e shortcut in compiz is quite nice, even better than the CTRL+ALT+left (or right) arrow mover :-)

[montres]

Absolutely! Multiple workspaces can help you organise the way you work with your computer. The desktop doesn't get all cluttered when I have multiple applications running (as is often the case). I currently use 4 workspaces:

1. DC++
2. Web Browser
3. FIle management + music player
4. Word proccesing

[Havoc]

I always use multiple workspaces. It took me a while to realize the advantages of multiple workspaces, but now I use them all the time.

They are especially great for porn. One workspace has porn, and when someone (unfortunately) walks in or something, *bam*, I press Ctrl+Alt+Right and everything is OK. And I've still got my porn for later use. *Just perfect*.

[TeaSwigger]

Do you use the multiple workspace features of linux? It looks like it would be useful, but I'm so used to my single workspace in MS Windows, that I never use it.

So if you use them, why and how (not how do I move between them, but how do you have them organized). Do you have any advice for someone who wants to make more use of this feature?

Yes I use it but not heavily, and I could do fine without the feature. Two seems to work for me. What I tend to do is shuttle "continuous" apps or windows that'll be left open for a while off to the 2nd one, and keep the current work if you will in the 1st. For instance I'd have a chat window and my writing app like notecase in desktop1 while Folding@Home and CPlay might be open in terminals over on desktop2. I calls 'em Alpha & Beta. :)

[venator260]

Yes.. I use all 4.

Ideally and usually:

Workspace 1: Pidgin & Firefox as well as any other program I'm working with currently
Workspace 2: Audio Player
Workspace 3: File Sharing (Nicotine) & Music folder. Sometimes a music tagging program
Workspace 4: VLC playing the stream from my tV tuner card & CS Monkey TV remote

Of course, with the upgrade to Gutsy, I have to install all of those programs again

[Paqman]

I didn't use to, I just used to minimize windows down all the time.

Since having Beryl/Compiz though I think it's a shame not to see that lovely cube, so i've started using workspaces.

[rolnics]

It looks like it would be useful, but I'm so used to my single workspace in MS Windows, that I never use it.


The opposite for me, I mean, when I do venture back into my XP partition, which is rare now, I really miss the multi workspaces! The XP taskbar can get so clutter! I use each workspace for one task / program. It's also very very useful for being able to hide webpages you don't want others to see ;)

[_simon_]

Having a resolution of 2960x1050 means I don't need multiple desktops, everything fits on one!

[Officer Dibble]

I'm embarrassed to say this and it is a habit I would really like to break but find difficult to get out of... I still often work in the same way as I used to work with Windows 3.1, no more than 2 windows open at a time, even if one is minimized.

I can force myself out of the regime when needed, but it is frustrating when I close a window I was using (when I really didn't need to) just to use another app. I always say to myself after doing it, "Why did you do that???" and then open the app up again.

It seems MS Windows has psychologically scarred me for life. :D

[tilapia]

I can't live without them. I've been using an open source Desktop Manager application on my Mac for some time so I can use them on that too. I find a single desktop very restrictive now.

[I3ullit]

the best is to have multiple taskbars, in windows xp i use a double height...

[Hortinstein]

programming with multiple workspaces changed the way I do my work

I have 1 dedicated to the assignment webpage, 1 dedicated to GEDIT for all my code, and another for a few terminals to compile etc....leaving 1 for a GUI designer if i need it.

When I use windows it turns into a charlie foxtrot real fast....having multiple putty sessions sucks....and I am not good enough with VI yet to make it a hospitable environement

[BOZG]

I normally only keep Firefox, movies or games open on my first desktop and send music players, KTorrent etc to other workspaces.

[BOZG]

Having a resolution of 2960x1050 means I don't need multiple desktops, everything fits on one!

That's huge. The first thing I thought when I seen that resolution was that watching porn must really make you feel inadequate on it. :)

[proalan]

GIMP requires its own workspace. I get so tired of switching between applications and its toolbars/panels.

[TKR101010]

I've been interested in using the multiple workspace feature, but A) I'm too used to the single workspace from Windows (only switched to linux a few months ago) and B) If the taskbars and desktops icons can't be different on each workspace I don't see much point. I do use a second workspace minimally at the moment in that if I have a program that's gonna take a long time to do something (like importing a video that gonna take an hour) then I'll move that window to the second workspace to get it out of the way. Or if I had to open a program using the terminal then I'll move the terminal to the second workspace to get it out of the way. I would like to learn to make better use of this feature though.

[GrumpySmurf]

I've been using 4 workspaces on Linux desktop systems for over 10 years now.

Workspace 1: Web browser, music player and apps that get opened by the browser (PDF viewer etc).

Workspace 2: Terminals. Typically 2-3 multi tabbed gnome-terminals.

Workspace 3: IM, IRC, misc apps (my time tracking tool, office documents).

Workspace 4: Email.

[CaptainTux]

The first time I ever touched a Linux workstation was in 2001. I worked for a company that used RedHat workstations exclusively. I will be honest, I was such a newbie that I do not know if it was Bluecurve or Gnome.

I do remember hating it overall back then, but really liking the multiple workstations. I have 6 set up on my Ubuntu box and during the workday it is not unusual for me to have 3 or 4 active at a time.

[bashveank]

Yup - I use one for browsing the internet, another for mail and IM, one for writing papers, and another for random stuff, usually music/GIMPing

[Tomone]

When this thread first started (or maybe it was the last "multiple workspaces" thread) I only used one. Now I use three: one for KTorrent and Amarok and the other two for whatever. It's only been a few weeks, but it would really annoy me to go back to only one.

[crimesaucer]

I really notice how much I use my multiple workspaces when I login to my Windows Xp partition and feel so cluttered.

[herbster]

I use dual monitors with a res of 3520x2400, and I use 5 workspaces. Workspaces actually was integral in converting me from Windows when I was trying out linux and I cannot fathom using my PC regularly without them! If anything, they are a fantastic organizational tool when combined with keyboard shortcuts like I have set in Openbox (ALT+1-5), making it a breeze to multitask your butt off.

[Maupertus]

H*ll YEAH! One of the things that got me hooked to Ubuntu was the workspaces.
D*mn shame gutsy only comes with 2 standard.

[Polygon]

H*ll YEAH! One of the things that got me hooked to Ubuntu was the workspaces.
D*mn shame gutsy only comes with 2 standard.

right click the workspaces thing in the bottom right and go to prefs, then you can have as many as you want

[inversekinetix]

either in windows or ubuntu, multiple desktops on multiple screens are a must. unless i get another 37" HD tv for my pc

[Dirty Ole]

Its easier to do some things when you have multiple desktops... ;)

[inversekinetix]

windows even has a nice cube desktop now

[Iceni]

I usually have amarok on one and gimp really needs its own workspace. Then depends what I'm doing.

The stupid thing it whenever I use windows nowadays I always to to switch workspaces when my screen becomes cluttered:)

[samwyse]

I mostly use Just two. One for browsing and other relevant stuff. Second one for Gimp or other stuff that I don't need to have my focus on while doing more important stuff.

[cycloptivity]

I use 4 normaly when im developing - One for Eclipse / Tools; Two for Firefox and usually the Trac repo; 3rd for IRC lurkage and MSN ect and the last ends up with Rythmbox on it. Love the switcher and being able to cut down to two or buff it up what ever is needed

[marco123]

Couldn't live without them now.:) With scale, expo and the desktop cube you can really manage your work well.

Last time I was on a windows PC (my mates last week - he needed a reinstall) I was most annoyed when I had to minimize every running window to clear space rather than just switching desktop. Just seemed so last gen and flat to me.:)

[misfitpierce]

I do sometimes. Mainly just 1 but on occasion maybe 2-3 times a month when working hard on things I tend to use multiple spaces... Quite useful.

[SuperMike]

I have an nVidia card with dual-monitor Xinerama support. So two workspaces is moot -- I don't need them.

However, every once in awhile with a laptop at a remote location I use multiple workspaces when I'm switching between lunch email and web and news surfing to my regular "work" workspace.