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What is a Virtual Desktop?

http://live.pirillo.com/ – We’ve discussed having more than one monitor on your computer, but we have not talked about having multiple desktops on one monitor. Virtual desktops accomplish this.

Why would you want to use a virtual desktop? They allow you to have multiple desktops, allowing you to organize multiple windows in a logical order. You can keep your internet applications open in one desktop while your test editing can be in another desktop, and so on.

Linux has a fantastic virtual desktop program called Beryl, which is helping Linux make Windows and OS X "look like crap."

Beryl is an OpenGL accelerated desktop that seeks to provide a free, open source desktop experience to the community that reflects the wishes of the users. Above all else, the project seeks to listen to and respond to the requests of the user base.

Chris recommends VirtuaWin for Windows, which lets you simply move the mouse to the edge of the screen to switch between desktops. While it’s not as pretty as Beryl, it’s functional, open source, and free.

VirtuaWin is a virtual desktop manager for the Windows operating system (Win9x/ME/NT/Win2K/XP). A virtual desktop manager lets you organize applications over several virtual desktops (also called ‘workspaces’). Virtual desktops are very common in Unix/Linux, and once you get accustomed to using them, they become an essential part of a productive workflow.

Do you have any recommendations for virtual desktop software?

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7 Comments

Original post: What is a Virtual Desktop? by at Google Blog Search: desktop Blog tag: Desktop Technorati tag: Desktop

Original post: What is a Virtual Desktop? by at Google Blog Search: virtual Blog tag: Virtual Technorati tag: Virtual

I have been using Y’odm 3D which is a Beryl Style application for windows

I have been using Y’odm 3D which is a Beryl Style application for windows

Dexpot is versatlie, feature rich and scriptable. No open source tho.

What bout virtual desktops WITH multiple monitors? Say, 2 desktops, one running on each monitor?

That’s not entirely true, a virtual desktop is desktop that is hosted virtually, where a user can access said desktop from anywhere. What you are discussing is actually a Multiple Desktop Manager.

What Do You Think?