Re: Workspaces [Re: [Usability] nautilus, panel, and metacity not acting as if the desktop was a single entity]

[Daniel Borgmann <daniel borgmann gmail com>]

On 7/12/05, Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie> wrote:
> I feel workspaces compensate for, distract from and otherwise disguise
> bigger problems.  

I know what you mean, but I don't think this is entirely the case. In
essence, workspaces are not really different from using an additional
desk or another monitor. Often I don't want to mix my stuff at one
place and appreciate the extra space. The big advantage of virtual
space is, that it's theoretically unlimited. Workspaces allow you to
make use of some of this unlimited space. Of course this is not as
good as a zooming interface, but certainly better than restraining
every user to the space of his/her physical screen.

> If you have so many windows open that you feel
> workspaces are necessary then I must start asking questions like are more
> batch processing and automation tools needed?.

No, this does not relate at all to my use of workspaces.

>  I would be asking if
> better window management is needed for certain applications.

Nobody can answer this question until better designs for window
management are known. Besides of the zooming interface, I'm not aware
of any that would eliminate my need for multiple workspaces.

> I would be
> wondering if better application integration and interoperability would
> save you from needing so many different tools left open. 

Absolutely not, quite the opposite. I want to get away from integrated
all-in-one tools and rather use my desktop as the "IDE", with many
tools interoperating with each other. Because of this, I tend to keep
the tools relating to a single project on their own workspace, so I
don't mix them up as easily with tools which may belong to another
project.

> I would ask if
> startup time could be improved (and if applications could better remember
> hw they were arranged before you closed them) so you wouldn't feel
> compelled to leave applications open all the time.

The latter (remembering arrangement) is indeed very important for me,
but most of my tools already do a good job at it. The reason I don't
constantly close all my windows is the same reason why I don't pack
away all my papers when I need some space to play a board game during
a break (silly example), I'll do that somewhere else instead and then
return to my work. My mind often shifts between different tasks and it
would be a huge waste of time to constantly recreate my window setups
(even though it's just a few clicks). Also I often keep windows open
to remind me that I have to finish something. Once I'm done, I will
close all windows and the workspace is free again, but temporarily
I'll need some extra space.

Here is one example from my typical use of workspaces:
On my main workspace, I'm browsing the web, checking email and have at
least one open conversation. Suddenly I decide to play some blitz on
freechess, but I don't want to be distracted, so I do that on a
different workspace. Once I'm done, I want to analyse some of the
games, so I open a chess database and maybe a browser window to google
for opening information. In the middle of my study, I suddenly get
inspired to work on my own chess database app, but I'm not finished
with my chess analysis yet, so I open my project-related windows on
yet another workspace. Then I want to relax a little and return to
browser/email/chat/music, going back to my chess and programming tasks
at any later time.
Maybe there can be better ways to do all that, but I can't think of
any that would be as straight forward and intuitive.

> Having said all that there were plans to allow different Wallpapers for
> each Workspace, so it isn't a huge logical leap to allow users to treat
> each workspace as a seperate desktop and have different documents (and
> launchers/shortcuts but only if the user chooses to create them)  on each
> Workspace.

The more I think about it, the more I believe that this would in fact
be the right thing to do. However, I don't think it would be feasible
right now. If the desktop is not static anymore, the user would be
forced to use the panel for anything that should be available from
everywhere. Once the panel becomes more similar to the desktop, this
would be trivial, but not yet. For example you can put folder
shortcuts on your panel, but you can't really identify them... They
show neither label nor emblems. And the handling is generally very
different.

Daniel