Author Topic: Dexpot: Probably the best virtual desktop manager around (Read 84,332 times)

jgpaiva · « **on:** January 20, 2007, 12:36 PM »

What can you ask of a desktop manager?
First.. That it works! This excludes most of windows virtual desktop managers. The windows vdm powertoy sucks, it has trouble with almost every window i can think of. Others can't completelly hide windows, others don't have custumizable hotkeys, well.. Most of them lack important features.
But that's not the case with Dexpot.
There's no feature you can't find, nothing you can't custumize and... It simply works! It even has that exposee thing that mac's OSX has, minimize to tray, rollup, always on top, change window transparency, etc,etc,etc!

Here are some screenshots:

PS: those lines in the desktop are not dexpot's fault, those are ms's virtual desk manager's fault

Found through snapfiles

jgpaiva · « **Reply #1 on:** January 20, 2007, 01:07 PM »

I'm quite excited about this program!
Here's a bunch of other features i found in the meanwhile:
It features the possiblity of creating "rules" for windows, such that a variety of actions can be made as the program detects those windows' existance.
Also, it uses *very* little memory, process explorer displays 3.8mem of private bytes.
It also has per-desktop configuration of a variety of things, from desktop background to icon placement, startup actions, resolution and even things such as "startup sound", screensaver (???), and the possibility of password-protecting desktops. You can also hide the start button, the taskbar, etc etc.

Oh, and i forgot something... It's freeware!!. And way better than any shareware i've seen for this task!

It even has "desktop slideshow" (not that's useful, but it's fun

)

nudone · « **Reply #2 on:** January 20, 2007, 03:20 PM »

i'd also agree that it's the 'best' after trying a few of the others. but does it work with gridmove, jgpvaiva? i never tried it with that.

jgpaiva · « **Reply #3 on:** January 20, 2007, 03:39 PM »

Quote from: nudone on January 20, 2007, 03:20 PM

but does it work with gridmove, jgpvaiva? i never tried it with that.

Yep, it works perfectly. Only has a small problem that is GridMove's fault (gridmove gets activated on the program's changer, because there's no way to specify exceptions. Hopefully, i'll fix that soon

)

nudone · « **Reply #4 on:** January 20, 2007, 05:23 PM »

does that mean you can have different grids for different virtual screens?

jgpaiva · « **Reply #5 on:** January 20, 2007, 08:10 PM »

Quote from: nudone on January 20, 2007, 05:23 PM

does that mean you can have different grids for different virtual screens?

Tell me: where do you get all those fantastic ideas??

Well... Currently.. No. But can be done

GridMove currently doesn't accept any command line parameters, but i can have it accept. Then, in dexpot, you "configure desktops" and have it run gridmove on each change to a desktop, with the parameter being the name of the grid. (did i explain myself well?)

No.. *caveat* GridMove still takes a bit to load (at least in my computer, takes about 3 sec). So, each time you changed desktops, you'l lose gridmove for that time. BUT maybe i can fix that, i'm not sure. I need to take a good look at the code.

PS: each time you launch gridmove, the previous instance is closed. That's why this works.

nudone · « **Reply #6 on:** January 20, 2007, 09:54 PM »

i see. i don't think 3 seconds is too bad a delay but i suppose it depends on how you use the computer.

it would be handy to have working with virtual desktops regardless of the delay.

Curt · « **Reply #7 on:** January 20, 2007, 10:49 PM »

This thread is so far going way over my head. I have no idea of what a 'virtual desktop' is, and have never clicked at 'Active Desktop > Adjust Desktop/ New / Show web content' - well, once, and then something terrible happened, and I never tried again. If the two subjects, virtual and active desktop, are connected at all?

Can 'you' explain to me what a virtual desktop really is? And why I would want such a thing? Do I need a manager if I have one virtual desktop only? - and then, why I would want more than one?

Sorry for asking such beginner's questions, but the subject never caught my interest before - and I don't think Microsoft's explanation on 'Virtual Desktop' is much of a help, it made me even more confused.

TucknDar · « **Reply #8 on:** January 20, 2007, 11:13 PM »

It's like having several monitors in one, and only show one at a time. Extremely useful once you get the hang of it.

Curt · « **Reply #9 on:** January 20, 2007, 11:23 PM »

Quote from: TucknDar on January 20, 2007, 11:13 PM

It's like having several monitors in one, and only show one at a time. Extremely useful once you get the hang of it.

'Several monitors in one' - the purpose being? Forgive me if I am just plain narrow minded, but what can you do with more monitors in one, that you can't do with more windows open on that one and same screen?

Darwin · « **Reply #10 on:** January 20, 2007, 11:28 PM »

Quote

Can 'you' explain to me what a virtual desktop really is? And why I would want such a thing? Do I need a manager if I have one virtual desktop only? - and then, why I would want more than one?

Quote

'Several monitors in one' - the purpose being? Forgive me if I am just plain narrow minded, but what can you do with more monitors in one, that you can't do with more windows open on that one and same screen?

Thank you Curt! Your channeling my thoughts exactly. I've always wondered about the rationale behind Virtual Desktops as well.

Curt · « **Reply #11 on:** January 20, 2007, 11:33 PM »

Quote from: Curt on January 20, 2007, 11:23 PM

Quote from: TucknDar on January 20, 2007, 11:13 PM
It's like having several monitors in one, and only show one at a time. Extremely useful once you get the hang of it.

'Several monitors in one' - the purpose being? Forgive me if I am just plain narrow minded, but what can you do with more monitors in one, that you can't do with more windows open on that one and same screen?

Well, maybe I can see it... Is it to keep 'overview' and stay organized in order? Sort of: 'one thing at a time' - ''this desktop for this kind of job, and that desktop for that different kind of job'?

Curt · « **Reply #12 on:** January 20, 2007, 11:38 PM »

Quote from: Darwin on January 20, 2007, 11:28 PM

Thank you Curt! Your channeling my thoughts exactly. I've always wondered about the rationale behind Virtual Desktops as well.

Frankly, I am not wondering about the rationale, but trying to understand at all

jgpaiva · « **Reply #13 on:** January 20, 2007, 11:41 PM »

EhEh.. It's "virtual", that's why it is hard to explain.
Wikipedia's definition is also quite useless.
Curt: virtual desktops have nothing to do with the option you mentioned that you tried. That's "active desktop". That's useless, but virtual desktops are very useful.
To better explain this concept, take a look at the image i posted above, the second one with 4 desktops. That's how it works. Notice that on the top-left, there are several windows, and in the others, there are none.
This way, i could have for example: internet explorer on the top-left desktop, msn messenger windows on the top-right desktop, winamp on the bottom-left desktop and another program in the bottom-left desktop.

The advantage? When i am in one of the desktops, i don't see the windows present on the other desktops. This way, they don't interfeer with what i'm doing in that desktop.
This kind of programs help you reduce the clutter in your desktop, byt dividing the stuff you have in one, by several of them.

To switch between desktops, you just press a key (for example, windows + right arrow to go from desktop1 to desktop2) or just bump the mouse against the edge of the screen.
Do you understand what i mean?

Curt · « **Reply #14 on:** January 20, 2007, 11:52 PM »

Well, maybe I understand you, jgpaiva, ... time will show...

- but it is still the desktop only, not the PC, that is virtual, isn't it?
If a program is designed to open in one instance only, then you are not able to work with that program on four desktops, are you?

TucknDar · « **Reply #15 on:** January 20, 2007, 11:53 PM »

It really is hard to explain...

But trust me (and jgpaiva) Virtual Desktops are awesome!! I wondered what the use for them was once, too, but now I'm used to them, I feel trapped without virtual desktops.

Curt · « **Reply #16 on:** January 21, 2007, 12:03 AM »

Quote from: jgpaiva on January 20, 2007, 11:41 PM

EhEh.. It's "virtual", that's why it is hard to explain.
(...)
Do you understand what i mean?

- I do understand that if one can't understand the theory, another and often better way to understand is by doing. So I just might try this thing out some day.

jgpaiva · « **Reply #17 on:** January 21, 2007, 12:20 AM »

Quote from: Curt on January 20, 2007, 11:52 PM

If a program is designed to open in one copy only, then you are not able to work with that program on four desktops, are you?

Well.. By default, the window will only open in one desktop, and it'll only appear in that desktop. If you wanted, it could also appear in more than one or even all of the desktops.
I think you're getting there, curt

Curt · « **Reply #18 on:** January 21, 2007, 12:28 AM »

Quote from: jgpaiva on January 21, 2007, 12:20 AM

I think you're getting there, curt

"there" - hmmm... and just 'where' might that be? Mars? How is it up there? What's the story behind that signature? It sure sounds interesting

Darwin · « **Reply #19 on:** January 21, 2007, 12:56 AM »

Hmm... rationale may have been a poor choice of word. I guess I meant I have trouble understanding WHY virtual desktops are so beneficial. jgpaiva and TucknDar are making the case well, though. I think I'll follow Curt's lead and learn the old fashioned way, by getting my hands dirty, so to speak. Right, I'm off to download dexpot.

NB I have played with the Stardock app that ships with Object Desktop but didn't really give it much of a workout. I'll be more diligent in putting dexpot through its paces!

f0dder · « **Reply #20 on:** January 21, 2007, 01:20 AM »

I've played with virtual desktops on several occasions, and my shell of choice (blackbox for windows) supports it as well... but I've never been able to get used to the stuff. I've tried, but... no.

Instead, I have two physical monitors, and move "junk" on one, and the stuff I work with on the other. For instance an editor and a shell on the primary monitor, and msn+irc+API reference+firefox on the other.

Curt · « **Reply #21 on:** January 21, 2007, 01:57 AM »

Quote from: f0dder on January 21, 2007, 01:20 AM

Instead, I have two physical monitors, and move "junk" on one, and the stuff I work with on the other. For instance an editor and a shell on the primary monitor, and msn+irc+API reference+firefox on the other.

- I think this was the most useful answer to me so far!

IF I've understood all this by now, then my earlier guess / question was right:

Quote from: Curt on January 20, 2007, 11:33 PM

Well, maybe I can see it... Is it to keep 'overview' and stay organized in order? Sort of: 'one thing at a time' - 'this desktop for this kind of job, and that desktop for that different kind of job'?

?? - you tell me

jgpaiva · « **Reply #22 on:** January 21, 2007, 02:05 AM »

Well, Darwin.... If you asked me a few months ago, i'd answer "i can't live without it!!".
But that was when i used blackbox for windows. When i stopped using it, i couldn't find any program up to the job, no virtual desktop program could give me the results i was looking after.
Then i developed GridMove, and i didn't need virtual desktops anymore, since my desktop became much more organized.
Now i'm testing Dexpot to find out how much use i have for it. Nevertheless, it's definitelly the best vdm around, that's why i posted about it.

From what i know, if you tend to have a cluttered desktop, and keep alt-tabing and not finding the stuff you want, you definitelly could use the help of a vdm. That's because you could distribute those windows through other desktops, creating sort of "groups", which would allow you to find the windows you're looking for more easily. At the time, i frequently had a browser in one desktop, msn windows in another one, a file explorer in another one and winamp and p2p in the 4th one. I never used more than 4, and some time i'd have one free anyways. I frequently scrolled over them all with win+right/left, or if i was interested in doing something in one specific desktop, i'd press win + 1/2/3/4 to switch directly to that one.

cranioscopical · « **Reply #23 on:** January 21, 2007, 02:09 AM »

FWIW Dexpot (or some interaction with it) significantly interfered with my system. No context-menu funtionality, no shut down from the START menu, Task Manager inaccessible. Had to shut down from a command-line utility. It's gone from my system now, and things are back to normal. I don't like it enough to bother with another round.

f0dder, do you use UltraMon? I wondered if the problem might be a collision with that.

f0dder · « **Reply #24 on:** January 21, 2007, 11:34 AM »

Nope, don't use UltraMon - and don't have any problems