Adding Virtual Desktops to Windows

If you've ever used an operating system other than Windows for an extended period of time, you probably return Windows feeling it lacks key features that make OS's like Mac OS and Linux very intuitive. This has come to the attention of an increasing number of people, especially since Apple has been selling more and more computers, and Linux has become more and more common-place.

Of the features that make many other Operating Systems great, the one I feel needs to be most addressed by Microsoft is the Virtual Desktop (for a quick explanation of Virtual Desktops, see here). While I'm sure Microsoft will eventually integrate it into their Windows line, I feel they really missed the boat by not putting it into Vista. Their loss, I guess.

That doesn't mean it isn't possible, though, as there are plenty of applications that exist to allow us to add Virtual Desktops to a Windows environment. Here are a few I tried out, along with my impressions on each (Quick reference chart is at the end):

VirtuaWin - When I was downloading several of the applications for Virtual Desktops, this one seemed the most promising. It listed some nice features and looked to be very non-intrusive to the standard Windows environment. It felt really light as it ran, and only took up about 3 - 4 megs of memory. I was able to start dragging a window and, while dragging that window, change my desktop, and the window would follow. There were some cool options, too, which allowed for a single window to be shown on all desktops. The hotkeys are very customizable, and the tray indicator is very clean and clear and can be customized as well. The only problem I had with it was that it doesn't allow for a "switch" effect that helps make it clear when you switch between Desktops. Certainly not a deal killer, as most don't anyways.

Pros: Good integration, low memory usage, nice basic features. Very low memory usage.
Cons: Lack of full-screen disappointing.

Dexpot - This one was actually nice to use, though it had a few quirks that bothered me at first. To begin, it had a neat option to show all of your current desktops, called full-screen preview, which was nice. It has a flaw, though, because it is just an on-screen image, which you can drag, making it seem flimsy. It also had no on screen effect or animation to really show that you are switching between desktops. One thing I found odd about it was that its default tray logo, the main way a program like this would show which desktop you are using, is just a picture of a monitor... Useless little icon, which I was able to change to a number indicator which worked well. Another thing that bothered me is that the desktops are switched between only using the right and left arrows.

Pros: Works like it should to cover most basics.
Cons: Feels like every good feature is ruined by some flaw. Full-screen view, for example, exists but isn't very good.

Codeplex Vista/XP Virtual Desktop Manager -
Not to be confused with Microsoft's XP add-on with the same name, this app is actually pretty impressive, though some bugs did rear their ugly heads. On a rare occasion the hotkeys would not work for me, but for the most part the program was actually quite smooth and delivered in a lot of areas that I thought many of the free programs lacked in. One thing I liked the most about it is the Full Screen preview was very well made, allowing for windows to be dragged between screens. The preview also fades in and out very well, and has an awesome transparent effect. Another thing is the on-screen effect that showed which direction you were moving and which desktop you would end up in. It reminded me a lot of the effect Apple uses in Spaces. The program felt surprisingly seamless.

Pros: Surprising list of features. Full-screen view is VERY impressive, and navigation is smooth and leaves no room for confusion.
Cons: No normal inter-desktop dragging, and memory usage a bit on the high side.

MS Power Toys: Virtual Desktop Manager - This one came as a suggestion from a friend, and I was surprised at how well it did. Once again, this really makes me wonder why Vista doesn't have Virtual Desktops, especially because they developed an unsupported version for XP. Anyways, this app is simple and straightforward. It feels much more integrated than any of the other programs, and it does have a few customization options. No previous or next buttons are used, just an assigned hotkey combo for each specific Desktop. No dragging is available in the full-screen viewer on this one, but the full-screen viewer was nicer than the one on Dexpot, once I disabled its hokey animation that is.

Pros: Integrates well in XP.
Cons: Very basic, odd default settings, and too few options.

CubeDesktop - Cube Desktop comes with tons of neat features. As far as effects for visualizing all of your current desktops, they provide the cube(hence the name), as well as full-screen, a "cover-flow" like effect, and carousel. It has two different versions, Basic and Pro, and both of them are well equipped in the effects department. It goes to show that the emphasis for this app is the effects, and it pulls them off very well. The cube is especially impressive, and very customizable. On the other hand, I was disappointed that they consider Desktop Rules a Pro feature, and don't include it with Basic.

Pros: Really cool effects, especially the cube. Tons of features are available, making it a very good option.
Cons: Price, especially because effects only go so far. Also, you can't rearrange and drag windows in the full-screen view.

SphereXP - Not quite a Virtual Desktop add-on, but certainly neat. Problem is that neat is about all it is, as its ability to improve productivity is very minor compared to actual Virtual Desktops. The Sphere is kinda cool, though, and is good for wowing your friends whenever you open it up. It didn't feel seamless at all with my actual desktop, but was rather like a program running full-screen and pushing whatever window you wanted to open to the foreground, avoiding doing any actual window management in the real windows environment.

Pros: Fun to see once or twice.
Cons: Doesn't hold up to commercial product expectations. At all.

360Desktop - A neat idea, but not really very practical yet in my mind. Similar idea to the SphereXP project, but it is actually your desktop from what I can tell, instead of a program that deals with open windows. The Desktop is just one huge one instead of multiple different ones, and you navigate through it using rotation. Biggest down-side to me? You've gotta pull down a menu every time you want to navigate to another part of your large desktop. It has potential, though, and is only in beta, so we'll see what happens. Oh, and I also don't like the idea of having advertisements be integrated into my background...(Just watch the video at their web page)

Virtual Desktops are very powerful, and help productivity and organization to come more easily. So, if you find yourself using Windows most of the time, it might be cool to check a Virtual Desktop app and see how it changes your experience.



KEY:
Custom Hot Keys: Basically, can you set the buttons that control your virtual desktops to whatever you'd like.

Current Desktop Indication: This one is very important, as it is whether or not the program will show you which Virtual Desktop you are currently working with. There are several ways of doing this, and most programs put icons in your tray.

Full-Screen: Does the program allow you to open up a view of all your current Virtual Desktops?

Full-Screen Move: If the program allows for all the virtual desktops to be seen at once, then does it allow you to move a window from one of the desktops to another by dragging them in the full screen view?

Desktop Rules: Desktop Rules are rules that decide, principally, which applications open in which desktop. Perhaps I want all of my art apps in desktop 2, all my web browsers in desktop 1, and all of my movies and media in desktop 3. With rules you can setup default desktops for specific applications.

Inter-Desktop Drag: When you select a window and drag it and then change your desktop, if the window follows then you are able to drag it between the desktops. One of my personal must-haves for virtual desktops.

Hidden Apps: This just means that the program is able to hide any applications in the task bar that aren't active on the current desktop.

Separate Backgrounds: Can a background be setup for each desktop?

Switch Animation: If you've ever used Spaces on a Mac, for example, there is a slide animation that moves in the direction of the desktop you are switching to. This helps the user know where they are going and if a desktop was switched to right when they hit a hotkey.

Memory Usage: This is how much RAM the program uses on average.

Max Desktops: Number of possible Desktops that can be configured.

Cost: how much it costs

Windows: Which versions of Windows the program runs on.

Let me know if I missed anything, and also let me know if you have any insights to add! Thanks!