Virtual Desktops like Gnome's for WinXP?

[maseAT]

I use linux a lot and really like the gnome virtual desktop feature, but it doesn't seem that there are any that come close for winxp. Does anyone know of one where you can integrate the desktops into the taskbar with icons of the workspaces that show thumbnails of what the workspaces contain? tia!

 

[Savarak]

yeah there are... i think powertoys for winxp has a function just like that

 

[maseAT]

thanks, but the powertoys doesnt show thumbnails of the desktops, just little buttons with numbers on them..

 

[Savarak]

then there are desktop replacements like Litestep that has that functionality

 

[maseAT]

oh thanks.. it looks kinda scary though, i have to replace my explorer shell with the litestep one? I'll read more into it..

 

[joinT]

check out altdesk.. it's the virtual desktop manager to go with astonshell.. i recommend it to anyone..

 

[clickynext]

Originally posted by: maseAT
oh thanks.. it looks kinda scary though, i have to replace my explorer shell with the litestep one? I'll read more into it..

It doesn't screw up explorer, though, if that's what you're worried about. At least in my experience, it leaves explorer pretty much untouched and if you screw up litestep then you just uninstall it and explorer is still good.

 

[nova2]

check these:

virt-dimension.sourceforge.net
http://virtuawin.sourceforge.net/

I havn't tried them yet, as I'm using the oh so customizable Litestep.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: nova2
virt-dimension.sourceforge.net

:thumbsup:

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: maseAT
oh thanks.. it looks kinda scary though, i have to replace my explorer shell with the litestep one? I'll read more into it..

Only thing you lose is autorun. I've used litestep for years. Checkout Litestep themes. I like _underscore_ and designed4. There are lots of good ones.

 

[nova2]

well, come to think of it, one thing you lose, you can get back easily:

http://wiki.litestep.com/Enabling_special_keyboard_keys

 

[maseAT]

agh, it's too much configuring! all i want is the virtual window manager, but now it's changed up my entire environment! how can i preserve the normal windows explorer but only add the VWM? i've heard there might be software where you can "embed" applications into the taskbar, so i could get one of these other programs that arent' embedded and then embed it?

 

[theMan]

try Chimera Virtual Desktop. i think thats what it is that you want.

 

[Nothinman]

Every time I looked I came up disappointed, most Windows users just aren't used to having multiple desktops so what's available is crap.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: maseAT
thanks, but the powertoys doesnt show thumbnails of the desktops, just little buttons with numbers on them..

There's a key you can press and it will bring up thumbnails kind of like Expose (but not really).

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
Every time I looked I came up disappointed, most Windows users just aren't used to having multiple desktops so what's available is crap.

Litesteps VDT are really good. Powertoys version is total crap, like installing scads of Spyware.

 

[Nothinman]

Litesteps VDT are really good. Powertoys version is total crap, like installing scads of Spyware.

I shouldn't have to change my shell to get decent multiple desktops, Windows supports it natively it's just that there's no tools to make using it work well.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

Litesteps VDT are really good. Powertoys version is total crap, like installing scads of Spyware.

I shouldn't have to change my shell to get decent multiple desktops, Windows supports it natively it's just that there's no tools to make using it work well.

That's probably because Windows sucks at handling it. Powertools would seem to indicate that. I'd suspect that the Windows Shell *is* the problem where VDTs are concerned, but have only circumstantial evidence to support that.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

Litesteps VDT are really good. Powertoys version is total crap, like installing scads of Spyware.

I shouldn't have to change my shell to get decent multiple desktops, Windows supports it natively it's just that there's no tools to make using it work well.

Yeah, but changing your shell offers other nice things as well, not just virtual desktops(which I don't even use). Honestly I switched to Litestep without any thought of virtual desktops, I never liked it when I used Linux either.

 

[Nothinman]

That's probably because Windows sucks at handling it. Powertools would seem to indicate that. I'd suspect that the Windows Shell *is* the problem where VDTs are concerned, but have only circumstantial evidence to support that.

I would say that the PowerTools implementation was probably just a proof of concept tool to prove that it could be done. I doubt they expected many people to actually use it.

 

[theMan]

im telling you, get chimera virtual desktop. its really good.

http://www.chimera.hu/virtual_desktop/

 

[Nothinman]

im telling you, get chimera virtual desktop. its really good.

Only in the Windows world can someone charge for something that should be there by default.

 

[theMan]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

im telling you, get chimera virtual desktop. its really good.

Only in the Windows world can someone charge for something that should be there by default.

i didnt pay for it.

 

[Nothinman]

It's $24.95 for a license, so either you're still in your trial or you're a thief.

 

[maseAT]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
It's $24.95 for a license, so either you're still in your trial or you're a thief.

lol! if there was a way to integrate chimera into the taskbar, it would solve my problems, but it has to have its own bar. i've been trying to find something similar to holesoft's BandIt, which lets you put things in your taskbar, but the company died a few years ago and theres no way to get a non-nag version (since you can't buy it). thanks for all the ideas so far..