Virtual desktops in ubuntu

Virtual desktops

Like all Linuxes, Ubuntu makes use of virtual desktops. This handy function is missing from Windows although it can be found in Macintosh OS X 10.5 under the name of Spaces.Using virtual desktops is like having a second (or third, or fourth etc.) monitor. Program windows can be placed on any of the desktops of the “monitors” and you can switch between desktops using the applet at the bottom-right of the screen.
Virtual desktops are best explained by example, so start a program of your choice (maybe the Firefox web browser) and switch to the second desktop by clicking the second of the screen icons in the virtual desktop
applet at the bottom right of the screen. The program window will seem to disappear. Now open a file browsing window (click Places - Home Folder), and return to the first desktop by clicking the first of the screen icons. The first desktop’s contents will now reappear. See how it works? You could set aside one virtual desktop solely for email, and another for day-to-day tasks such as web browsing, and switch between the desktops when necessary. You can have up to 36 virtual desktops—just right-click the icon, select Preferences, and increase the number in the Number of Work spaces counter. You can also give each a descriptive name in the Work space Names section—just double-click an entry in the list and over type.