> On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 07:15:46PM +0100, John Latham wrote: > > > From: John Latham <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Date: Thu, 22 May 2008 18:54:17 +0100 (BST) > > > > > * Pages are used as more desk space within each `task', e.g. I might > > > have a web browser open on the Java API in the page next to the one I > > > am writing code in: I can just slide between the two with either the > > > mouse or shortcuts. > > > > Having thought about it more than ever before, I suppose what I'm saying > > here > > is that desktops are associated with tasks, and pages with sub-tasks! > > > > E.g. on one desktop I may be writing a Java text book with an editor and dvi > > viewer on page 0,0 but in page 0,1 I have xfig open to edit diagrams for the > > book. Meanwhile on a different desktop I have my main email client windows > > on > > page 0,0 with maybe some particular emails in process of being written -- > > but > > stalled while I think about them, each on another page of that desktop. > > > That makes it more of an organisational convenience than anything else > though doesn't it. If you named your Pages (or Desktops) to reflect > that organisation would it actually make any difference how they were > implemented?
If one was able to (arbitrarily?) nest desktops within another, in some organised shape (e.g. a grid) then, yes, there perhaps would become no distinction between page and desktop. But one cannot do so (I think?). Instead there are exactly two levels of structure: pages within desktop, and they are set up to be used as such. So, the idea, which you like, of scrolling over the edge of a page with the mouse (EdgeScroll) is implemented for changing pages, but (I think?) not for changing desktops, because one wouldn't want it for the latter. And windows (be they larger than the page size or not) can straddle pages, but not desktops (I think?). So, if you don't want to use the two level structure then perhaps your question becomes ``what is the difference between multiple desktops each with one page, and multiple pages in one desktop?'' And I guess the answer is whether or not you can scroll between them with the mouse and allow windows to straddle the boundaries. > Chris Green Thanks, John
