bopuc/weblog

Have you heard any news from CodeTek about a UB version of VirtualDesktop (Pro)? You'd think by now they'd have at least made some announcement about it on their web site if they intended an update.

Recently I've been keeping a closer eye on Virtue since that appears to be the only virtual desktop manager currently supported and actively developed on Intel Macs. I tried it a bit when CodeTek took forever to release a 10.4 update for VDP but it wasn't as stable or comfortable to use although I did prefer it over Desktop Manager.

They are so bad and so slow it makes me sick. But it's the only one of all the VDMs that offers a pager I can put anywhere I want.

Yes, I hate the fact that an enormous amount of my productivity relies on one piece of software. :\

Yeah, there's something about the pager that supports the illusion of having a bigger monitor. Especially on this 1024x768 iBook G3 display, which is the first system I plan to eventually upgrade to an Intel-based Mac. Hopefully VDP is updated by then or Virtue becomes a satisfying replacement for it. Or Apple surprises us and integrates a decent VDM into 10.5.

Then again... Joi says "yeah it is way faster..."

SJ, we're talking about a company that cripples it's flagship Desktop Search product's UI (Spotlight) out of fear of "scaring the user"... Have you tried explaining "Virtual Desktop" to a normal person ever? They barely get the Desktop metaphor to begin with! ;)

we're talking about a company that cripples it's flagship Desktop Search product's UI (Spotlight) out of fear of "scaring the user".

I haven't seen enough evidence to convince me Apple "intentionally" crippled Spotlight UIs in 10.4. My optimistic speculation is that they weren't ready to commit to UI choices for the short-term that might negatively impact certain long-term goals.

I can't find a relevant quote from Steve Jobs I noticed earlier today, something like "Once you give it to them, you can't take it away". That succulently summarizes my opinion of where Apple's at with Spotlight, relative to 10.4 anyway.

Have you tried explaining "Virtual Desktop" to a normal person ever? They barely get the Desktop metaphor to begin with! ;)

My wife, for instance. I'm convinced her indoctrination into computing via web browsing (originally as a Hotmail user) is the main reason why the desktop/file/folder metaphor wasn't obvious or intuitive to her. The concept of file management is still pretty foreign to her, usually being insulated from it by the applications she's using: Mail, iPhoto, iTunes, and Safari. Her exposure to files/folders is typically limited to TextEdit.

As much as possible I've chosen to let her lack of comprehending the "desktop metaphor" (that more experienced users take for granted) be my muse to serious consideration of viably pervasive alternatives to it. My wife is definitely in the category of users who really don't need files/folders for the tasks they want to accomplish with computers. In that context, files/folders are more often a burden than a blessing.

Sorry for the comment overload (yeah, I'll bang out this stuff on my own weblog soon). Quickly shifting back from that major digression back to your original topic to finish ...

I'm typing this on a iBook G3 (late 2001, as "macked out" as it can be :-)), hoping it'll survive until I affordably justify replacing it. The current MBP would be heavily tempting if I didn't have an iMac G5 as my primary system, which I probably won't replace (if at all) until after AppleCare coverage for it expires in a couple years.

Whoops! That mega-comment looked fine in the preview but I guess the software couldn't handle it. Sorry, again.