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214:.) Rather than simply being placed at an x, y position on the computer's display, windows of running applications are then placed at x, y positions on a given virtual desktop “context”. They are then only accessible to the user if that particular context is enabled. A switching desktop provides a pager for the user to switch between "contexts", or pages of screen space, only one of which can be displayed on the computer's display at any given time. Several
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not use blitting, but something more like what is sometimes called hardware panning. The video output is simply told (once, or many times) where to display (scanline) and from what screen memory address. A screen can move to any position, or display any portion, by modifying the wait, or fetch position. Typically a single byte value. The
Copperlist did need to be sorted in vertical and horizontal wait position in order to function. Note: See
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526:) in 1986. The code for this extension was integrated by Apple into a later version of the Mac OS, although the ability to create virtual desktops larger than the screen was removed. The code was used instead as an assist for visually impaired users to zoom into portions of the desktop and view them as larger, more easily discerned images.
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for
Windows XP, which simulates many desktops with the more common method of hiding and showing windows in groups, each group being a different desktop. However, the functionality provided is less comprehensive than that of many other virtual desktop solutions (e. g. maintain a window in a given
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Microsoft offers a utility called
Desktops which allows users running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 or later operating systems to run applications on up to 4 virtual desktops. Unlike nearly all other virtual desktop solutions for Windows, this utility actually uses native "desktop objects," as
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Other kinds of virtual desktop environments do not offer discrete virtual screens, but instead make it possible to pan around a desktop that is larger than the available hardware is capable of displaying. This facility is sometimes referred to as panning, scrolling desktops or view-port. For example,
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Each desktop or 'screen' could have its own colour depth (number of available colours) and resolution, including use of interlacing. The display chipset ('graphics card' on a PC) could switch between these desktop modes on the fly, and during the drawing of a single screen, usually with three pixel
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There are two major approaches to expanding the virtual area of the screen. Switchable virtual desktops allow the user to make virtual copies of their desktop view-port and switch between them, with open windows existing on single virtual desktops. Another approach is to expand the size of a single
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was a simple processor that could wait for a screen position and write to hardware registers. Using the GUI implemented in system ROM API's, programs could transparently display multiple independent screens, from non-consecutive memory, without moving the memory. This hardware-based scrolling does
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has a maximum resolution that is higher than the monitor's display resolution, the virtual desktop manager may allow windows to be placed "off the edge" of the screen. The user can then scroll to them by moving the mouse pointer to the edge of the display. The visible part of the larger virtual
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desktop even when its application bar button flashes, etc.). As with all virtual desktop utilities that work by hiding and showing windows, application compatibility problems are common, because application developers do not expect virtual desktops to be in use on the
Windows platform.
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on the former or a compositor on the latter. This separation allowed third-party developers to introduce a host of different window manager features, resulting in the early development of virtual desktop capabilities in X. The first implementation of virtual desktops for Unix was
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to provide their windowing environment, with the latter becoming more prevalent on Linux-based systems as of the early 2020s. These systems are unique in that the decoration, placement, and management of windows are handled by a separate, replaceable program known as a
356:, offer separate "desks" that allow the user to organize applications even further. For example, a user may have separate desks labeled "Work" and "Home", with the same programs running on both desks, but fulfilling different functions. Some window managers such as
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Some programs, VWorlds (an astronomy simulator) being an example, used the multiple desktops feature to overlay a set of controls over the main display screen. The controls could then be dragged up and down in order to show more or less of the main display.
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operating system included multiple desktops (up to 4 natively) in the OS/2 Warp 4 release in 1996. This functionality has also been provided by the open source XWorkplace project, with support for up to 100 virtual desktops. XWorkplace is included with the
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30:
This article is about the graphical user interface in operating systems. For software technology that separates the desktop environment and associated application software from the physical client device that is used to access it, see
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did not implement virtual desktops natively in a user-accessible way. There are objects in the architecture of
Windows known as "desktop objects" that are used to implement separate screens for logon and the secure desktop sequence
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support "tagging" (or window rules for KDE) where applications can be configured to always launch on a particular desktop, screen, and position, supporting automatic organization and consistent navigation.
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and offer various features, such as placing different wallpapers for each virtual desktop and use of hotkeys or other convenient methods to allow the user to switch amongst the different screens.
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virtual screen beyond the size of the physical viewing device. Typically, scrolling/panning a subsection of the virtual desktop into view is used to navigate an oversized virtual desktop.
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discussed above. Because of this, it does not offer the ability to move programs between desktops, or in fact to stop using virtual desktops at all, short of logging off, and
487:'s nView product (this product has been discontinued for GeForce card owners since Vista). Some of these programs provide eye-candy features similar to those available on
384:) multiple displays and virtual desktops arrangement. The theme (grid) is non-default and highly configurable. Navigation is usually done by computer mouse or arrow keys.
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was an early example of a commercial virtual desktop product for Unix. Many of today's X window managers and
Wayland compositors now include virtual desktop capabilities.
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deep line between each desktop shown on the screen. However, if one interlaced (flickering) desktop was displayed, all desktops onscreen would be similarly affected.
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1000, released in 1985. All Amigas supported multiple in-memory screens displayed concurrently via the use of the graphics co-processor, AKA the "Copper". The
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Dynamic virtual desktops in GNOME Shell v40. Workspaces are automatically added or deleted as the existing ones are respectively consumed or freed.
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464:, Dexpot and others) and some partially supported Microsoft products that implement virtual desktops to varying degrees of completeness.
162:'s display area through the use of software. This compensates limits of the desktop area and is helpful in reducing clutter of running
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456:). There is no native and easy way for users to create their own desktops or populate them with programs. However, there are many
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This also allowed the OS to seamlessly mix "Full Screen" and
Windowed "desktop"-style applications in a single environment.
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594:"Rooms: the use of multiple virtual workspaces to reduce space contention in a window-based graphical user interface"
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included an implementation of virtual desktops called "Workspaces". Up to 32 different
Workspaces were supported.
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Virtual desktop in
Windows 11 showing four open apps in the same desktop, with a thumbnail showing another desktop
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Historically, software packaged with some video card drivers provided virtual desktop functionality, such as in
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352:. These may exist in a fixed number or be created on the fly as they are populated. Some window managers, like
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in 1986 and (unknowingly to the authors until their publication) was conceptually similar to earlier work by
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Configurations range from as few as two virtual desktops to several hundred. The most popular
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User interfaces describe ways in which virtual space of a computer's desktop is expanded
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816:(Update 1), By Jeremy Reimer, Monday January 17, 2005 ("Desktop and drawers" section).
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for its GUI, and early versions had no provision for virtual desktops. Beginning with
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The first platform to implement multiple desktop display as a hardware feature was
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Switchable desktops were designed and implemented at Xerox PARC as "Rooms" by
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User interface with multiple workspaces for sharing display system objects
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is the software responsible for this kind of effect under Linux systems.
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Ars
Technica: "The Micro-AmigaOne and Amiga OS4 Developer Prerelease"
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83:. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.
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Switchable desktops were introduced to a much larger audience by
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users by a 3rd party extension called Stepping Out created by
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paradigm, to describe ways in which the virtual space of a
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In this example a Unix-like operating system is using the
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Microsoft had previously provided a Virtual Desktop
35:. For the virtual reality software application, see
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724:"Microsoft Unveils Windows 10 with New Start Menu"
430:offer virtual desktops through a system known as "
115:Virtual desktops rendered as the faces of a cube.
244:Virtual desktop managers are available for most
703:"Current Release Timetamp ArcaOS 5.0 Blue Lion"
195:in 1984. This work was covered by a US patent.
158:is expanded beyond the physical limits of the
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514:, scrolling desktops were made available to
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472:only works on the primary desktop object.
1255:List of graphical user interface elements
691:. Computer Business Review. 9 March 1993.
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554:, this functionality has been moved into
99:Learn how and when to remove this message
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448:
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348:, use multiple virtual desktops called
206:(the Solbourne Window Manager, for the
287:Unix and Unix-like with X11 or Wayland
270:http://www.faqs.org/faqs/amiga/books/
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272:for a list of reference material.
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672:"Aminet - misc/Sci/VWorlds30.lha"
534:Despite its Unix underpinnings,
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142:is a term used with respect to
650:swm: An X window manager shell
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1002:Head-up display in computing
647:Thomas E. LaStrange (1990).
599:ACM Transactions on Graphics
218:provide switching desktops.
126:cube plugin to decorate the
79:the claims made and adding
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851:Graphical control elements
688:Computergram International
496:desktop shell replacements
386:Compositing window manager
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1316:User interface techniques
1311:Graphical user interfaces
586:D. Austin Henderson, Jr.
398:IBM's personal computer
246:graphical user interface
42:Not to be confused with
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522:(the future founder of
498:for Windows, including
307:systems use either the
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1095:Client-side decoration
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407:distribution of OS/2.
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164:graphical applications
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33:Desktop virtualization
1173:Breadcrumb navigation
637:, US Patent 5,533,183
544:Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
437:Prior to Windows 10,
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146:, usually within the
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338:desktop environments
756:. 30 September 2014
730:. 30 September 2014
613:10.1145/24054.24056
232:screen is called a
156:desktop environment
1032:Progress indicator
1007:HUD in video games
800:. 12 October 2021.
705:. 20 December 2016
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222:Oversized desktops
212:Solbourne Computer
193:Patrick Peter Chan
179:Switching desktops
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120:X windowing system
64:possibly contains
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1145:Window decoration
1100:Disclosure widget
904:Data input-output
865:Adjustment handle
782:. 19 August 2020.
538:does not use the
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249:operating systems
216:X window managers
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66:original research
16:(Redirected from
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1243:Related concepts
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1209:Alert dialog box
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956:Radio button
951:List builder
926:Cycle button
916:Color picker
875:Context menu
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760:30 September
758:. Retrieved
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1219:File dialog
1168:Address bar
931:Date picker
728:Tom's Guide
590:Stuart Card
458:third-party
327:IXI Limited
299:Almost all
189:Stuart Card
1305:Categories
1214:Dialog box
1078:Containers
1059:Status bar
966:Search box
776:"Desktops"
709:2020-08-24
573:References
424:Windows 10
350:workspaces
73:improve it
1275:Scrolling
1270:Mouseover
1178:Hyperlink
1152:Workspace
1090:Tree view
1085:Accordion
961:Scrollbar
936:Grid view
921:Combo box
754:The Verge
516:Macintosh
462:VirtuaWin
432:Task View
325:in 1990.
305:Unix-like
136:computing
77:verifying
1198:Special
1110:Menu bar
1047:Throbber
981:Text box
946:List box
911:Checkbox
895:Pie menu
520:Wes Boyd
500:LiteStep
477:PowerToy
331:Panorama
234:viewport
174:Overview
152:computer
122:and the
1200:windows
1135:Toolbar
1120:Popover
1069:Tooltip
1054:Sidebar
1017:Infobar
976:Spinner
660:Summer.
622:1157369
510:On the
411:Windows
380:21.04 (
378:Kubuntu
362:Sawfish
311:or the
71:Please
1140:Window
1125:Ribbon
971:Slider
870:Button
658:USENIX
620:
548:Spaces
489:Compiz
485:Nvidia
453:Delete
405:ArcaOS
265:Copper
160:screen
124:Compiz
1115:Panel
1064:Toast
1022:Label
654:(PDF)
618:S2CID
536:macOS
530:macOS
494:Many
342:GNOME
261:Amiga
255:Amiga
227:if a
1285:WIMP
1012:Icon
890:Menu
762:2014
736:2014
567:BeOS
562:BeOS
445:Ctrl
426:and
400:OS/2
394:OS/2
360:and
354:FVWM
344:and
323:vtwm
303:and
301:Unix
187:and
148:WIMP
138:, a
1130:Tab
608:doi
449:Alt
434:".
358:dwm
346:KDE
329:'s
204:swm
202:in
154:'s
134:In
75:by
1307::
796:.
778:.
752:.
726:.
656:.
616:.
602:.
596:.
588:;
558:.
491:.
428:11
340:,
236:.
166:.
843:e
836:t
829:v
764:.
738:.
712:.
674:.
624:.
610::
604:5
451:+
447:+
442:(
130:.
102:)
96:(
91:)
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46:.
39:.
20:)
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