4 ms·

"The limitation of a single desktop was put in place to allow children to ease into the desktop metaphor." Any source for this? I dont thinkchildren were the ta

"The limitation of a single desktop was put in place to allow children to ease into the desktop metaphor." Any source for this? I dont thinkchildren were the target customers at that time.

tremon 6y ago
They didn't mean literal children I guess, but "children" in the sense of blank-slate individuals exploring a new space. Adults can use training wheels too when first learning to ride a bike. But once they're competent, it's more expressive to ride without.
- andi999 6y ago
  I agree. But I am wondering, I remember linux had a lot of multiple Desktops, but somehow this fad never stuck. So maybe one Desktop was somehow a good idea?
  - adamnew123456 6y ago
    I'm not sure fad is the right descriptor here. Unix WMs have had virtual desktops since the 90s (80s?), MacOS got them around 2006 and Windows in 2015. Use by the non-initiated may not be that high, but that shouldn't be surprising given that user education is a very scarce resource and it's being spent elsewhere.
    - andi999 6y ago
      I meant as a default.
      - pbhjpbhj 6y ago
        Aren't document tabs, eg browser tabs, an app-confined version of multiple desktops. The idea behind their are virtual screens of content you can switch between. Every KDE I've installed (Slackware, Mandrake, Ubuntu, Fedora), to my recollection defaulted to multiple desktops. I'm so happy Win10 has virtual desktops as in moving from Linux to MS Windows - mandated by my workplace - that was a massive pain point.
  - kergonath 6y ago
    Don’t all major OS have virtual desktops now? A single desktop is very restrictive, it’s much easier to have some spatial separation between contexts. It might not be the most visible feature for most users, but it is definitely an important one, which I would hate to see go away.
    - andi999 6y ago
      How do you use virtual Desktop in windows?
      - hchasestevens 6y ago
        https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-use-multiple-desktops-in-windows-10/ https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-use-multiple-desktops-in-...
      - kergonath 6y ago
        It’s not well known, but it exists. I can’t say exactly since when; it was a couple of years ago.

"The limitation of a single desktop was put in place to allow children to ease into the desktop metaphor." Any source for this? I dont thinkchildren were the target customers at that time.

tremon 6y ago

They didn't mean literal children I guess, but "children" in the sense of blank-slate individuals exploring a new space. Adults can use training wheels too when first learning to ride a bike. But once they're competent, it's more expressive to ride without.

andi999 6y ago
I agree. But I am wondering, I remember linux had a lot of multiple Desktops, but somehow this fad never stuck. So maybe one Desktop was somehow a good idea?
- adamnew123456 6y ago
  I'm not sure fad is the right descriptor here. Unix WMs have had virtual desktops since the 90s (80s?), MacOS got them around 2006 and Windows in 2015. Use by the non-initiated may not be that high, but that shouldn't be surprising given that user education is a very scarce resource and it's being spent elsewhere.
  - andi999 6y ago
    I meant as a default.
    - pbhjpbhj 6y ago
      Aren't document tabs, eg browser tabs, an app-confined version of multiple desktops. The idea behind their are virtual screens of content you can switch between. Every KDE I've installed (Slackware, Mandrake, Ubuntu, Fedora), to my recollection defaulted to multiple desktops. I'm so happy Win10 has virtual desktops as in moving from Linux to MS Windows - mandated by my workplace - that was a massive pain point.
- kergonath 6y ago
  Don’t all major OS have virtual desktops now? A single desktop is very restrictive, it’s much easier to have some spatial separation between contexts. It might not be the most visible feature for most users, but it is definitely an important one, which I would hate to see go away.
  - andi999 6y ago
    How do you use virtual Desktop in windows?
    - hchasestevens 6y ago
      https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-use-multiple-desktops-in-windows-10/ https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-use-multiple-desktops-in-...
    - kergonath 6y ago
      It’s not well known, but it exists. I can’t say exactly since when; it was a couple of years ago.