CodeTek Studios is now shipping version 3.0 of VirtualDesktop, software that lets Mac OS X users work on multiple projects on separate—as the name implies—”virtual desktops.” The latest version, which runs on both Mac OS X 10.2 and 10.3, adds support for Apple’s X11, Panther’s Expose feature, an auto-hide pager, enhanced hotkey support, improved AppleScript support and more. Check the differences between Lite and Pro versions here and read the rest of the report at MacMinute.
CodeTek Ships VirtualDesktop 3.0
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Try Desktop Manager, http://wsmanager.sf.net, Its a GPL-ed virtual desktop proggie for OS X.
I agree, Desktop Manager is a brilliant little application. I love the Cube Transition (like fast user switching) while changing desktop.
Just what I need. The only thing I’ve been mising in OS X is virtual desktops (and speed). Does the desktopmanager at http://wsmanager.sf.net/ also support hotkeys/keybindings?
Overall, I think CTVD is still the better program – it’s a more mature application, compared to Desktop Manager.
That being said….Desktop Manager has improved so much over the past few months, I don’t think it will be long before it’s just as nice as CTVD. And free == good!
Once Desktop Manager works out some the stability issues (it’s always been a little flaky for me, compared to CTVD, which hasn’t crashed once) I’ll probably switch, even though I have a CTVD license.
Yes, DM supports keybindings.
CTVD is an awesome app but has more “bells and whistles” than I need. The little GPL’d Desktop Manager works for me. It’s on both my G5 and my iBook G4.
This is definitely a good piece of software — I’ve been using it since the 1.x days. You might be able to get similar functionality from the GPL’d one (eventually, although it’s still in alpha), but CTVD is cheap and good. It seems that the GPL’d software is specifically set up to destroy CTVD, which is pretty lame. Yeah, you can go cheap, but these guys have good support and make a good product.
Come on, if you want to make an open-source version of something that’s expensive and a lock-in, then fine, but why waste effort trying to destroy a piece of good software that’s cheap and from a small software shop?
It seems that the GPL’d software is specifically set up to destroy CTVD, which is pretty lame.
True it would be if that were the aim. I’m the author of Desktop Manager. I can assue you thats not the case. DM got written because I couldn’t afford $30 for virtual desktops and thought CTVD was clunky. Writing a virtual desktop proggie seemed a great way to learn more about the OS (I had only recently replaced my Linux laptop).
If you like CTVD then fine. Use it by all means. DM just exists ‘cos I didn’t like it and wanted an alternative. Like good OSS it came into existance because I had an itch to scratch.
I’ve tried CTVD and even though it did it’s job I always had some problems switching desktops. Applications I had opened on one desktop quickly displayed during switching on another desktop. For some reason it just did some strange things.
Rich:
Is Desktop Manager more like a Linux Virtual Desktop? I would like to try it out but I’m on a windows box currently.
Thanks
———————
http://www.sideliners.ca
I tried CTVD in the 1.x, and 2.x series. In both it used about 15% of my CPU while idle. This is unacceptable. Otherwise, I liked it. It felt kind of “jerky” though. Anyone know if this high idle is gone?
Is Desktop Manager more like a Linux Virtual Desktop? I would like to try it out but I’m on a windows box currently.
There is actually a lot of virtual desktop functionality built into the window server of OS X. Desktop Manager is basically the state of the art in my reverse engineering efforts. Sesktop switches happen faster with DM because it uses the Window Server’s own mechanism which is clearly a lot faster than the show all on desktop n/hide on desktop m method CodeTek appears to use.
OTOH this is really deep buggering about with OS X (including a little run-time patch to the Dock) so CodeTek will always be more stable.
So yes and no, you should get Linux virtual desktop speed but with possibly a slightly weirder way of doing it.
Rich,
Thank you for the explanation. I’ll just try it as soon as I get home.
———-
http://www.sideliners.ca
I just installed your desktop switcher and it’s pretty neat. The transition effects don’t work for some reason but other than that it seems to work quite well.
Torrey: For me the transition only works with the hotkeys, not when I click on the little desktop windows in the menu.
Cool, it works when I do that. It only works on the ibook’s screen and not the external I have hooked up via the spanning hack, but what do I want for free and alpha code!
all in all it’s a very cool program.