arrangement of desktop app launcers

[houghi]

On Sun, May 13, 2012 at 10:14:21AM +0200, hha4491 wrote:
> Hi JD,
> >61 desktop items, and counting.
> I'm not sure this is a good idea. From my old Windows time I
> remember that many desktop items are an unnecessary extra load to
> the system.

I never understood the idea of desktop icons. I have a program running and
if I want another one, I first must close or minimize the one I am working
on?
Also the restriction of one menu button is very limited and it is never on
the importance and order that I want.

So here is what I do (I have three monitors, so YMMV)
1) Have each monitor have its own desktops. So no Xinerama. This is the
most important reason I run XFCE. GNOME and KDE can't do that.
2) Each Monitor has 6 desktops. When I change desktops on one screen, I
still see the others. 
3) Have each desktop fixed programs. For this I use devilspie¹. When I
start up, all programs open already in their fixed place.

The advantage of desktops and fixed places for programs is that it is very
easy to go there with shortcuts. e.g. <META>+1 brings me to my browser.
This I have for my most used programs.

Programs I use a bit less, I make different launchers with multiple
programs in them, grouped in any way I want them to be grouped. e.g.
games, work, imaging, video, ...

A few exeptions are programs that I want direct access to all the time,
like taking screenshots.

That way I have imediate access to any program that I need.
Video of what I had a while ago:
http://houghi.org/movie/index.php?movie=4KKF3XV

¹It would be great if this could be implemented in an easier way in XFCE.
Look at e.g. Windowmaker and how they handle individual screens, placing
them on desktops each and every time is great and extremely easy.
Individual theming is also possible. Yet Windowmaker is still very light
in usage.

houghi
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