July 2015 saw the release of Windows 10.
One feature that Microsoft has been really making a great fuss about is the implementation (finally) of virtual desktops for the first time in a way that can be accessed easily by users.
A virtual desktop is a term used with respect to user interfaces to describe ways in which the virtual space of a computer’s desktop environment is expanded beyond the physical limits of the screen’s display area through the use of software. This compensates for a limited desktop area and can also be helpful in reducing clutter.
Microsoft is calling the Windows 10 implementation of virtual desktops Task View.
Whenever a new release of Windows comes out, users of other operating systems such as Mac OS X and the various distributions of Linux, always wonder what baubles will be ‘copied’ from their OS of choice.
This time, it’s virtual desktops.
On Linux systems both major window/display managers – GNOME and KDE – have had virtual desktops for well over a decade.
Indeed, the first version of KDE, released 17 years ago in July 1998, included them, as shown in the following screenshot.
GNOME also included virtual desktops as early the GNOME 2.0 release which appeared in 2002.
Windows has actually had API support for virtual desktops since Windows NT 4, which was released back in 1996, which just shows how long it takes a lumbering quasi-monopolostic behemoth to get round to implementing things.
I’d sooner use an operating system that was a pioneer, rather than a laggard that attempted to imitate the best of others. 🙂