As a GNOME desktop user who has recently migrated to KDE Plasma, I must say that the advancements of this desktop environment have truly impressed me! I sincerely thank the KDE community for creating such an amazing desktop.
However, I feel that there is still some room for improvement regarding virtual desktop management compared to GNOME.
With all the improvements in KDE Plasma’s virtual desktop management and the Overview feature, there are still a few shortcomings that I think are worth mentioning:
1- Switching between desktops using the mouse scroll wheel in Overview mode: It would be much better if we could switch between desktops using the mouse scroll wheel in overview mode. I know that we can switch between desktops using keyboard shortcuts, but being able to do it with the mouse wheel would make it much simpler and faster.
2- Creating new virtual desktops from anywhere: Let me explain this way: In GNOME, you can create a new virtual desktop from anywhere. Unfortunately, it seems that this is not possible in Plasma (or if it is, I don’t know how). It seems we can only create a new virtual desktop from the right side, which sometimes makes managing the layout of desktops difficult.
3- Ability to change the position of desktops: It would be great if we could change the position of a virtual desktop (like in GNOME) by dragging the desktop with the mouse in the Overview mode. Unfortunately, it seems this feature is missing.
4- Displaying the panel in Overview mode: I think it would be very useful if the panel could be displayed in overview mode. This way, we could launch a new application directly from the overview.
5- Automatic closing of empty virtual desktops: It would be helpful to have a feature that automatically closes a virtual desktop when there are no open applications on it. This way, users wouldn’t have to manually remove unused virtual desktops constantly.
What needs to happen and been suggest by more than a few peeps is Virtual Desktops and Activities be MERGED. It’s a true waste to have both, but would be even more of a waste to get rid of any feature from either.
like 1. this should be as natural as switching desktops when not in overview (i use the mouse wheel).
really like 2. and 3. virtual desktops should be dragable in both overview and the switcher widget so your work areas can be arranged how you like them.
don’t know about 4. as when in overview i’m more looking to see what i already have open than open more things.
do not like 5. as i like having an empty deskop to switch too but i suppose if 2. and 3. were implemented it would seem less necessary.
as far as WankedWilly’s idea of blending virtual desktops with activities i would be against that idea for two reasons
first i like the way virtual desktops are working now and i would not want to complicate it with the concept of also switching heads that activities brings.
i think of added desktops as just more room to spread out what i’m already working on, and organize it to some extent… but activities is more like switching users (or switching offices/work locations) and i would like to see that explored further without bringing it into virtual desktops
the activities feature deserves to have their own set of virtual desktops.
second, activities still seems quite doughy and unfinished and i would not want to even consider crossing them until that is firmed up.
I understand that in Overview mode, we often look to see what is already open. Perhaps I didn’t explain my point clearly enough. I believe it would enhance the user experience if we could drag an application icon from the panel to a virtual desktop in Overview mode, thereby launching that application in a new virtual desktop. This is similar to a feature in GNOME, where you can drag an application icon from the dash and drop it into a new virtual desktop.
The point of this feature is to allow us to create a new virtual desktop in a specific location (related to point 2) and open the desired application in that desktop at the same time. Essentially, with just a drag-and-drop action, we can both create a new virtual desktop in the desired spot and open the intended application in it.
I’m sorry if my perspective seems too GNOME-centric , but I think this feature could significantly improve the user experience and speed up workflow, even if it’s not enabled by default.
, but I think this feature could significantly improve the user experience and speed up workflow, even if it’s not enabled by default.