dh said the following on 10/08/2011 12:52 PM:
On Saturday, October 08, 2011, Sascha Manns wrote:
Hello Mates,
i've read in Stephan's Thread that some of you already using Activities in the Desktop. What Activities you have defined? How do you use it?
As I meantioned previously, I use activities in much the same way I use virtual desktops. I have 3 defined activities with 4 virtual desktops each.
Keeping track of 12 Virt Desktops would be cumbersome, but grouping them according to 3 task definitions makes it quite easy.
I have 1 group dedicated to photo management and graphic design. One activity for virtualuzation and media production and one for general office work and web programming.
I am amazed by this thread. from my POV it is an argument against using Activities. There are many assertions on the web pages references that are 'not so', that there are options to get around the assertions made. But posts like this on by dh bring tow things to mind. The first is the sheer overload and the results in some kind of attention span deficit. Implicit in the grouping described is that these are all active and have tasks working in them and that the user want to be able to turn to any of them at a moments notice. I would have tough many of these tasks would require more concentration and a longer attention span and prevent distractions. The second is a sort of 'out of sight' out of mind. Within the limits of your 'multi-tasking', which for me is dealing with email and the references in the email, I want the items I'm dealing with showing, even if not on screen. By analogy, my library/bookcases have many books, but I may have 3 or 4 open on my desk that I'm dealing with to look up references for the task at hand. So too do I have the browser and the file manager showing on the task manager (in other windows), but their existence is visible. When it comes to work on something else I shut down email. It would be a distraction. No, not another 'activity' that I can hot-key to. Focus on the task at hand, don't allow distractions. Go google: you will find many articles stressing the importance of focusing on the task at hand. As far as I can see it, Activities are a sort of virtual desktops done differently, so you can group different widgets. If you don't need that then they offer not advantage over virtual desktops and can lead you into bad work practices. Many of the examples of the 'advantages' of Activities I see in this thread and on the 'Net are good examples of bad work practices. -- "Quality is not a sprint; it is a long-distance event." Daniel Hunt. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-kde+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse-kde+owner@opensuse.org