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Expose_and_Spaces
1/2: How often do you use Spaces?
2/2: How often do you use Exposé?
Other polls | 12,382 votes | 64 comments
Expose_and_Spaces
I use Spaces only to separate OS's (OS X, Windows via RDC, and Windows in Parallels), but Expose all the time. I do both using hot corners though, never the keyboard, because I'm quite mouse centric.
Expose_and_Spaces
If you're using hot corners, the same corner should deactivate exposé and take you back where you were. There's no need for an x. I actually use a hot corner for dashboard and have never clicked the x.
Expose_and_Spaces
Mac Berry was meaning the X to close an app or window, not to close Exposé.
Expose_and_Spaces
ah I see. My mistake. That would be a good idea.
Expose_and_Spaces
Spaces is esssential to my workflow, but I can get along on someone else's computer without them. Exposé is so convenient that I find myself cursing any computer that I have to use that doesn't have it (read: PCs).
Expose_and_Spaces
I'm ashamed to say that until I could afford the REAL Mac product, I had to install a free version of an Expose' like product on my now defunct winD'ohs (spelling intended) machine. Was slow, but effective. This and other products were used to make up for the lack of Mac.
Expose_and_Spaces
Spaces makes sense when you don't have much screen, er, space. I can't live without Spaces on my MacBook Pro, whereas I have no use for it on my Mac Pro with dual 30-inch monitors.
Expose_and_Spaces
I use SnapRocket as my switcher. It's different but still switches windows.
Expose_and_Spaces
When I'm using the keyboard I get around using cmd+tab and cmd+` While I'm using the mouse I use a hot corner to switch apps.
I don't get Spaces
Assume I have two spaces, I have Finder windows open in both of them. Now I close all Finder windows in space A. Shortly afterwards I decide to open a new Finder window while still in space A by clicking on the Finder icon in the Dock. What happens? I will be transported to Space B which still has Finder windows open.
I don't get Spaces
This behaviour can be switched off in System Preferences > Spaces (last option in the window; at least under 10.6.)
I don't get Spaces
First, in System Preferences->Spaces you can set the number of spaces, the default space applications load, and also configure your mouse to "display" all of the spaces at once. In my case, I configured the side button on my mouse to open spaces.
Expose_and_Spaces
I use multiple monitors. Spaces seems to me to be just a workaround for not having multiple monitors, so I've experienced no need for it or any of its clones (I'm running 10.5.) ---
--fyngyrz
Expose_and_Spaces
Bit difficult with a laptop used AS a laptop though eh? ;)
Expose_and_Spaces
I have an external monitor on my Macbook, and I can't imagine using it without Spaces (using Hyperspaces helps.) Space 1 is my Work space, with a Word processor and Outliner. Space 2 is my Web space, with browser and email. Space 3 is my Planning space, with OmniFocus and iCal. Space 4 is Parallels.
Expose_and_Spaces
I have an external monitor connected to my MacBook, and I uses Spaces with 9 spaces. Guess what? I still need Exposé in order to access all my windows, even with all that space available.
Expose_and_Spaces
I tried Spaces when I first got my MacBook Pro. Seems pretty useless to me. Expose, on the other hand, I find very useful, especially to get to the desktop when I have a lot of windows open.
Expose_and_Spaces
Unlike fyngyrz I find multiple monitors + Spaces to be very useful. I use "Spaces Preferences" and have setup a number of application to be "Every Space". I then put those apps on my second monitor. This way when I switch spaces the one monitor stays the same while the other monitor changes.
Spaces is a huge timesaver
Using spaces is a huge timesaver when you need a lot of windows open. I recently had to use a computer without spaces for a while, and it felt so primitive. You don't realize how much time is wasted switching windows until after you've learned to use Spaces (and to a lesser extent, Expose), then it's hard to go back. Unfortunately, Spaces is still incredibly buggy and non-customizable. It hasn't caught up to the Linux virtual monitor program I used eight years ago.
Spaces is a huge timesaver
Can you give some examples of how you use Spaces please? I find Expose perfect for switching windows, so I'm not understanding how you use Spaces that makes it better?
Spaces is a huge timesaver
Okay, here's my usage. (Everyone else's will vary :) I have six spaces (i.e. screens), and I often have windows open on all of 'em. ---
Andy/
Spaces is a huge timesaver
It depends on what you are doing. Spaces is best when you are using lots of windows and have sets of windows to switch between. If you are only using a few windows, Expose is convenient. One problem with Expose is that the windows don't always end up in the same location, so it takes a little while to find the correct window. With Spaces, I have windows grouped by task, so I can use it to see an entire set of windows at once. I also assign a number to each space, so I just hit control-number to switch directly to a space. So I'll have Safari or Chromium in one space, a writing program in another space (usually with several sections open in different windows), a spreadsheet or math program in another space, a bibliography editor (with lots of windows of notes in another, and Preview or Skim in another. Then, instead of looking through the list or grid to find the correct window, I can know that hitting ctrl-2 will give me Safari instantly. If I have several Safari windows open, I then use command-` or Expose to find the correct one. I know that ctrl-4 will take me back to whatever I was writing, without having to look through the list of earlier sections I have open for cross-reference. If I'm coding, I can have the docs open in one space, the code editors in another, and the output in another, and not end up with a huge pile of windows to sort through.
Expose_and_Spaces
I've used Spaces right from the get go. I have been using some sort of multiple windows app for years. We have it at work with Unix/Linux, so I had to have it for at home on my various Macs.
Expose_and_Spaces
I can't live without Spaces any more. I was a Linux user and had many virtual desktops in X. Switched to Mac and found it insufferable having to continually hide windows. Have been thrilled with spaces. I have one for IM, one for Mail and iCal, one for Firefox, one for Echofon, one for Emacs and Skim, and three more that get used for other apps when they're open. I can quickly jump to wherever an app is that I need without worrying about window positioning. I love it.
Expose_and_Spaces
It would be interesting to know what the usage of each is by individual. That is, does a person who uses Spaces a lot us Expose only a little, and vice-versa. Do very many people use both a lot or both very little?
Expose_and_Spaces
I find Spaces very useful for certain programs on a single monitor. It's great for programs that are best in full screen (ArchiCAD, iPhoto, iMovie), you just assign them to their own space and you don't need to hide their windows when they are not the active program. (I've also used dual monitors with my laptop and then it seems better to use each monitor for different tasks.)
Expose_and_Spaces
defaults write com.apple.dock single-app -bool true ...and never bother with Spaces again!
Expose_and_Spaces
There are times this doesn't work: usually when I cmd-tab to another application.
Expose_and_Spaces
i've been using multiple monitor configurations for a long time. with multiple large monitors and copious amounts of screen real estate i've never really developed the habit of using spaces. (linux,unix,or osx) but expose is something i use every day, find it most functional.
Expose: YES! Spaces: Meh.
I use Expose constantly! I have Hot Corners set up for it, and I also have buttons on my mouse (Logitech MX Revolution) set up for it. Depending on what I'm doing, one way of activating Expose is more useful than another. This is also in addition to using cmd-tab very frequently.
Expose_and_Spaces
Doh, I said never on expose, when in fact I use it a lot...
Expose_and_Spaces
use it a lot but it still needs major fixing/tweaks. Apps that don't support spaces and omg dialog boxes.
Expose_and_Spaces
I use spaces far more than expose, and consider it to be entirely different from having multiple monitors - spaces allows me to separate tasks that I'm working on, whereas multiple monitors allows me to look at more of the current task at once. My setup involves having a separate space for each "task". I use 9 spaces and often have a different project going in 7 or 8 of them at any given time. Absolutely key to being able to do this is doing a
I also really appreciate
The other thing I've done that I really like is to setup (using the keyboard prefpane) so that cmd-f1 takes you to space 1, etc. That way, I hit cmd-f1 to go to my "email and general web browsing" space, and cmd-f2 to go to the space where I'm working on my physics homework, and cmd-f8 to go to the space where I'm working on an app in xcode.
Having done this, I usually use expose relatively little - just to get to the desktop when I need to. The thing is that each task only involves a couple apps usually, so it's much faster to use cmd-tab to get to the app I want than to hit the expose key, move a hand to the mouse, and then find the window I'm looking for. This is also not helped by the fact that I use expose infrequently enough that I often can't remember which key is "all windows" and which is "app windows".
Expose_and_Spaces
I agree with a lot of people about Spaces being the alternative to multiple monitors. I usually use my laptop hooked up to a display and keyboard so I do not use Spaces. But, when I am just on the built in screen, it is a godsend. Especially when doing computer simulations. I can have the code in one display, the terminal and some other information in the next, then I can have the web browser on the man and help pages in the next. After that, I have my electronic lab notebook. Finally, I have one with email and personal stuff.
Expose_and_Spaces
I use both constantly, and this is with a dual monitor setup. It's great knowing exactly where every app that I use constantly is located, and I don't have to mess around with getting something out of the way or digging for a lost window. I would be so frustrated if I lost either Expose or Spaces.
Expose_and_Spaces
I must agree with those who find Spaces essential, and also those who point out that multiple monitors is no substitute.
Expose_and_Spaces
You want to know about something I never use? Dashboard. I hate when I accidentally hit that key, and then it leaves the Dashboard process running...
Expose_and_Spaces
Just make an AppleScript app that quits the Dock and assign it to a keystroke. I've done this since once in a while it's helpful to run the Dashboard, but at least to me, those little things use a bunch of RAM.
Expose_and_Spaces
Dashboard? It runs calculator and iStat and thats it. Nice to flick to for a quick calculation or to check on cpu usage, then flick out. I thought I would use it more when it was first announced....
Expose_and_Spaces
It's cool that the calculator is available as a quick little dashboard widget, but I LOVE having it built into Spotlight so I've never used the dashboard one. And my stats are done through MenuMeters (I've heard iStat - or some program by the same company - does menus too and is better than MenuMeters, so I may check that out sometime.) I do use the Dashboard though when I want to see a quick weather forecast or calendar.
Expose_and_Spaces
There's a nice "Stop Dashboard" widget (oh the irony!) but it always right there when you need it - in the Dashboard. I use it quite often (its also a quick way to kill the Dock, if, like me your Spaces sometimes get stuck). Edited on Apr 16, '10 03:32:10PM by lowbatteries
Expose_and_Spaces
why not disable the shortcut for invoking dashboard?
Expose_and_Spaces
I use three Spaces for Work (Excel, Word, iWork FileMaker - pretty much anything to do with my work) Communications & Scheduling (Safari, Entourage, iCal, Hit List) and Play (games, iTunes, Quicktime etc).
I have enhanced Spaces with HyperSpaces to have different desktop colours/pictures (vital to get the concept across to anyone who has never used Spaces before) and Warp to click near either edge of the screen to go to the Space to the left or right of where I currently am.
I seldom use Exposé as I tend to hide applications when I am not using them.
---
JG
Expose_and_Spaces
My wish for Spaces enhancement would be if the menu shortcut would show a graphical grid instead of numbers.
Can't see the point
I don't use Spaces at all, and only use Exposé when an app refuses to show a window for some reason.
Maybe I'm missing the point, but with Keyboard Maestro and Quicksilver, I can bring anything I want to the front with a quick keypress. I always have a large number of apps and windows open, but have no problem managing them with these two utilities. This is on a laptop, too.
My daughter has been lobbying intensively for a huge wallscreen. I'll tell her she doesn't need it if she has Spaces. ;)
---
Clytie Siddall -- Renmark, in the Riverland of South Australia MacBook Pro mid-2009, 2.8 GHz, 4 MB RAM, latest OSX; iPhone 3G latest OS
AGREED!
I think everyone here is loosing time by using spaces and, to a lesser extent, expose. If you're savvy enough with keyboard shortcuts, command-tab, and quicksilver, there is no faster or more efficient way to get around your Mac. *Obviously multiple monitors are better, but IMO Spaces is no substitute for multiple monitors.
I'm clearly a weird one...
I use Exposé fairly regularly to find my way around windows or to get to the desktop. I simply don't see the point in Spaces at all... if I want to switch to an app I click on it's Dock icon. Job done.
It's not an equivalent of multiple screens because the the point of multiple screens is to be able to see multiple windows simultaneously and to be able to drag and drop between them.
I'm clearly a weird one...
exactly. Edited on Apr 17, '10 09:42:43AM by robogobo
Expose_and_Spaces
I use both Spaces and Expose, particularly when I am on the move and have only my MacBook. By using Spaces, well……. I feel like I have more space and can spread things out a bit. At home I have dual monitors so I use only expose. The extended desktop is sufficient real estate.
Expose_and_Spaces
I use Spaces fairly regularly on my MBP, with 4 spaces with specific apps assigned to each. I don't use Spaces at all on my iMac since I have a 24-inch iMac paired with a 23-inch Cinema display - that's enough real estate to pretty much eliminate the need for Spaces. ---
Wolfy
Expose_and_Spaces
I tried out the tip on Tidbits to activate Single App mode.
Couldn't Live Without Spaces
Spaces is an excellent example of a time saver. As a web developer I typically have Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop, Firefox, Thunderbird, iCal, chat clients, VMWare etc all open in different spaces. I set my side mouse button (and F8 on the keyboard) to open and display spaces, this makes it easy to quickly switch to different applications. When spaces is "zoomed out" or displayed you can also drag and drop apps from one space to another. I typically use 9 spaces on my 25" iMac.
Expose_and_Spaces
Somehow I've never bonded with Expose. I can recognize that it's a slick feature, and I do find it useful when I've got minimized windows, but it's not part of my day-to-day workflow.
Expose_and_Spaces
I am a major user of both. I typically have one of the cinema displays plugged into my MBP and about 12 desktops in Spaces. That's 24 desktops total and I use them all each day. Expose is also necessary. Like many others who come from the Unix/Linux world, I find major defects in Spaces:
Expose_and_Spaces (Combined or exclusive)
I have the feeling that those two features are somehow exclusive.
Expose_and_Spaces
I use a utility to keep all my background apps hidden.
Expose_and_Spaces
Anyone know an elegant way to name spaces or put different desktop images on them? I've been using stickies with a large font and hiding them under the dock and then assigning each one to an individual space using AFloat. It's been a little buggy though. If I use the "Keep Afloat" setting so that none of my other windows dipping below the dock hide it, the stickies' space-assignment starts getting scrambled. And then if I restart my machine, the space assignments have to be reset.
Expose_and_Spaces
I put 'regularly' for my expose use, but my regular use is only for the show desktop option. I don't use it to switch apps/windows (at least not much); I am a heavy keyboard user and I use CMD-TAB/CMD-backtick(`) to switch apps/windows. (I actually hate how if I happen to be moving the mouse at the same time when I'm trying to CMD-TAB, the mouse will select apps; I wish I could disable mouse selection in the App Switcher. Anyone?)
Expose_and_Spaces
I find Spaces to be my number 1 favorite feature, although Exposé is very handy too.
Expose_and_Spaces
Wow. I am surprised at the comments to this poll. Unlike so many of you, I use spaces ALL THE TIME. It is essential for everything I have open on my 24" iMac and 24" Dell monitor. I love it!
Expose_and_Spaces
I don't get either Exposé or Spaces.
Expose_and_Spaces
For me Spaces (and other virtual [desktop/display/screen/whatever] managers) can successfully create an illusion of having larger and/or multiple displays. I'm able to visualize and memorize locations of many windows of many apps when they're spread over a larger display plane (real and/or virtual) more effectively than when they're layered/stacked within a single smaller display space.
Expose_and_Spaces
Spaces is probably the best single feature I have seen added to an Operating System in over 10 years.
Expose_and_Spaces
Spaces is probably the best single feature I have seen added to an Operating System in over 10 years. |
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