Spaces (software)

Infobox Software
name = Spaces



caption = A screenshot of Spaces on Mac OS X "Leopard"
developer = Apple Inc.
latest release version =
latest release date =
latest preview version =
latest preview date =
operating system = Mac OS X
platform =
genre = Virtual desktop
license = Proprietary
website = [http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/features/spaces.html http://www.apple.com/.../spaces.html]

Spaces [Apple.com: [http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/features/spaces.html Leopard Sneak Peek - Spaces] ] is a virtual desktop feature developed by Apple Inc. and is an integral part of Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard". It was announced by Steve Jobs during the opening keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference on August 7, 2006.

Overview

Spaces enables users to set up virtual desktops (or "spaces") suited to particular needs of the user, without the need of creating a new account. One could for example create a "space" primarily assigned to office work and then switch to a different one focused on web surfing. Up to 16 spaces can be created, and applications can be bound to specific spaces.

Use

Applications or windows can be put into a different "space" simply by dragging the window to the edge of the screen. "Spaces" can also be activated by pressing F8. Spaces also works effectively with Exposé, another Mac OS X feature, where you can see the windows of each space scaled down while looking at each a scaled down version of each space.

Comparison

Although Spaces is a new feature in Mac OS 10.5, virtual desktops have existed for quite some time for Linux, BeOS, and as 3rd party software for the Mac OS [ [http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9005267 Spaces: A look at Apple's take on virtual desktops] ] and Windows. [ [http://blogs.msdn.com/abhinaba/archive/2006/07/05/656197.aspx Multiple Desktop Support in Windows] ] It has been a standard feature on UNIX desktops for a number of years. [redhat.com: [https://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-6.1-Manual/getting-started-guide/s1-gnome60-panel.html Red Hat Linux 6.1 Getting Started Guide, 1999.] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/spaces.html Leopard Sneak Peek: Spaces]
* [http://www.iSights.org/2007/11/confessions-of-.html Confessions of a Space-oholic: Getting the most out of Spaces]
* [http://www.hardmac.com/articles/60/page2/ Hardmac Developer's Build Information]
* [http://blogs.simmons.edu/node/123 Microsoft Word 2004 Incompatabilities]