Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
> The thing I don't like about virtual desktops is how your windows just all
> vanish if you switch desktops. eg I managed to get a browser window on a
> second desktop, and when I Alt-Tabbed to it suddenly all my other windows
> were gone. This is very disconcerting if you do it by accident.

Yes, I agree that Alt-Tab does not mix well Virtual Desktops. In fact,
FVWM does not implement it by default, although it's possible to write
a function that emulates it (albeit poorly)

http://edulinux.homeunix.org/fvwm/fvwmcookbookfaq.html#WC2

For the issue that you discuss the solution would be to limit the Alt-Tab
switching to the windows inside a single virtual screen.

But you don't really need Alt-Tab, the WindowList feature of FVWM
(bound to Right-Click on root-window) is quite nice, and shows the
list all the windows sorted by virtual desktop.

> It would be nice if you could say to the WM 'this window is on all my
> desktops'

That's termed as an sticky window. Search for the 'stick' string in
your WM manpage, to see how to do it. I have it binded to Alt-F11 to
toggle the sticky status, although that's not a standard keybinding.

Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
> Javier <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
>> > Basically I want window management to 'just work', but the only
>> > way I've seen is a tiling window manager, which is awful once you
>> > go above a handful of windows and even worse on a laptop screen.
>> >
>> > So I'm always keen to watch developments in this area, even if
>> > I've never found the sweet spot.
>>
>> That problem can be solved with virtual desktops. FVWM does it
>> quite well and it is even possible to subdivide each virtual desktop
>> into several virtual screens. To change virtual screen/desktop
>> either click with the mouse in a pager in the corner of the screen
>> or with a keybiding (ModifierKey+cursor arrows), which is useful in
>> the case of an imprecise laptop trackpad. That's how I can keep
>> dozens of windows opened in a small laptop screen and never minimize
>> anything.
>
> The thing I don't like about virtual desktops is how your windows
> just all vanish if you switch desktops. eg I managed to get a
> browser window on a second desktop, and when I Alt-Tabbed to it
> suddenly all my other windows were gone. This is very disconcerting
> if you do it by accident.
>
> It would be nice if you could say to the WM 'this window is on all my
> desktops', so you could eg have access to your email when doing any
> task,

Fvwm2 has a "sticky" attribute that can be applied to windows (either
pre-configured in fvwm2rc when the window is launched or applied
ad-hock via fvwm2 commands) that does exactly this:

From the manpage:

Sticky windows are windows which transcend the virtual desktop
by "Sticking to the screen's glass". They always stay put on
the screen. This is convenient for things like clocks and
xbiffs, so you only need to run one such gadget and it always
stays with you. Icons can also be made to stick to the glass,
if desired.

Whether other WM's, or gnome, ever incorporated such a feature I do not
know.

Rich <rich@example.invalid> wrote:
> Fvwm2 has a "sticky" attribute that can be applied to windows (either
> pre-configured in fvwm2rc when the window is launched or applied
> ad-hock via fvwm2 commands) that does exactly this:
>
> ...
>
> Whether other WM's, or gnome, ever incorporated such a feature I do not
> know.

Any WM that has virtual desktops supports the "sticky windows" feature, ie. check:

man icewm | grep -i stick
man fluxbox | grep -i stick
....

The idea is as old as virtual desktops. This 1986 paper from Xerox PARC
discusses it using the word 'Pockets' insted of 'sticky'.

https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/24054.24056

In 1990 the word sticky was already in use:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swm
http://www.lastrange.com/work/
http://www.lastrange.com/work/swm.pdf

On 8/2/23 6:58 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
> Spiros Bousbouras wrote:
>
>> Theo wrote:
>>
>>> At the moment I have (checks) 398 tabs
>>
>> Wow. How do you keep track of them ? I mean how do you decide which tab you
>> want to go to and how do you switch to it ? And how much memory does Firefox
>> use with that many tabs ?
>
> I've had over 1,000 tabs in the past, like pseudo-bookmarks, I'm a bit
> more ruthless in getting rid of them these days, actually firefox is
> pretty good at "unloading" idle background tabs.

1K. I'm aghast. There's an extension that will list all of them in
case you lose them all, but I don't remember what it is.

You lose them all by accidentally opening something in a new window,
probably behind the 1k-tab window that you're using, and closing the
1k-tab window before you find the stupid new window which is now the
previous incarnation of FF when you open it tomorrow.

--
Cheers, Bev
Buckle Up. It makes it harder for the aliens
to suck you out of your car.

The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> writes:
> You lose them all by accidentally opening something in a new window,
> probably behind the 1k-tab window that you're using, and closing the
> 1k-tab window before you find the stupid new window which is now the
> previous incarnation of FF when you open it tomorrow.

Main menu -> History -> Recently Closed Windows has saved me many times.

john

On 2023-08-01, Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
>
> The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> But I know some people who don't even know there are
>> options/settings/preferences. Out of the box is good enough. Go
>> figure.
>
> I use twm, full screen only for movies. I've been penguinating since
> 1999, used Unix intermittently for a decade before that. I'm no pro
> code wrangler but I do a lot of tweaking, scripts, not afraid of a
> compiler etc.
>
> And I just got my very first cell phone. I hate the touch-screen UI
> and the apps (I have to learn to say "apps":-) for which there are no
> manpages that explain just exactly what they do, how to use them or,
> for that matter, much of anything at all. I knew I was going to hate
> it.
>
> The only bright side so far is that after a few days, my hatred of the
> UI hasn't increased exponentially.
>
> It does remind me just how annoying, not to say intimidating,
> computers and the internet can be for folks (especially those of my
> age bracket) who are novices. Thirty years ago I was telling all my
> friends they should find a way to do email and they replied, "Oooohhh,
> too geeky. I hate computers!" Now those same people say, "What? You
> don't do Facebook? Don't do Twitter? You don't have stuff on U-Tube?
> You don't even have a cell phone? Whaddya, some kind of Luddite?"
>
> Well, now I at least have a cell phone.
>
> Bad enough that Android doesn't do USB storage and ya gots to muck
> with mtp ware to address a protocol that doesn't really grok "files"
> to begin with; they sold me a defective cable so I spent a couple of
> hours in the touch-screen swamp trying to make it work before I
> determined that. Feh.
>

On Android, don't lose your time with MTP. Use Primitive FTPD from "F-droid",
use a nice FTP client such as ncftp under *nix copy your files
away over a Wireless LAN.

The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 8/2/23 6:58 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
>> Spiros Bousbouras wrote:
>>
>>> Theo wrote:
>>>
>>>> At the moment I have (checks) 398 tabs
>>>
>>> Wow. How do you keep track of them ? I mean how do you decide which tab you
>>> want to go to and how do you switch to it ? And how much memory does Firefox
>>> use with that many tabs ?
>>
>> I've had over 1,000 tabs in the past, like pseudo-bookmarks, I'm a bit
>> more ruthless in getting rid of them these days, actually firefox is
>> pretty good at "unloading" idle background tabs.
>
> 1K. I'm aghast. There's an extension that will list all of them in
> case you lose them all, but I don't remember what it is.
>
> You lose them all by accidentally opening something in a new window,
> probably behind the 1k-tab window that you're using, and closing the
> 1k-tab window before you find the stupid new window which is now the
> previous incarnation of FF when you open it tomorrow.

Settings -> General: Confirm before closing multiple tabs

It's saved me many times!

Bozo User <anthk@disroot.org> writes:

> On 2023-08-01, Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
>>
>> Bad enough that Android doesn't do USB storage and ya gots to muck
>> with mtp ware to address a protocol that doesn't really grok "files"
>> to begin with; they sold me a defective cable so I spent a couple of
>> hours in the touch-screen swamp trying to make it work before I
>> determined that. Feh.
>>
>
> On Android, don't lose your time with MTP. Use Primitive FTPD from
> "F-droid", use a nice FTP client such as ncftp under *nix copy your
> files away over a Wireless LAN.

Quite familiar with ftp but as a complete novice with cell phones,
Android, touch screens and the world of meaningless icons, it will be
a awhile before I even think about adding any more apps. For the
moment (and with a non-defective cable) pmtpfs is working adequately.

But thanks for the pointer to F-droid. Filed for reference when I'm no
longer in alien territory with this thing.

--
Mike Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada

Bozo User <anthk@disroot.org> wrote:
> On 2023-08-01, Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
>> Bad enough that Android doesn't do USB storage and ya gots to muck
>> with mtp ware to address a protocol that doesn't really grok "files"
>> to begin with; they sold me a defective cable so I spent a couple of
>> hours in the touch-screen swamp trying to make it work before I
>> determined that. Feh.
>
> On Android, don't lose your time with MTP. Use Primitive FTPD from "F-droid",
> use a nice FTP client such as ncftp under *nix copy your files
> away over a Wireless LAN.

....or pick a file manager that can talk to your file server and use that. I
use Cx File Explorer to dump files onto my Nextcloud instance. It speaks
SMB, FTP, SFTP, and WebDAV (which is supported by Nextcloud), and it'll also
work with Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Box.com if you don't care
about trusting your stuff to someone eles's computer.

--
_/_
/ v \ Scott Alfter (remove the obvious to send mail)
(IIGS( https://alfter.us/ Top-posting!
\_^_/ >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?

On 8/6/23 11:13 AM, Jerry Peters wrote:
> The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 8/2/23 6:58 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
>>> Spiros Bousbouras wrote:
>>>
>>>> Theo wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> At the moment I have (checks) 398 tabs
>>>>
>>>> Wow. How do you keep track of them ? I mean how do you decide which tab you
>>>> want to go to and how do you switch to it ? And how much memory does Firefox
>>>> use with that many tabs ?
>>>
>>> I've had over 1,000 tabs in the past, like pseudo-bookmarks, I'm a bit
>>> more ruthless in getting rid of them these days, actually firefox is
>>> pretty good at "unloading" idle background tabs.
>>
>> 1K. I'm aghast. There's an extension that will list all of them in
>> case you lose them all, but I don't remember what it is.
>>
>> You lose them all by accidentally opening something in a new window,
>> probably behind the 1k-tab window that you're using, and closing the
>> 1k-tab window before you find the stupid new window which is now the
>> previous incarnation of FF when you open it tomorrow.
>
> Settings -> General: Confirm before closing multiple tabs
>
> It's saved me many times!

Just set it, thanks. Never occurred to me that it might actually be useful!

--
Cheers, Bev
"A complete lack of evidence is the surest sign
that the conspiracy is working." -- Tanuki