29 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
Executable file
29 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
Executable file
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title = "Desktop workflow thoughts"
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date = 2026-05-17
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I started off using linux with [KDE plasma](http://www.kde.com/plasma-desktop) which by default is a floating window
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manager. I started using shortcuts such as meta+num to switch apps in the taskbar as well as meta+arrows
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to quick tile windows around. This worked well for most of what I needed for quite some time.
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However I started looking at other peoples workflows and started to experiment more. Part of this was trying to use
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various tiling window managers. The idea of a more structured workflow was appealing but I was still used to a full
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desktop environment and at the time the options didn't meet my needs.
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From these experiments I was inspired to start using workspaces more which KDE calls [virtual desktops](https://userbase.kde.org/System_Settings/Virtual_Desktops) to help organise my windows. I settled on 3 workspaces, one for
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general use, one for work and one for gaming. By default I found tiling required keeping track of more workspaces
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unless tabs were available but in KDE I could have as many as I wanted by default.
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To help get used to the workspaces I also switched from taskbar shortcuts to workspace shortcuts so I could quickly
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switch between them. Before I would press meta+num and it would always show the same pinned app which most of the time
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is okay but now I can switch to a different window and keep the same shortcut to get to it.
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And then I discovered the concept of a scrolling window manager. The structured layout like tiling but without window
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resizing friction since windows are on an infinite strip going to the right that you can scroll through. Took some time
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to set up the kwin script [karousel](https://store.kde.org/p/2138856) so I could use this on KDE and it has been part
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of my workflow since.
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I still tinker with window managers from time to time and I think with shells like
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[quickshell](https://quickshell.org/) you can get a similar desktop environment experience to KDE so I want to try
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using that more in the future. Overall happy with where my workflow is at and how it has evolved over the years.
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