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A couple of weeks back, we had a thread on OS X Odyssey about hiding open application windows to bring the Desktop forward -- something those of us who keep our Desktops cluttered with documents, folders, and aliases frequently need to do. One workaround suggested by several readers in to keep an alias of the Desktop (from your Home Folder) in the Dock, so it can be clicked to open the Desktop in a new window when required. I find keeping this window in List view works best for me. I also find Unsanity’s WindowShade X and the Finder’s Hide Others command useful in this context. However, there’s a cool freeware application that adds a whole new dimension, or actually multiple dimensions, to managing the Desktop landscape. VirtualScreens gives you multiple virtual Desktop screens. It installs itself in the SystemStatusBar (the rightmost part of the menu bar) as a menulet. For every virtual screen, you can choose a name and select which applications should belong to it. On changing the screen, the applications of the previous screen get hidden and those belonging to the new one are activated. In this way, you can organize your workspace as if you had multiple screens connected to your Mac. 
Each virtual screen is responsible of activating its applications and hiding the others. The easiest way to choose which applications should belong to a particular screen is to launch them or activate them from the Dock if they were already launched but hidden. All launched and visible applications belong to the current screen. All launched but hidden applications do not belong to the current screen. Activating or launching an app will add it to the current screen. Quitting or hiding an active app will remove it from the current screen. 
When changing the current screen, all the apps that belong to the new screen are activated, while all the others are hidden. You may prefer that some apps don’t get hidden on changing screens, in which case you can add them to the Exclusion List from the VirtualScreens menu. 
Apps marked with yes won’t get hidden on changing screens (if they are visible at the time). You can set the number of available virtual screens from 1 to 10 by selecting Set Number of Screens... from VirtualScreens menu. 
More advanced configurations over your virtual screens can be performed by selecting Configure Screens... from VirtualScreens menu where you can: I’ve been using Virtual Screens for a week or so, and it’s pretty cool - a very convenient way to get back to the Desktop, or to hide applications that you want to keep open but don’t immediately need to have cluttering up the screen. So far I’ve not encountered any problems or bugs. The little program just works unobtrusively. New in version 1.0.1: System requirements: VirtualScreens is freeware For more information, visit here.
The OS X Odyssey archives may be accessed here: Note: Letters to Moore's Mailbag may or may not be published at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context. Opinions expressed in postings to Moore's MailBag are those of the respective correspondents and not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Editor and/or Applelinks management. If you would prefer that your message not appear in Moore's Mailbag, we would still like to hear from you. Just clearly mark your message "NOT FOR PUBLICATION," and it will not be published. CM
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