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VirtueDesktops 0.54 beta 5

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Virtual desktop manager (was Virtue). Free

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2.8 MB (Beta)
Developer
Tony Arnold

VirtueDesktops is a virtual desktop manager for Apple's Mac OS. It offers features, eye candy, and configurable options that no other desktop manager on the Mac has added yet, and is under active development.

What's New

Version 0.54 Beta 5:

Fixes to localisation. Miscellaneous fixes for stability.
Always remember to back-up your VirtueDesktops preferences before running any beta version.
All work done in this beta was done by Florent Bruneau.

Requirements
PPC / Intel, Mac OS X 10.4.5 or later.

Desktop Manage...

+4
Free

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VirtueDesktops User Discussion (Write a Review)

ver. 0.x:

(31)

Your rating: Now say why...

Overall:

(31)

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+22

akrobat reviewed on 06 May 2008

I've a Macbook and an eMac. I use Spaces on my Macbook and was looking for a similar app for my eMac.

Found this. Lots of options. Loads of user configurable tid-bits... and yet.

All I need is the option to allocate the main menu to the middle mouse button (like Spaces).
Click the middle button, choose a desktop and that's it!

But despite all the options and preferences... this simple feature does not exist in VirtueDesktops. Like Quicksilver it seems to be made for people who rather use the keyboard.
Pity, it's got so much to offer and yet can't do the simple things.

[Version 0.54b5]

+71

cottinghamk reviewed on 03 Jan 2008

Great functionality to add to Tiger (and probably Leopard; I've never used Spaces)! I'm just learning the ropes and I'm beginning to customize more and more, but I've run into a few problems. Switching desktops while Quicktime is in fullscreen mode drags the window into the new desktop. Also, in the Customize Desktops window, none of my desktops show up to be edited/removed. Also, some of the items in the menu just flat out stop working after a while. While typing this, I tried to access the "About," screen, but clicking on the choice in the menu did absolutely nothing. All in all, good but buggy. Please keep up development! I would love to donate, even.

[Version 0.54b5]

4 Replies

+322

MacUpdate Admin commented on 03 Jan 2008

From the 'What's New' section of the MacUpdate product page for VirtueDesktops:

"I am not picking up development of VirtueDesktops again, but there were a couple of really good patches submitted that address serious crashes. If you have any issues with this release, please understand it is wholly unsupported."

Reading between the lines, it seems apparent the developer has no plans to continue development nor support of this software. Of course, people do change their minds, and perhaps if enough people show support by contacting the developer via comments posted to his site, he might resume development. Who knows.

+71

cottinghamk replied on 03 Jan 2008

"Reading between the lines..."
Hmm, I sense sarcasm!

From the website:
"I am not picking up development of VirtueDesktops again, but there were a couple of really good patches submitted that address serious crashes."

Even if he isn't picking up the development, clearly there is enough demand and enthusiasm out there that someone decided to pick up the slack. My post was kind of an open wish to whoever submitted the patches.

+322

MacUpdate Admin replied on 03 Jan 2008

I was being sincere, and trying to be informative/helpful. No more nor less.

+71

cottinghamk replied on 04 Jan 2008

I know, and I appreciate that. I'm just one more VirtueDesktops fan who doesn't want development to cease.

felix-fi commented on 18 Dec 2007

But does this version work under Leopard... so I can toss away Spaces?

[Version 0.54b5]

1 Reply

JetFireDX replied on 18 Dec 2007

Doesn't work here. Starts up and needs authentication just like the first run on Tiger. Perhaps the 10.4.5 and above should be changed to 10.4.5 - 10.4.1x. That is if the dev is really not picking up development again? Somebody else care to take over development? Spaces needs to go and YouControl is too expensive for what is provided.

twistermc commented on 18 Dec 2007

Glad to see it back. Hopefully it stops my random crashes on 10.4. :)

[Version 0.54b5]

+23

mfabache commented on 17 Nov 2007

I prefer VD over Spaces. Would be wiling to support Shareware. Spaces is 'ok', not great in comparision to VD

[Version 0.54b2]

dobes commented on 06 Nov 2007

I agree with the previous poster - VirtueDesktops is far superior to Spaces. PLEASE let us use it with Leopard!

[Version 0.54b2]

JetFireDX commented on 04 Nov 2007

Now that Leopard is out and I see how very limited Spaces is I sincerely hope the developer will restart work on this. Spaces is woefully short on options and features and I would be happy to support future developments for VirtueDesktops with a donation.

Please work on a 10.5 compatible version!

[Version 0.54b2]

jonedwards reviewed on 22 Feb 2007

This application has great potential. The feature set is excellent and the interface flow is intuitive and pretty. As of v0.54b2, however, it's too buggy to use. Setting the number of rows and columns, for example, is impossibly inconsistent. I initially had one row, but now somehow have two, and it won't let me go back to one. Increasing the number of columns sometimes increases the number of rows, too, but sometimes doesn't. Clicking the up arrow for rows sometimes increases the number, sometimes decreases it, etc.

But one day it'll be great, to be sure!

[Version 0.54b2]

+28

jpp_zoso reviewed on 14 Feb 2007

beta 2 crashes w/o warning on both my powerbook (1.67 g4) and powermac (dual 2.7 g5) too. no errors, no warnings, didn't see anything peculiar in any of the log files. i think it started w/ the last security update (01/23/2007) from apple because i had been using beta 2 w/o any problems until very recently. went back to desktop manager for the time being...my only complaint about virtuedesktops is the lack of a permanent desktop pager or an expanded menubar pager. i'll likely have the same complaint about spaces when leopard is released. keyboard navigation has never been my mode of operation.

[Version 0.54b2]

Gerlad reviewed on 29 Dec 2006

This is a great bit of work. Some features seem not to work or yet to be implemented. In particular, certain features to display information of varioius desktops, and sometimes applications "bound" to a desktop don't want to stay there next log in. But all told it is nicely thought out and easy to use. Thanks. One aside: with this version numbering system it should be sometime in 2025 that we get to 1.0. By that time OS X may have made it obsolete!

[Version 0.53r265a]

+11

Cuneyt had trouble on 28 Dec 2008

The Dock of my system crashes when starting Virtue Desktops up (iBook G3 700 MHz 10.4.11 PPC) after the latest Security update from Apple (Apple Security Update 2008-008 ), maybe the developer can look at it and fix it somehow, besides that it works great..

[Version 0.54b5]

globetrotterdk had trouble on 20 Jan 2008

I get a warning from Little Snitch that VirtueDesktops is trying to inject code into the Dock:

"Application "VirtueDesktops" (453) attempts to inject and execute foreign program code in "Dock" (105). This is a security risk as it may allow "VirtueDesktops" to circumvent Little Snitch."

[Version 0.54b5]

2 Replies

+148

Zo219 replied on 26 Jan 2008

It's that GUI scripting, and you can turn off the warning in the preferences, I believe.

+11

Cuneyt replied on 28 Dec 2008

ZO219, can you tell me exactly how, I cant find it anywhere in the preferences of VirtueDesktops..

gody had trouble on 22 Jan 2007

I am not sure if anyone else is having this problem on a Power PC but not an Intel. For some reason the beta keeps crashing without warning. It just quits and I am not sure if it is a crash even. I will be working on my machine and all of a sudden I can't access the other apps on other desktops and I realize that VirtueDesktop is not running anymore and I have to relaunch it to access other desktops and apps. I am running a Dual 2.3 GHz G5 with 2.5 GB RAM.

[Version 0.54b2]

2 Replies

-6

mgrimes replied on 25 Jan 2007

Nah Virtue is just as buggy on Intel. Coming from CodeTek Virtual Desktop on PPC (the gold standard), this application is horrible. I have all kinds of issues from random crashes to it not binding applications to the respective desktops properly... and it's not even consistent about what does and doesn't work. I'm going to grin and bear it till Leopard, but the lack of a stable and full-featured virtual desktop manager was the hardest part about going from PPC to Intel on Tiger.

rjbailey commented on 31 Jan 2007

I've got the same problem: works fine on my Intel MBP, but crashes randomly on my G5. It's maddening! Especially because--when it works--it works so wonderfully I'm totally dependent upon it!

-5

howie had trouble on 18 Dec 2006

Can anyone tell me why I keep getting "logical end-of-file reached during read operation" during downloads. I have used 5 different programs and browsers and the result is always the same. Between 800K and 1.1M the download drops. Only for this file. All other transfers and downloads, large and small work. I am using a dialup link. The link is not dropping out, it stays up for hours without any problems.

I am keen to continue with this great application but this is getting very frustrating.

[Version 0.53r260a]

slash2785 had trouble on 17 Dec 2006

r260 is not built with PowerPC support

[Version 0.53r260]

3 Replies

rcostain commented on 17 Dec 2006

I downloaded it... Application says "Intel", but I have a PPC Mac. I had already deleted the previous build. Now I can't use Virtue anymore.
:-(

+322

MacUpdate Admin commented on 17 Dec 2006

Robert Costain, you might've taken a few seconds to check the developer's site.

Older versions available here. You can still use VirtueDesktops.

slash2785 replied on 17 Dec 2006

Apparently it's a compilation mistake. The developer's site mentions Virtue is an Universal app. Let's just hope it keeps that way. It's a great app.

ChrisMtP had trouble on 05 Dec 2006

I installed Virtue a few months ago and for some reason I recently lost the ability to use quick keys to change desktops while in full screen in Parallels. Any suggestions?

[Version 0.53r241]

2 Replies

Vasilis commented on 15 Dec 2006

Switch off Enable access for assistive devices in the Universal access pref pane.
This is a parallels problem.

ChrisMtP replied on 15 Dec 2006

Thanks.. I'll give that a shot.

Nanobite had trouble on 20 Aug 2006

The permissions problem is a known issue. You can find out more about it here at this thread:

http://forums.cocoaforge.com/viewtopic.php?t=8980

Otherwise if you need a quick fix, just enter these lines into the terminal:

cd /Applications
sudo chgrp procmod VirtueDesktops.app/Contents/MacOS/VirtueDesktops
sudo chmod g+s VirtueDesktops.app/Contents/MacOS/VirtueDesktops

[Version 0.53r212]

10 Replies

JetFireDX commented on 20 Aug 2006

Thanks for the links... tried your quick fix with no success. Guess I will wait until it is officially fixed.

-3

RoadTripDK commented on 21 Aug 2006

chgrp: procmod: Invalid argument

Nanobite commented on 21 Aug 2006

Strange. I just got those lines from the aforementioned forum link and copied them into the Terminal, and it worked for me, anyway. Then again it's not surprising if it isn't a universal fix for everyone. If that doesn't work, you could try Veggiedude's approach mentioned a few reviews below.

Flying_Meat commented on 21 Aug 2006

Those of you experiencing problems with the command line fixes in the hint should be aware that there are 3 commands there:

"cd /Applications"

"sudo chgrp procmod VirtueDesktops.app/Contents/MacOS/VirtueDesktops"

"sudo chmod g+s VirtueDesktops.app/Contents/MacOS/VirtueDesktops"

Enter them without the quotes.
That should work as advertised. ;)

-3

RoadTripDK commented on 21 Aug 2006

Nope, sorry. I have tried that. It gave me the error on the second command. I am using 10.4.7 on a Mac G5 single (PowerMac 9.1)

JetFireDX replied on 22 Aug 2006

Well this latest version worked without a hitch on my MacBook after trying the terminal actions described on the previous one. Give it another go if you've been having problems like I was. It really is worth it and I never liked multiple desktops before.

Nanobite commented on 22 Aug 2006

"Nope, sorry. I have tried that. It gave me the error on the second command. I am using 10.4.7 on a Mac G5 single (PowerMac 9.1)"

Hmm, just a thought, but are you entering the second line without a break after the "sudo chgrp procmod"? Check the review frontpage where it's listed as one continuous line. So what you want to do is:

sudo chgrp procmod [one space, not a line break] VirtueDesktops.app/Contents/MacOS/VirtueDesktops

[one continuous line, like writing a sentence, no spaces between slashes either]

The reply box here really mangles things up, but either go to the developer's homepage under "More info" or try again using the lines listed in the review and see if it works. Just a suggestion. :) As I'm not the originator of these lines, I can't say for sure if it'll work for everyone, but it worked for me. ;)

-3

RoadTripDK commented on 23 Aug 2006

Just tried it again, as described. I still got the same error ] (*,)

Nanobite commented on 23 Aug 2006

Wow, that really is weird. Another question then: this might sound obvious, but did you put VirtueDesktops in your ~/Applications folder (in /User/Applications) or in /Applications (your root applications folder in Macintosh HD)? The command listed only works when Virtue is in your /Applications folder (NOT under the Users directory). So if it's under ~/Applications (or anywhere other than /Applications), it probably won't have any effect.

Of course you can still use the command described by changing the "cd" line to something like "cd /Users/Applications/", but as I'm not a terminal geek and I only copied these directions from the website for easy access, I can't vouch that'll work, but you could try it, or to be on the safe side, just move Virtue to your /Applications and hopefully that should work.

-3

RoadTripDK commented on 23 Aug 2006

Yeah, I think you are correct. Unfortunately we are in the same boat about the Terminal app. There should be a simple solution however, as I am running as the user in which VirtueDesktops is installed ] (*,)

mrhooks had trouble on 14 Jun 2006

I have it set to display the Desktop Name Primitive in the lower right corner. When I scroll through desktops, the DNP almost always fails to appear.

And it's still asking me if I wish to install Smart Crash Reports after I tell it not to ask me again.

[Version 0.52r155]

2 Replies

-2

kballard replied on 05 Jul 2006

Did you check the box that says to use the desktop decoration on new desktops? And did you Merge/Replace it onto your existing ones?

mrhooks replied on 20 Jul 2006

Hmm, didn't know about that, thanks. A couple of versions ago, I never had that problem though, even without having done the things you mentioned.

Also, that doesn't explain why the DNP would randomly show up now and then, say if I were to scroll through all my desktops over and over.

-2

mdamli had trouble on 30 May 2006

After flipping it around, testing various animation effects and such, and closing the program, Finder suddenly started to run at 150% CPU, and the temperature rose to around 82C.

Unsure if this was in fact the cause of the problem, but I wasn't using anything else.

[Version 0.52r155]

1 Reply

-2

kballard commented on 04 Jul 2006

Virtue shouldn't be able to cause a problem like that.

+222

Dana Sutton had trouble on 18 Apr 2006

I can't get Virtue to change screens by keyboard commands (admittedly, I'm a special case since I'm using an old Apple Extended ABD keyboard via a ABD>USB adapter, so I can't expect everything in the world to work properly)

[Version 0.52r122]

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