The Productive Setup - You'll Go Places .. Faster!

NOTE : If you use ETX (Exceed) to connect to Linux, the first thing you should do is make a copy of the profile you use and start using YOUR copy AFTER editing settings to send BOTH ALT keys to remote (default is only the ALT to the right of the SPACEBAR being sent)

After reading and following these steps (intended for users of dual monitors of the same size and resolution), you will have :

1. A way to declutter your windows setup by putting busy-work apps like Outlook and Teams on one "desktop" aka "workspace" and your work-work app - like ETX or VNC for working on the compute linux host on another desktop.
2. Have shortcuts to switch between Windows (Microsoft) desktops EASILY (the theme of my life is ease, BTW)
3. Have shortcuts to switch between Linux desktops easily.
4. Have a KDE shortcut to toggle maximization of a linux app (Eg. xterm or gedit or NEdit or Cadence) easily (meaning, if it's NOT taking up a whole monitor, then quickly make it do so and if it *is* taking up a whole monitor, restore it to its original size) EASILY
5. Have a KDE shortcut to throw a window from one monitor to the other EASILY. Refer the video
6. Have a KDE shortcut to lower a window below other windows (after this, you'll find yourself being short with people who move windows to find something that's below. Nuts! (Note that, for windows, you get the KDE style drag, resize and my coined "throw" with my script on GitHub)

Keep in mind : VirtuaWin - AutoHotKey - KDE throw/maximize.

Decluttering :

Use VirtuaWin to set up virtual desktops and set up keyboard shortcuts to move easily between them and also move windows easily to different desktops (I have CTRL-ALT-arrows for navigating and WIN-ALT-arrows for transporting) (this is a Windows App - put this in place before you fire up Linux via ETX or VNC)

Why you should NOT use the native Windows desktop utility (WIN + TAB) : https://paulrrogers.com/2016/01/virtuawin-vs-windows-10-virtual-desktops/

Having done that, eventually, your IT (Compute Infrastructure) folks might ask you to switch to the "new" thing - a version of KDE that is supposed "lite" - called MATE. When you do this, if you are on a dual monitor setup (as in, you have two physical monitors and like the dual monitor experience) be sure you DON'T go with the Multi-Window profile. Why? But first..

What is True Dual Monitor Experience?

This has been very hard to explain to some people, including the infamous Lawrence Greenhouse. Dual monitor experience simply means you have (EASY!) ways to quickly maximize a window to THE MONITOR IT IS CURRENTLY ON and a way to RESTORE (to it's original size) a maximized window.

So then, why the hassle regarding the Multi-Window MATE profile? Why do I vote for the Single Window? If you use Multi-Window, you'll find that KDE's "Maximize window" shortcut (System > Control Center > Hardware : Keyboard Shortcuts > Window management ) actually works properly for the case of dual monitors! Something that only held true if you were the console user! So???

The problem is that MATE in Multi-Window mode (as of this writing) does not play well with desktops :

1. You put MATE on one (Native) desktop. Go to another desktop and click on the background. MATE regains focus and changes the active desktop! ds!
2. When an X-window gains focus, MATE steals focus and changes desktop.
3. MATE does not take focus of full display when you click on it. We want this - we don't want Win Wins (Eg Chrome or Excel) to linger.

How?

First, install the wm.pl and wmdb_flush.pl from https://github.com/ananthchellappa/perl in your  ~/perl in your Linux account.

In your linux environment, go to System > Control Center :

Under "Look and Feel", click on "KDE System Settings" :

Then, go into Shorcuts and Gestures :

Now, in the new window, make sure "Custom Shortcuts" is selected, and then right-click in the middle pane and create a new Global Shortcut that is a "Command/URL" (because it's going to run a script)

You merely double-click on the "New Action" to name it appropriately. Then, on the right, under Trigger, you can just click on the "None" to put in a new hotkey - use ALT+1 (or whatever you like). It may tell you to confirm the reassignment with a pop-up if what you choose (you choose by actually pressing the key-sequence like ALT+1) is already assigned to something else)

Then, for the Action, you put in, in the Command/URL field :

perl ~/perl/wm.pl

Similarly, for the "throw" action, use perl ~/perl/wm.pl throw and assign to ALT + 3 (if you use Cadence, in which case, ALT + 2 is used for something 😊)

What about lowering windows easily :

It is accomplished here. I hope I don't need to spell out the steps in detail 😊 :

I also recommend changing these from the defaults :

This will mesh better with Cadence

Ensure you have this already : 

Email on Outlook :

You should use settings that show your inbox items (in the Table to the right of your Folders pane) in different colors for items sent with only you on To line and for items sent to You + others on the To line.

You'll operate with the confidence that you have the most productive setup in the office 😊