# Workspace > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Workspace > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Workspace.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workspace > Source revision: 1331188656 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Business and engineering term}} {{Other uses}} {{More citations needed|date=October 2015}} '''Workspace''' is a term used in various branches of engineering and economic development. ==Business development== Workspace refers to small premises provided, often by [local authorities](/source/local_government) or economic development agencies, to help [new businesses](/source/startup_company) to establish themselves. These typically provide not only physical space and utilities but also administrative services and links to support and finance organizations, as well as peer support among the tenants. A continuum of sophistication ranges through categories such as 'managed workspaces', 'business incubators' and 'business and employment co-operatives'. In cities, they are often set up in buildings that are disused but which the local authority wishes to retain as a landmark. At the larger end of the spectrum are [business park](/source/business_park)s, [virtual office](/source/virtual_office)s, technology parks and science parks. The term was popularised in the UK in the 1970s by architects [David Rock](/source/David_Rock_(architect)) and John Townsend. In 1972, Rock Townsend opened Workspace, developing the idea of [multidisciplinary](/source/Cross-functional_team) working by providing office space for small design businesses;{{Cite web |last=Wilmore |first=James |date=2025-11-24 |title=Tributes paid as ‘visionary’ former RIBA president David Rock dies |url=https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/tributes-paid-as-visionary-former-riba-president-david-rock-dies |access-date=2025-11-24 |website=The Architects’ Journal |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Williamson |first1=Chris |title=David Rock PPRIBA (1929 to 2025) |url=https://www.riba.org/news/david-rock-ppriba-1929-to-2025/ |access-date=25 November 2025 |work=RIBA News |date=20 November 2025}} a former [Sanderson](/source/Arthur_Sanderson_%26_Sons) [wallpaper](/source/wallpaper) factory in [Chiswick](/source/Chiswick), west London was converted into the Barley Mow Centre, providing workspaces for craftspeople, designers and architects. ==Technology and software== In [technology](/source/technology) and [software](/source/software), "workspace" is a term used for several different purposes. ===Software development=== A workspace is (often) a [file](/source/Computer_file) or [directory](/source/directory_(file_systems)) that allows a user to gather various [source code](/source/source_code) files and [resources](/source/resource_(computer_science)) and work with them as a cohesive unit.{{cite book |last1=M. Lloyd |first1=Catherine |title=Encyclopedia of Systems Biology: Workspace |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4419-9863-7 |page=2356 |edition=1 |doi=10.1007/978-1-4419-9863-7_1531 }} Often these files and resources represent the complete state of an [integrated development environment (IDE)](/source/Integrated_development_environment) at a given time, a snapshot. Workspaces are very helpful in cases of complex [project](/source/project)s when maintenance can be challenging. Good examples of [environments](/source/software_platform) that allow users to create and use workspaces are [Microsoft Visual Studio](/source/Microsoft_Visual_Studio) and [Eclipse](/source/Eclipse_(software)). In [configuration management](/source/Software_configuration_management), "workspace" takes on a different but related meaning; it is a part of the file system where the files of interest (for a given task like debugging, development, etc.) are located. It stores the user's view of the files stored in the configuration management's repository. In either case, workspace acts as an environment where a programmer can work, isolated from the outside world, for the task duration.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}} ===Graphical interfaces=== {{See also|Virtual desktop}} [[File: Workspace switcher GNOME.png|thumb|[GNOME](/source/GNOME)'s workspace switcher.]] Additionally, workspaces refer to the grouping of [windows](/source/window_(computing)) in some [window managers](/source/window_managers). Grouping applications in this way is meant to reduce clutter and make the [desktop](/source/desktop_environment) easier to navigate. Multiple workspaces are prevalent on [Unix-like](/source/Unix-like) [operating system](/source/operating_system)s and certain [operating system shells](/source/shell_(computing)). [Mac OS X 10.5](/source/Mac_OS_X_10.5) and later [macOS](/source/macOS) releases include an equivalent feature called "[Spaces](/source/Spaces_(software))". [Windows 10](/source/Windows_10) now offers a similar feature called 'Task View'. [Windows XP](/source/Windows_XP) [PowerToy](/source/PowerToy) is available to bring this functionality to Windows XP. Most systems with support for workspaces provide keyboard shortcuts to switch between them. Many also include some form of workspace switcher to change between them and sometimes to move windows between them as well. Workspaces are visualized in different ways. For example, on Linux computers using [Compiz](/source/Compiz) or [Beryl](/source/Beryl_(window_manager)) with the Cube and Rotate Cube plugins enabled, each workspace is rendered as a face of an on-screen [cube](/source/cube), and switching between workspaces is visualized by zooming out from the current face, rotating the cube to the new face, and zooming back in. On macOS, the old set of windows slides off the screen and the new set slides on. Window managers without "eye candy" often simply remove the old windows and display the new ones without any sort of intermediate effect. ===Computer-supported cooperative work=== In the context of [computer-supported cooperative work](/source/computer-supported_cooperative_work) (CSCW) a shared workspace is a place of collaboration that enables group awareness. "A shared workspace provides a sense of place where collaboration takes place. It is generally associated with some part of the screen real estate of the user’s computer where the user ‘‘goes’’ to work on shared artifacts, discovers work status, and interacts with his/her collaborators."{{cite book |title=Wiley Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Engineering |date=2008 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |isbn=9780471383932 |page=D-2 |edition=1}} ===Online applications=== {{See also|groupware}} In the context of [software as a service](/source/software_as_a_service), "workspace" is a term used by software vendors for applications that allow users to exchange and organize files over the [Internet](/source/Internet).{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}} Such applications have several advantages over traditional [FTP](/source/File_Transfer_Protocol) clients or [virtual folder](/source/virtual_folder) offerings, including:{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}} * Ability to capture task performance data and version data * Organization of information in a more user-friendly interface than a traditional file-based structure * Secure storage and upload/download of data (many FTP clients are unsecured, susceptible to eavesdropping, or open to other abuse) * Compatible with virtually all [web browser](/source/web_browser)s and [computer operating systems](/source/operating_system). * Updated on the [server-side](/source/server-side), meaning that a user will never have to update the software. Beyond organizing and sharing files, these applications can often also be used as a business communication tool for assigning tasks, scheduling meetings, and maintaining contact information. ===Robotics=== In [robotics](/source/robotics), the workspace of a robot manipulator is often defined as the set of points that can be reached by its end-effector{{Citation needed|date=December 2019|reason=removed citation to predatory publisher content}} or, in other words, it is the space in which the robot works and it can be either a 3D space or a 2D surface. ==Mobile or unified workspace== A [mobile](/source/Mobile_workspace) or unified workspace allows enterprise IT to have a trusted space on any device where IT can deliver business applications and data. Ever since the [iPad](/source/iPad) was released by Apple in 2009, [bring your own device](/source/bring_your_own_device) (BYOD) has become an increasingly more important problem for IT.{{cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/making-byod-work-the-art-of-compromise/|title=Making BYOD work: The art of compromise - ZDNet|first=Adrian|last=Kingsley-Hughes|website=[ZDNet](/source/ZDNet)|access-date=30 April 2018}} Until now, IT has purchased, provisioned, and managed all enterprise desktops which run the Microsoft [Windows](/source/Windows) software.{{Cite web |url=http://www.workspot.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Workspot-Technology-White-Paper-.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-07-11 |archive-date=2014-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714205908/http://www.workspot.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Workspot-Technology-White-Paper-.pdf |url-status=dead }} There are nearly 500 million enterprise desktops in the world. However, with the introduction of smartphones and tablets, there are far more devices that are owned by the end-user - 750 million PCs and Macs, 1.5 billion smartphones, and 500 million tablets. These also run different operating systems, like [iOS](/source/iOS), [Android](/source/Android_(operating_system)), Windows, and [macOS](/source/macOS). How does deliver business applications and data to end-users on these heterogeneous operating systems and form factors? Federica Troni{{Cite web|url=http://www.gartner.com/AnalystBiography?authorId=10906|title=Gartner Analyst Profile: Federica Troni|website=www.gartner.com}} and Mark Margevicius{{Cite web|url=http://www.gartner.com:80/AnalystBiography?authorId=13910|title=Gartner Analyst Profile: Mark A. Margevicius|website=www.gartner.com}} introduced the concept of Workspace Aggregator{{cite web|url=https://www.gartner.com/doc/2112416/overview-workspace-aggregators|title=An Overview of Workspace Aggregators|website=www.gartner.com|access-date=30 April 2018}} to solve the problem of [BYOD](/source/BYOD). According to Gartner, a workspace aggregator unifies five capabilities: (1) Application Delivery: The ability to orchestrate provisioning and de-provisioning of mobile, PC and Web applications (2) Data: The secure delivery of corporate data (3) Management: Management of application life cycle, metering, and monitoring features (4) Security: Provision of context-aware security (5) User Experience: A superior user experience through the delivery of a unified workspace ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Graphical control elements|state=collapsed}} Category:Business terms Category:Collaborative projects Category:Computer programming Category:Corporate jargon Category:Enterprise resource planning terminology Category:Graphical control elements Category:Graphical user interface elements Category:Logistics --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Workspace](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workspace) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workspace?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.