The desktop is replicated across 2 or more virtual monitors, each one capable of holding its own separate group of visible windows. In fact, you can get used to running all of your programs maximized all of the time. Get used to how they work, and you may never go back to the old task switching days. If it's a busy day, you may spin up to 10 or more desktops, and shepherd windows into neat groups. If it helps to convey the idea behind virtual desktops better, think of how many mouse clicks it would take to minimize every visible window on your screen before opening another one or more windows from an icon or the Window List.
Virtual desktops are a convenience, a way to manage clutter.
Object Desktop's Control Center has an excellent virtual desktop manager built into it, and in version 2.0 it comes with some powerful new features. Unfortunately it's also broken in this version, more on that later. Features First of all, Object Desktop supports the creation of an array with up to 16 virtual desktops - a huge potential workspace. If you have a clock program or a button palette that you want to follow you from desktop to desktop, just type the name that appears in its titlebar when run, or pick from the list of already open windows. Now your volume control, CD player or whatever will stay put even though other non-marked windows get shuffled away during desktop switches.