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I run Ubuntu 12.04LTS and work with a lot of open PDFs, web windows, etc. The Unity launcher is too slow on my netbook, and doesn't provide the organizational features I need: I'm looking for a light program that would show me a tabbed, labeled list of everything I have open so that I can easily switch between files and windows. Any suggestions? Thank you!

I'd also appreciate any suggestions for good tabbing features in various programs (e.g. Adobe Reader 9 supports tabs, but I think the default font is proprietary, because all the menus show up blank).

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I use separate programs like Mendeley for PDFs and a tab organizer for Chromium, but they are too slow and it's a pain switching between them. Looking for something more unified and compact! – QuietThud Nov 9 '12 at 7:07
Does a Dock help you?. – Uri Herrera Nov 9 '12 at 7:35
Yes! I didn't know those exist, thank you very much. Can you recommend one that is light? Most of the productivity software I've tried so far has only made my feeble netbook lag more. =( – QuietThud Nov 9 '12 at 7:54
Well for one install another desktop, Unity it's not your only option. Use LXDE or XFCE. Docky, Avant Window Navigator or Plank (this is one is the lighter) are available. – Uri Herrera Nov 9 '12 at 8:25
Thank you, that is very helpful. – QuietThud Nov 9 '12 at 8:31

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up vote 2 down vote accepted

As Uri Herra mentioned above, what I was looking for is a dock. I've installed AWN and everything is running smoothly; I'd recommend the same to anyone shuffling many windows, and to netbook users in general--it's proving to be VERY MUCH faster than the Unity launcher.

There are a number of good ones available, with Cairo Dock appearing to be the most popular (but not the lightest--check Uri's comment). Hope this helps someone! = )

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Also, look into window tilers, such as XTile. These will tile your open windows according to your specifications. – QuietThud Nov 12 '12 at 4:04

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