Yeah, mdesktop is the biggest one I've seen. Probably won't try it. Worst I have on Windows is 2-3 VStudio sessions and they "look" very similar, because they're code; so it's really the project name that I have to keep an eye on. The other half is I'm only on Windows for a week or two to do some project, then back on Linux the other 90+% of my time.

You ARE suidical. 16 desktops! Hey, good for you. I top out somewhere in the 4-8 range; I leave the swapper at 4. I started with 3x3 but eventually 4 or 5 of those ended up being either unused or "what was I doing there?" cases. I think the ALT-TAB helped me out there. My recollections are that I wrote on one desktop, terminal on another desktop, debugged on another desktop, all for one project. I either finally learned about ALT-TAB or it got introduced and mainstream enough that I don't swap the desktop to go between editing, debugging, and target commands and I've morphed into "a" desktop per function/project.

And my core requires ... alignment? Like I would not accept 3x2 layout. I would need 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4. Anybody out there do 25, 36 desktops? C'mon, step up and admit it.

I use Awesome WM in tiling mode. Usually I have one application per desktop (with just a few exceptions) to get the full screen's worth from it. I just like it better than ALT+TAB. As a high school student, I usually use 2-4 desktops when I'm working solely on homework...but I usually have something non-homework open too...

desktops from sysinternals is the fastest and least intrusive solution I know about for multiple Windows desktops. It supports multiple monitors well also. IT does not install, a simple, portable executable: unless you turn on the "run at startup" option it does not link into registry, desktop, or other system locations except while activly running. Very thin, fast, safe, friendly.

My Linux desktops have me terribly spoiled. When I MUST work on Windows (Coporate standard, exceptions not allowed) I need my multiple desktop 'fix' to be half as productive on Windows as I would have been on Linux.
NOTE: portable application mode 'desktops' does not trigget the "unauthorised product installed' monitoring, some other solutions can.

There are about 15 other multiple-desktop addons for Windows, though some are buggy and most are a LOT heavier and slower than the one from sysinternals. mdesktop users leave a lot fo glowing comments, but I have not used it myself. You may find it more to your taste.

CDE (the Common Desktop Environment standard implemented to various degrees by KDE, GNOME, etc) has been around since, what, at least the 1990s: why does Microsoft still require an add-on? Very odd!

Something to keep in mind, Microsoft development tools often do not handle multiple monitors well, much less multiple desktops. That is not a stopper, just be aware if you use Visual Studio.

All of this makes me very glad for my Linux desktops, and x-Windows environments that natively support multiple desktops and monitors easily and naturally.