I use fvwm with 4x4 virtual desktops, very uncluttered - the virtual pane is the only sticky window. Most of them are filled with vi sessions, but one has a browser (mozilla), and another my mail client (exmh).

I used the Microsoft development tools in my pre-perl days, around 1993-5. The one thing I still miss is the function key in the C debugger (F6, I think it was) that toggled between showing C code, assembler, and mixed. Of course it was much more important then because their C compiler was riddled with bugs, but it's still something I need to check from time to time - these days I use this script when I have such a need.

I really don't know what benefit an IDE would be for me, but in a sense I guess I've developed my own - the work application includes a variety of tools that encapsulate the processes we've devised for project management. I've previously talked about the database upgrade process here, and about the logging facilities here and here, and we also have tools for creating new instances of the application, an installer, database introspection, CVS introspection and more.

Of course it helps that I'm the primary developer, so the project structure and processes have mostly come straight out of my head, and are therefore easy for me to remember. But my colleague is a Macophile, and less comfortable about opening a couple of dozen xterms at a time, but still has had few problems coping with it (at least that he's told me about).

Hugo