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2 slightly different concepts of virtual desktops are just too complicated. No one has so many program open, that he has to distribute them in 2-dimensional array (activities with each a bunch of workspaces).

It would be way more useful to just remove the workspaces all together.

The features of having the some widgets on all the activities, could be added with the option "add this widget on all activities".

The resuming/pausing a activities is great! Keep this.

I think since most of us are still very familiar with the workspaces idea yes it does get a little confusing when we add in activities as well. However I don't think the solution is that we get rid of workspaces, but instead that we encourage users to start off with organisation via activites and not via workspaces.

I for one actually use 4 workspaces within activites themselves, so I still find workspaces very useful. For example, all "multiple activity" windows will be on my first workspace, the windows most concerned with the activity i'm currently on will be on my second workspace, any special windows such as GIMP or VirtualBox I dedicate to the third workspace, and any non-important windows in that activity I leave to the fourth workspace.

As you can see, the blend of spacial organisation and semantic organisation can work very well.

Activities and Workspaces are intended to serve two different purposes:
Activities are for managing the applications and widgets associated with a specific task - browsing the web, developing an app, designing a comic, etc.
Workspaces are for adding space for application's windows - allowing you to organize the windows associated with a particular task/activity.

There have been a few blogs recently on the subject which are very enlightening.

I beg to DIFFER !

Some people HAS that many applications launched on their computer !

I use my computer at home and at work.
At home I may play videogames, hanging around on the Internet.
At work I must work on my projects, and at the beginning of each week I have to perform an incredibly hard task : remember where I was exactly doing when I left last friday.

With activities, I don't have to perform that task no more, for when I start the "at work" activity, all my apps start again right at the state they were when I left them.

Though at first I was more than skeptical about activities, now that I use them I think they're AWESOME.

I never (or rarely) use two activities at the same time.
On the other hand, I ALWAYS use all of my virtual desktops.

I think the whole "virtual desktops" feature shouldn't be removed, but definitely hidden by default (no "pager" plasmoid in the default panel, no virtual desktops pre-configured), so as to not confuse new user getting to know the "activities" feature.

Of course advanced users will still be able to manually add the "pager" plasmoid to their panel and configure & use virtual desktops, if they want.

Plasma developers have stated on the mailing list that they will not do this.

*(after finishing, I realized, I rambled, a Lot, sorry):
My 'two (2) cents':
I gave 'Activities' a fair chance and have decided based on the simplest of reasons, they like many other 'improvements' are less than adequate nor well thought out.

Desktops can be changed between Very easily, named, etc Activities can Not when used on multiple desktops. (i've mapped keys meta@kb_sctab to activities).

an Example:
On my Dell D630 laptop, I have 2 desktops (default, but I named them). Now I figured out 'Activities' and have only two (2).. I've assigned the shortcut keys (meta@kb_sctab). Now, Yippy, I have Ctrl@kb_scTab, Alt@kb_scTab, Meta@kb_scTab,,, what the *?#@kb_pc.
Example, Desktop 1, Activity 1 (named 'system') I have 2 konqueror windows on local, one for my local server. On Desktop 1, Activity 2 (related activites, right) i have a konqueror window split left/right with one pane being my local server the other my webserver (ftp).
On Desktop 2 ( (named: интернет (internet)), Activity 1, I have my Aurora browser (mozilla firefox, nightly build), maybe 2 windows for general browsing, code pages, manuals, music etc.. Desktop 2, Activity 2 (again 'related activities') I have 1 or 2 browser windows (again Aurora, currently) one with, at this time. The website I'm working on so I can see my changes made on Desktop 1, Activity 2 in kwrite and perhaps another browser window with a second page I'm working on or a page in mediawiki I'm editing, what ever.

Now, I'm a contributor to mozilla and am constantly updating the code for firefox, Aurora nightly and when I restart, I have to go through the right-click select activity 2 to get from default activity 1, right-click deselect activity 1 right-click send to desktop 2 etc.... This sucks. How hard would it be, if you have selected activity 2 to auto deselect activity 1 as if I wanted it on both (default install 2 Desktops) i'd choose All. You could even add an 'option' below 'All' of 'multiple' and if selected would NOT close the 'select activity' dialog, but allow you time to select multiple 'activities', assuming you have added more activities that require the same instance of the same application, like a local file manager or a text document you use, like a username and password list need in more than one task, etc...

There is no indication what is where with 'activities' like there is with Desktops, All the applications show up on the Desktop Taskbar and not confined to the 'activity'. It' Too Much.

So,
This is the Biggest reason I think you have not thought this through. Applications, when restarted do NOT return to their 'activity' page and to put them there is a Real Pain!

Just saying,
Landis.