Been busy the last few days. Seems like you guys have this problem figured out.
Apparently, I just don't need more than one Space! I use only about 6-7 apps at a time and generally not all at the same time. The most I might have open would be BBEdit, Fetch, Mariner Write, Firefox and Photoshop Elements. But in the background I will also want Excalibur, Speed Download, Typinator, Panda Calendar, Increase and URLM Pro in every Space. At other times I may also have GarageBand, Sound Studio, Epson Print CD and Fetch open (about twice a week for an hour) without Elements and Mariner Write. If I'm just surfing, I'll shutdown BBEdit, Fetch, Mariner Write and Elements.
Spaces sounds like a great feature when you work with several distinct and non-overlapping sets of apps. Or a 'power-user' who wants to keep a lot of apps open but not clutter up the Desktop. Neither describes me, I guess. No problem
BTW, I don't know what else to call the windows that Finder creates. Almost every other app I use creates some kind of window, and I refer to those windows by the apps name plus 'window' to differentiate them from other windows. Occasionally, some of them also open 'palates' or secondary windows which are still referred to by the apps name plus the window type or the windows function. Finder
is an app, it simply need to be running at all times when one is using the Mac's GUI. You can see that its windows will close when it is 'Relaunched' just like any other apps windows will close when Quit. "Folder window" is fine with me, but they are technically Directory windows, also. At least until you get to the end of the folder/directory path to a file/app/plist/etc.
YMMV!
Sorry if I confused you, but that's part of my secondary job in keeping you one your toes!