Sorry, but I don’t quite get your Las Vegas simile. Isn’t it better to have all those zany attractions situated in one place, so you know exactly where to go if you feel like visiting some?
To me this discussion is about aesthetics, not productivity (or what’s (morally) right/wrong). I’m more productive with a cluttered desktop, because that is how I prefer it. Well, not the clutter itself but having the files/documents I’m currently working on in a consistent, easy accessible place. You know - like an actual desk?
(then later I can store the finished documents in the archive/my documents, of course this is the hard part
It’s the old joke (my translation): if a cluttered desk signifies a cluttered mind, what does an empty desk signify?
“You’re kidding right!?! You didn’t even show the guy’s real desktop? You just picked up some novice user’s desktop to make your point while leaving him to look like an ass?”
I agree wholeheartedly.
The entire time I was following this post I was under the complete assumption that the “actual” desktop of said presenter was the image being posted. Although you didn’t actually say, “this is the actual, true, honest desktop of the guy giving the presentation” you did say “Here’s what it looked like:” and as you can see from the responses I was not alone in believing that what I was seeing was indeed his desktop revealed that particular day.
As a result Scott has been labeled a hack. If I were him I’d be seriously miffed! SERIOUSLY. Not a very good way to make a point. Very bad form, Jeff. Very weak.
YES! That’s right! Just as dirck pointed out: use the desktop toolbar in the taskbar !!!
It is easy: right click on the taskbar, then click Toolbars, then Desktop, and you have a nicely toolbar with ALL THE DESKTOP ICONS, automatically updated whenever a new icon is added to the desktop.
Now you would never, never use anymore the Show Desktop icon.
Desktop? What Desktop?? Go to annoyances.org and learn how to get RID of the bloody thing completely - icons and all!
Now - if I could only get rid of that stupid Taskbar completely, without leaving a strip of grey at the bottom…
Bleagh! Windoze… arrghh…
(PS: Don’t forget to set your Swapfile as a permanent one - the very first file - on the secondary master hard drive too, so it’s running at max efficiency… and DO partition your primary master drive as well, so you can put your My Documents folder, your Favorites folder, and all of your config stuff in that E: drive as well - so you can Ghost your C: partition from a boot floppy and restore it quickly and completely when it gets crapped, without having to re-install all over again.
You do realize there’s a reason why it’s called a “desktop”? It’s been sold since PARC as a replacement for a real desktop, which is where I keep all my current documents, along with a can of soda.
Exactly when was this memo circulated that it is foolish to keep on your computer desktop what you would normally keep on your physical desktop (aside from the soda)?
I use CustomBar (custombar.net) to access my files, see what song is playing, and search Google. It’s a cool utility because it can do many other things too and people can write tehir own things for it too. Very unobstrusive too.
Just a question - isn’t there some technical reason for not leaving files all over your desktop in terms of the desktop being part of your profile ?
Im sure that if you have a roaming profile and your in an office environment and your moving around on a network - your desktop comes with you ? so if you’ve got a 10meg spreadsheet on your desktop it has to download when you log on ?
Well, here is a nice solution for real-world-like desktop usage. Not sure whether I’d use it (I’m a two-screen-never-see-the-desktop user), but it’s definitely quite cool-looking. http://honeybrown.ca/Pubs/BumpTop.html
I’ll tell you what bothers me about that cluttered desktop: That it’s full of files, not shortcuts. If his hard drive crashes, what happens to those files?
I keep anything important in My Documents, which is mapped to my server from each PC (and is synced with Offline Files). Only shortcuts to files get to go on the desktop; the actual files are safe on the server, which is regularly backed up.
Pardon me for resurrecting this year-old post, but you linked to it, so it’s fair game, Mr. Atwood.
I treat the desktop as a well-known folder which always has a built-in shortcut in save-as dialogs.
When I create/download a new file, it goes on the “Desk-Top” as part of my current “state”.
In about a few days, the icons fill two columns and start to pour into the third and when I next boot up my box, I realize I have been slacking and go into a cleansing frenzy until only the recycle bin remains behind. Temp or no-longer-necessary files get deleted, useful stuff gets moved to their respective archive folders.
Oh, BTW, I try to not minimize-all to reach the junk on my desktop. I deleted the “show desktop” shortcut from my quick launch and replaced it with a normal shortcut that actually launches the desktop folder in a new explorer window.
Works for me for all times. Does not force me to break my flow in an ever-enforced obsessive compulsive organization, yet I don’t end up with a black-hole-desktop of more and more junk.
Let me repeat in case it got lost in all the gunk I just spewed: Save-As Dialogs.
I have been working on Windows Platform for years now. But I hate what most people love, using mouse. I just love keyboard and use only keyboard to launch any app. I don’t wish to scroll in start menu nor search on the desktop for my link. I just use the run command to type which app i wish to run. But I also use Desktop, but just that, the desktop always have a nice wallpaper which soothes the eyes when stressed.
Now that I think about it, I rarely use my desktop even though I have a fair amount of icons on it. I never store files on the desktop, since I find that disorganized and cluttery. The only things on my desktop are links to programs, My Computer, My Docs, a couple network drives or things like that and a shortcut to log off (don’t know why I still have that…) As for background images, I don’t spend any time really looking at my desktop, but when my computer’s locked it’s nice to see it rather than just a plain blue screen.
My desktop is usually clean, with ObjectDock in bottom and taskbar in top like on Macs, but I use descktop as a transition area.
Desktop is an airport for different type of items… few files, few fresh apps, but they don’t survive too much time. I have a ritual of cleaning my desktop, anyway I have to review those items, also this is a way not to forget about things, as they are there to remind me.
I put many things on my desktop as well as use it as my default download destination. I do that because I actually want a clean desktop, so by putting all my stuff on it forces me to deal with it and then organize my stuff.
I also keep things on my desktop that are still “fresh in my mind”. For example, if I’m pricing out motherboards I’ll have a a text file on my desktop called “motherboards.txt” and keep it smack in the middle. As the days go by I write down prices and stores in my text file. Once I either settle or buy the motherboard I delete the file.
I’m also a HUGE fan of the Run box, and use the Win-R shortcut religiously; I even add to the path or create batch files for all my common programs so I can access them easily. Furthermore I also have the address bar locked into my Taskbar so I can access items ON my desktop without having to minimize anything. I never use Quick Launch as I find it takes longer for me to click the icon I want than to just hit Win-R and type a word. It also takes up space on the Taskbar.
There are ways in the middle:
My desktop is mostly clean, but contains some shortcuts to current projects and files I use daily. So my desktop is clean and I have quick access to the stuff I need.
Only disadvantage is you have to clean up from time to time.
