Comments on: Using the Desktop…why?

By: ryanchadwick

ryanchadwick — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:48:58 +0000

What I also find interesting is that the users who own these desktops also tend to be the ones that also proclaim that computers are so hard and confusing to use. Yet they are largely responsible for creating their own problem and don’t seek out ways to rectify it.

I’ve often wondered about ways in which we could design desktops to guide and encourage users to better organisation and simplicity.

By: Cyrusm

Cyrusm — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:10:44 +0000

back in my windows days I used to hate having to delete every Icon that “automatically appeared for my convenience” with Fluxbox I have everything either mapped to hotkeys or I just type the name at the console. I don’t even use the menu feature anymore. and any file manipulation that needs to be done, can also be done from the console. also, with aterm running transparent. my terminal is right on the desktop, so I’m still enjoying my beautiful wallpapers.

By: chi

chi — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:36:28 +0000

my windows desktop started looking like that. i ended up using the desktop as a temporary dumping space, but never got around to cleaning it up. then i switched to linux and forced myself to adopt a more structured file hierarchy.

By: jorge

jorge — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:04:21 +0000

“almost every PC I ever had to fix looks like this”
Ha, I had to laugh at this, you could not have worded that better. A desktop like that screams “I HAVE MALWARE, fix me, fix me… reformat me.”

By: celettu

celettu — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:53:48 +0000

Chris:

thanks for the nice words. I guess messy people are messy everywhere, virtually or not. I like things tidy.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:49:07 +0000

This article is the reason why I read your blog. I would have to say that I have been in many an office where someone had a desktop like this. (most of the time their real desktop was no better) It is no way to work or play for that matter.