Desktops redundant?
Does the average user REALLY need a desktop?
Surely many of us would be content to see a launcher listing our apps and a window showing our documents. Simply click on what you want - and go. All apps offer you the possibility of deleting files etc. No need for the trash bin etc.
Back in the early days of the Mac a desktop was an exciting and eye-catching innovation. The current OS X desktop is certainly beautiful, but IMHO redundant, - just a marketing tool.
Anybody else feel the same?
Peace
eric j
Surely many of us would be content to see a launcher listing our apps and a window showing our documents. Simply click on what you want - and go. All apps offer you the possibility of deleting files etc. No need for the trash bin etc.
Back in the early days of the Mac a desktop was an exciting and eye-catching innovation. The current OS X desktop is certainly beautiful, but IMHO redundant, - just a marketing tool.
Anybody else feel the same?
Peace
eric j
Comments
PS. Calculator.app in Panther is too slow and buggy, which suggests we should have a better use for our Macs.
Originally posted by eric j
Anybody else feel the same?
Actually, Apple felt this way a few years ago.
It was called Mac OS X (Developer Preview).
The desktop then held no files. It would only hold aliases/shortcuts to your programs and files. People didn't like it. People demanded the traditional desktop back. That probably has a lot to do with why the desktop of Mac OS X still feels a little clunky and slow compared to Classic Finder's desktop -- it was tacked on as an afterthought and as a concession to people who couldn't let old habits die.
I usually keep my desktop as clean as possible. I have my drive icons, a "Downloads" folder, and a couple of aliases/folders to current projects.
An intelligent filing system that puts files where they should go automatically (properly indexed etc.) is a great idea but I think it would make a great application for after youve finished work. Call it "tidy up" or something.
A desktop, used in the same way I use it, is very much like a real desk. Everything your working on is on the desk easy to get to, then before you go home you put everything away.
-- papers (documents/files)
-- post-its (stickies)
-- in-tray (folders)
people make a psychological link from their desk to the computers desktop. not saying its right (i have a messy desk but a very clean desktop), but just how 'joe public' see's it...
Originally posted by Gargoyle
I too use it as a temporary holding place for docs, but what would you have instead of a desktop ?
A shelf.
reg
...except I find that after a month the temp desktop folder is a couple of gigs in size.
So I want to try to not use the desktop.
I vaguely remember there is an option to turn it off, but I can no longer find it. I still want my drives on there, just I don't want to be able to stick stuff there.
Originally posted by stevegongrui
I vaguely remember there is an option to turn it off, but I can no longer find it. I still want my drives on there, just I don't want to be able to stick stuff there.
Why dont you get your desktop how you want it then set your permissions to read only. Then you wont be able to save anything to the desktop.