icons on desktop with xfce

[Erick]

On Sat, 2004-05-01 at 18:55, Jakob Breivik Grimstveit wrote:
> On Sat, 2004-05-01 at 21:08, Erick wrote:
> 
> > one of the reasons why I use xfce is the lack of icons on the desktop.  
> 
> When seldom (being forced by my employer) to use Windows, I configure
> the task bar to contain a "desktop toolbar" which references to the
> desktop, and thus popping up all and any icons, documents and shortcuts
> available there.

I do the same -- to also include my bookmarks (err "favorites" in IE,
since my employer does not offer a choice in web browsers), my
documents, etc.  When set up properly it is not a cumbersome as KDE's
file browser from the "K" menu.

> 
> I have no use for icons on the desktop (as others here have argued, it's
> a flawed way of thinking, since the icons are more or less always
> covered by the windows which we are working with), but by using this
> "desktop toolbar" I always have a common place I can drop whatever I
> want (and use), easily accessible via the (popup or not) taskbar.
> 
> If we could implement something like this, I feel we implement the best
> of two worlds - having the ability to implement my own "personal
> toolbar" (and perhaps a separate window that can pop up, with customized
> placement of icons) and still not having to implement the «"silly"
> desktop icons» way of thinking.

Agreed -- having a tool bar (e.g. the XFce4 and CDE panel or creating
child panels in KDE/Gnome to launch favorite apps) is a much more
efficient way to work with applications -- what would really be nice is
if the panel, a child panel, or taskbar could be integrated into the
file manager to allow for dragging and dropping shortcuts to favorite
files, folders, and drives rather than having ungainly icons cluttering
up the desktop.  (I mount my drives right from the launcher menus or the
desktop menu in XFce).

The issue here is that people want an easy way to launch/access favorite
applications, files, folders, and drives.  Desktop icons are one
solution used in Macs, Windows, KDE, Gnome, et al.  I do not feel it is
the best solution.

Makes more sense to me to have everything tucked away on the edges or
corner of the screen.  This keeps things neat, tidy, and organized, and
allows to faster access (and fewer levels of navigation) than having to
minimize/rollup/move application windows or show/hide desktop (plus your
backdrop image is no longer obscured by a bunch of icons and text
labels).

Integrating the panel, a child panel, or taskbar with the file manager
to allow for shortcuts to favorite files, folders, and drives with drag
and drop placement from the file manager should be added to the next
version of XFce4 rather than desktop icons.  (Adding Mozilla/Firefox
bookmarks to both the panel and the desktop menu would be a very nice
feature as well!!!)

> 
> Just my 0.02 cents, hopefully at least some of you agree (desktop icons
> just add bloat, IMHO).