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News & ArtsThursday, October 18, 2012
Tech / Nerd How Many Icons Do You Have on Your Computer Desktop?
Posted by Megan Seling on Thu, Oct 18, 2012 at 11:53 AM
- This is what it looks like right now. Which is actually pretty good... for me.
People often comment on it when having to use my computer. "How do you find anything!?" they cry. My personal laptop is even worse.
It used to be that I would only clean it off every couple of months, when it starts to get insufferably cluttered (or when I'm tired of not being able to see whatever cute picture I have as my background image).
In the last few months, though, I've gotten better and organizing my icons. I still save everything to the desktop, but at least once a week, usually on Fridays, I will go through and file stuff away or trash things I don't need. But it's hard to break old habits.
Where are you at with desktop icons? Right now (and no cheating!), how many icons do you have on your computer's desktop?
(Also: If you have any organizing tips, GIMMIE! I need them! Obviously.)
1
Zero.
I updated my iOS6 settings in General - About - Advertising - Limit Ad Tracking to ON instead of the default OFF (off means track me baby, my iPhone and iPad are your servants).
I updated my iOS6 settings in General - About - Advertising - Limit Ad Tracking to ON instead of the default OFF (off means track me baby, my iPhone and iPad are your servants).
2
As to Win7 or Win8 - drag all the stuff you use to a folder, drag the folder to the taskbar, SHRINK THE SIZE of the FOLDER so it just shows up as >> (expandable, you can set each folder to a different color), and bingo, no icons.
Easy sneezy.
Yes, I know they don't tell you how to do that. I even had to show the Microsoft Win 8 demo guys in Red Square how to do it.
Easy sneezy.
Yes, I know they don't tell you how to do that. I even had to show the Microsoft Win 8 demo guys in Red Square how to do it.
3
6-10, but 4 of those are computer games that I'm might be playing at any given time, currently StarCraft 2, Mass Effect 3, Left 4 Dead 2, and Diablo 3.
5
I've got upwards of 70 icons on my desktop, but I'm not ashamed. I'm not proud, either, I just don't care. I don't have trouble finding things because I don't look for things on my desktop, that's what the start menu is for.
Important things I'll need later get put somewhere useful, but if it's just some temporary log file or installer that Firefox insists I save before I run, I just dump it on the desktop, use it once, and then forget about it ten minutes later.
Important things I'll need later get put somewhere useful, but if it's just some temporary log file or installer that Firefox insists I save before I run, I just dump it on the desktop, use it once, and then forget about it ten minutes later.
6
Folder 42. Put it on your desktop, and watch your mess funnel into it. It's the computer version of the kitchen 'shit drawer'.
7
@2, my god you are a WIZARD. I'm sure the "Microsoft Win 8 demo guys in Red Square" were immensely grateful as they cleaned off your idiotic cruft afterwards. It does not surprise me one bit that you are the type of person who sees "Microsoft Win 8 demo guys" on Red Square and immediately hustles over there to talk to them, though.
Having a shit-ton of stuff on your desktop makes your computer slow. I've seen people at my work with hundreds -- too many to be visible. "Help, I can't find my files, it was right here!"
Having a shit-ton of stuff on your desktop makes your computer slow. I've seen people at my work with hundreds -- too many to be visible. "Help, I can't find my files, it was right here!"
8
Work Computer: 25 (dual monitor setup though, so it's not really that cluttered)
Home Computer: 0 (well, 1 if you include the recycle bin)
The thing that really drives me crazy is not using the "align to grid" option. How can you look a desktop with unevenly space icons!? The mind, it boggles!!!
Home Computer: 0 (well, 1 if you include the recycle bin)
The thing that really drives me crazy is not using the "align to grid" option. How can you look a desktop with unevenly space icons!? The mind, it boggles!!!
9
I'm just going to use this space to vent about the iPhone's lack of a non-icon system for organizing your apps when an automatically alphabetized list is so much more efficient.
11
The bigger issue is how the sharp edges of that centered background image don't drive you insane. I twitched just looking at that picture for a few seconds.
Desktop is for temporary storage ... at the end of the day, everything gets filed into the proper Dropbox folder. Also, Dropbox is my god, and I sacrifice a goat to it weekly.
Desktop is for temporary storage ... at the end of the day, everything gets filed into the proper Dropbox folder. Also, Dropbox is my god, and I sacrifice a goat to it weekly.
12
And one slighly less off-topic observation. I'm less bothered by the lack of organization on your desktop than I am by how unsightly it is. If you can't expand that photo to fit the screen without distorting the aspect ratio too much then at least change the background to a neutral color. Please?
13
Megan, you need Fences.
http://www.stardock.com/products/fences/…
That way things will still be right there on the desktop, but not blocking the baby otters.
http://www.stardock.com/products/fences/…
That way things will still be right there on the desktop, but not blocking the baby otters.
14
@13, that ain't no otter! It's a baby wombat, and the baby kangaroo next to him is his BFF. They even sleep in the same pouch. They hang out with a baby swamp wallaby too. Prepare to die from cuteness:
http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2012/10…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-…
http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2012/10…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-…
17
I've got around a dozen files on my desktop. Most are screen captures which then I name and file into a folder on the desktop.
18
None. I have Ubuntu (Linux) and since placing stuff in folders is just as easy as placing them on the desktop, thats what I do.
(Plus, as Fnarf pointed out, it slows down your computer - for some reason, I don't know why (I do not talk to tech guys on "the red square" (I guess your not referring to Moscow) on the other hand).
(Plus, as Fnarf pointed out, it slows down your computer - for some reason, I don't know why (I do not talk to tech guys on "the red square" (I guess your not referring to Moscow) on the other hand).
23
I have about 20 icons on the desktop, but they're all shortcuts. I never actually save any files on the desktop.
The only icon on my desktop that's not a shortcut is the trashcan.
The only icon on my desktop that's not a shortcut is the trashcan.
24
Megan, are you using a Mac (it looks like it...)?
If so, get Quicksilver (freeware) and give it a try: http://qsapp.com/
It's like the Mac OS built in search function (Spotlight), only it learns. It has a bunch of other powerful features too, but mainly I use it to find files and folders, and launch applications. Then, other than the impact on performance, having 764 icons on your desktop doesn't really matter.
If so, get Quicksilver (freeware) and give it a try: http://qsapp.com/
It's like the Mac OS built in search function (Spotlight), only it learns. It has a bunch of other powerful features too, but mainly I use it to find files and folders, and launch applications. Then, other than the impact on performance, having 764 icons on your desktop doesn't really matter.
26
@21, yes, Will, I am jealous of you.
You know, one of my earliest memories is from before I knew how to read, and I was sitting with some friends and "writing" squiggles on a sheet of paper and then pretending to read them, and pretending to read the newspaper too, making up whatever nonsense I could, including babytalk.
I was three years old at the time.
What's your excuse?
You know, one of my earliest memories is from before I knew how to read, and I was sitting with some friends and "writing" squiggles on a sheet of paper and then pretending to read them, and pretending to read the newspaper too, making up whatever nonsense I could, including babytalk.
I was three years old at the time.
What's your excuse?
27
I use Windows 7, and I have 42 icons on my desktop, taking up approximately 1/3 of the screen. It's actually pretty damn organized, and 25 of them are icons for video games.
28
I currently have a block of icons with 10 on each side - a solid 100. I too go through them occasionally to delete or file away, but it is my initial resting place for most stuff. They are easy to see, clear to me why they're there, not a disctraction - and not ashamed.
30
Zero. I don't look at my desktop. Often used programs are pinned to the taskbar, and live icons/less used programs to the start screen. A better question for me would be how many windows do I have open. Right now it's pretty light, only 37 (plus whatever tabs they have in the browser windows): 7 outlook, 2 internet explorer, 6 firefox, 2 explorer, 2 visual studio, 1 command prompt, 1 task manager, 1 sql studio, 8 lync, 1 resource monitor, 1 event log viewer, 2 diff, 1 device manager, 2 excel
31
Only one item on my desktop right now.
I can definitely recommend putting a "Misc Junk" folder somewhere on your drive and then using OSX's Automator to create a quick macro that takes any files you select in the Finder and moves them to that folder. This should be all you need: http://imgur.com/TQC5h
If you create the Automator process as a Service, not only will the option be available by right-clicking on the selected file(s), but you can then also go to System Preferences>Keyboard>Keyboard Shortcuts>Services, select your process, and assign a hotkey to it. I use ctrl+opt+cmd+M.
I can definitely recommend putting a "Misc Junk" folder somewhere on your drive and then using OSX's Automator to create a quick macro that takes any files you select in the Finder and moves them to that folder. This should be all you need: http://imgur.com/TQC5h
If you create the Automator process as a Service, not only will the option be available by right-clicking on the selected file(s), but you can then also go to System Preferences>Keyboard>Keyboard Shortcuts>Services, select your process, and assign a hotkey to it. I use ctrl+opt+cmd+M.
33
Just one, the recycle bin because I'm too lazy to figure out how to make it go away. I do have five taskbar buttons. Everything else comes from the Start menu. My files are mega-organized--the catch is, I never actually get anything done.
34
31 for me, though the majority are games I regularly play and programs I regularly use (though in the latter case, I rarely use their shortcuts, oddly enough). I could probably trim it down to 26 and be fine, but since they only take up about 20% of my desktop, I don't really care.
35
Every month or so, I create a folder on my desktop and drag the dozen or so accumulated notes, stickies, and icons into. When the folders start to overwhelm my desktop, I create a folder to put my folders in. This creates the illusion of organization, which is good enough for me. (You should see my closets.)
36
@35 - Exactly. And my folders are usually labeled Stuff, Stuff 1, Stuff 2, Stuff 3, Junk, Crap, ShitToGoThroughLater.....
38
56. Unashamed.
Stuff I store on my desktop is stuff I'm not sure I want to keep. If it stays there, it gets recycled whenever I feel like having a little clear-out. If it goes into folders, I'll *never* get rid of it!
Stuff I store on my desktop is stuff I'm not sure I want to keep. If it stays there, it gets recycled whenever I feel like having a little clear-out. If it goes into folders, I'll *never* get rid of it!
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