Show My Desktop - See How a Nerd Works!

[JaWiB]

Thought I'd stick mine in for the hell of it.

This is my desktop PC background. Yeah, I'm a nerd.

 

[Dembadon]

Ivan, your desktop is going to give someone a seizure. I don't have any icons on my desktop(s) aside from whatever is default. I access all of my files through the appropriate folder in the user directory.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Can't imagine what background one would have with UFOs.
What I meant is your disktop's background/wall paper.

Oh, you mean the wallpaper! At first I thought you thought I was an Astronomer or something, but then the UFO stuff came to mind.

 

[turbo]

It's a bit cluttered with icons, so I really should ditch a few so M-51 isn't obscured.

 

[Monique]

I love some of these desktops, especially sam_cursed and the ultra-cluttered ones. To provide some counter-force, here's mine.

 

[humanino]

Will someone raise the conjecture of a correlation between cluttered desktop and operating system ?

 

[Char. Limit]

It's a bit cluttered with icons, so I really should ditch a few so M-51 isn't obscured.

Another option would be to arrange the icons in a circle around the galaxy. My desktop is a start on that circle.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Here's what mine looks like right now. It's about time to clean things up so as not to block the view.

Switzerland?

 

[turbo]

OK, I stripped out enough of the shortcut icons to see most of M-51. I saved a lot of stuff though, including a trivia contest that I wrote for chat and never used.

 

[FlexGunship]

I tend to keep things... organized.

 

[JaredJames]

You have a dual monitor setup too I see.

I have as well, however I cut media player out of it. Not sure if a screenshot from X-Men is breaking copyright sticking it here.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I don't understand how one can tolerate a screen with the icons all on one side. I think my head would be stuck in a permanent tilt if I did that.

Balance people, balance!

 

[turbo]

I don't understand how one can tolerate a screen with the icons all on one side. I think my head would be stuck in a permanent tilt if I did that.

Balance people, balance!

I am right-eye dominant, and can easily ignore things in the left-hand side of my FOV. Part of the reason why I am really accurate with firearms.

 

[rootX]

It doesn't matter what I do, how I organize my files; things go out of my hands and I get icons all over my desktop.

 

[Andre]

Macro picture of a damselfly.

 

[Andre]

But where are the memes?

 

[Danger]

What is a "windows-burner"?

A machine, typically called just a "PC", that doesn't run a useful operating system such as Mac OS or Linux. They are a blight upon the face of civilization.

 

[Pianoman14]

A machine, typically called just a "PC", that doesn't run a useful operating system such as Mac OS or Linux. They are a blight upon the face of civilization.

...but not my wallet

Here's my desktop background (yes! I do have VIM up for geek cred):

I keep all of my icons in the Quick Launch toolbar. It's nice and uncluttered.

 

[Chi Meson]

I've got a Dell at work, but this is my home desktop.

The view from the presidential ridge (Near Mt. Eisenhower) down into Bretton Woods and the Mt. Washington Hotel. It's a shame to clutter it with icons, so I keep everything in the various "disks" which are all named after birds. (I started naming 5" floppy disks after birds back in the late 80s... HEY! WAKE UP! THIS IS INTERESTING, DAMMIT!)

 

[Borg]

I try not to have too many icons.

 

[drizzle]

I've got a Dell at work, but this is my home desktop.

The view from the presidential ridge (Near Mt. Eisenhower) down into Bretton Woods and the Mt. Washington Hotel. It's a shame to clutter it with icons, so I keep everything in the various "disks" which are all named after birds. (I started naming 5" floppy disks after birds back in the late 80s... HEY! WAKE UP! THIS IS INTERESTING, DAMMIT!)

Nice view. :)

Your file ordering reminds me of a way I used to follow, if my disktop is about to get full of icons I creat a new file on disktop and put them ALL in that folder, then I name it disk top 1!
Not any more though, I just get lost in those multi-disktops.

 

[Monique]

I'm surprised the majority is running Windows, I expected other OSs among this audience.

 

[lisab]

But where are the memes?

Ah, that's on my work machine. That lovely nudibranch is on my home laptop.

 

[Borek]

Strange as it looks - it is real.

And if you have a feeling you have already seen part of this desktop - you are right. Obviously Marzena is quite popular between PFers.

 

[dlgoff]

And if you have a feeling you have already seen part of this desktop - you are right. Obviously Marzena is quite popular between PFers.

I was thinking about using one of your pictures for my desktop but then I thought better.

Remember that "work in progress" or whatever that thread was?

 

[Pianoman14]

I'm surprised the majority is running Windows, I expected other OSs among this audience.

I prefer Linux, but I'm currently booted into Windows because several of my online AP teachers use Windows-only conferencing programs.

 

[rhody]

I prefer rich simplicity, in nature that is, anything I use regularly is on the tool bar, I hide a small number pf desktop items at all times. I deal with complexity at work, I prefer peace and simple beauty at home.

Rhody...

 

[Chi Meson]

Rhody, your volume control icon doesn't work. Nothing happens when I click it.

 

[rhody]

Rhody, your volume control icon doesn't work. Nothing happens when I click it.

Chi,

Thanks, it is too wide, made it a thumb nail instead. BTW, I liked yours, have hiked the Presidentials, stayed at the Mt Washington hotel in winter, one week after a portion of the roof blew off (wasn't completely enclosed) from 70+ mph winds and skied Bretton Woods more times than I can count. I love the area.

Rhody...

 

[Evo]

I like to keep things on the desktop for easy access, but it's all in folders, and folders within folders. I still have 4 columns. I have the windows default desktop background.

 

[turbo]

I like to keep things on the desktop for easy access, but it's all in folders, and folders within folders. I still have 4 columns. I have the windows default desktop background.

I can't do that. Too many levels of access, and everything goes unregulated. I don't mind a nice tree structure, from the old DOS model, but amorphous stuff makes me really mad.

 

[Evo]

I can't do that. Too many levels of access, and everything goes unregulated. I don't mind a nice tree structure, from the old DOS model, but amorphous stuff makes me really mad.

My folders make sense to me, like Recipes, Photos, with sub categories, etc...

 

[lisab]

My folders make sense to me, like Recipes, Photos, with sub categories, etc...

That's how I do it too. There's a method to the madness .

I tend to remember where things are spatially. You could rename my files and I may not even notice, but don't move them or I'll be lost!

 

[turbo]

I tend to remember where things are spatially. You could rename my files and I may not even notice, but don't move them or I'll be lost!

That's the way I am with my "stuff". I know where everything us, until it is "tidied up" and moved (even just slightly) and then it has disappeared.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I'm surprised the majority is running Windows, I expected other OSs among this audience.

For me its a matter of third-party software compatibility. I did know someone running Windows in Linux, and then the required software under Windows, but imo, this is just an unnecessary layer of complexity.

 

[JaredJames]

For me its a matter of third-party software compatibility. I did know someone running Windows in Linux, and then the required software under Windows, but imo, this is just an unnecessary layer of complexity.

Agreed, I had Linux on all of my computers and emulated windows for various apps. I just found this to be extra work on the computer and switched my desktop back to windows. Laptop still runs Ubuntu, which is what I carry around with me.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Note that I should have said software compatibility, but one esp sweats bullets when third-party software gets involved with industry-specific platforms.

 

[Evo]

Note that I should have said software compatibility, but one esp sweats bullets when third-party software gets involved with industry-specific platforms.

My employers absolutely forbade 3rd party software. Like the big companies that you deal with, my company handled government accounts both US and foreign. There was NO software that wasn't designed specifically for us, and anyone required to work with us had to conform to us. I say required because in most cases they had no choice since we were the only ones with the technology.

 

[Borek]

I was thinking about using one of your pictures for my desktop but then I thought better.

Remember that "work in progress" or whatever that thread was?

If I know what you mean. That was picture taken by Marzena about 20 years ago

 

[Ivan Seeking]

My employers absolutely forbade 3rd party software. Like the big companies that you deal with, my company handled government accounts both US and foreign. There was NO software that wasn't designed specifically for us, and anyone required to work with us had to conform to us. I say required because in most cases they had no choice since we were the only ones with the technology.

For me, the nightmare scenario, one which I have been through too many times, is when I arrive on the scene after some salesman has sold the customer on the technology required for a given project. Often this will include some niche third-party device operating in conjuction with other standard platforms. This forces me to use the software for that technology or device. If things don't work properly due to software incompatibility issues, it can end up in court. I've never had to go to court [I choose to eat whatever time I have to in order to get things working, and get out as fast as possible!] but I've seen it happen in other situations.

Using anything but Windows is just begging for additional complications. Even Windows releases are a nightmare. I used to run a partitioned drive with three operating systems - all different releases of Windows - so that I could connect to various platforms without issues.

I dread the imminent leap to Windows 7 on my work computer as XP has been soooooooooo stable for so long, for all technologies of interest professionally.

 

[GeorginaS]

You know, I've seen this thread topic several times on gaming boards, and the responses generally stick to which uber image lives on someone's desktop. Only on PF would "Show us your desktop" devolve into a conversation about seeing icons of applications we do and don't like and about icon and file management, priority trees, and hierarchical organisational systems.

I heart this place.

 

[turbo]

For me, the nightmare scenario, one which I have been through too many times, is when I arrive on the scene after some salesman has sold the customer on the technology required for a given project. Often this will include some niche third-party device operating in conjuction with other standard platforms. This forces me to use the software for that technology or device. If things don't work properly due to software incompatibility issues, it can end up in court. I've never had to go to court [I choose to eat whatever time I have to in order to get things working, and get out as fast as possible!] but I've seen it happen in other situations.

Using anything but Windows is just begging for additional complications.

The worst niche software, IMO, is medical practice management software. It is huge and horrendously expensive, and it always lags development of normal office software, so if you're the network administrator (I held that position in a very large multi-location ophthalmic practice) you have to fight compatibility issues constantly. When I took that job, the practice had standardized on Alcon Ivy. All of the practice's medical station PCs (including registration, billing, etc) were running DOS, as were the servers, but we needed Windows so we could have access to decent graphical programs, imaging, etc, and Windows was incompatible with the old version of Novell NetWare that Ivy required. What a mess. Some of the kludges were ugly, and left me feeling like I'd had to use rolls and rolls of duct tape to keep my car together.

 

[rhody]

leap to Windows 7

Ivan,

This may be of small consolation to you, but I have been running Windows 7 now for almost a year and a half with no major incidents, it has some new features, I call them quirks, but by and large, I use selective startup, and disable about 70% of what could load from the services and startup menu, the thing boots in about 40 seconds, and I have an external USB backup drive twice as big as my hard drive.
Of course this is for home use, in the business world of IT it may be a different story.

Rhody...

 

[cronxeh]

I ditched Win 7 and installed Mac OS X on my PC

Now I run Win 7 from VMWare whenever I want to play in Matlab

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Ivan,

This may be of small consolation to you, but I have been running Windows 7 now for almost a year and a half with no major incidents, it has some new features, I call them quirks, but by and large, I use selective startup, and disable about 70% of what could load from the services and startup menu, the thing boots in about 40 seconds, and I have an external USB backup drive twice as big as my hard drive.
Of course this is for home use, in the business world of IT it may be a different story.

Rhody...

That is good to hear! We do have 7 on our entertainment computer and it seems to be pretty stable, but that is light use. The real question for me is, how does it do with, for example, Rockwell or Siemens software - all of their supporting software, various networking platforms [about six or seven to worry about just for those two brands], and specialized device configuration platforms. The problem is not just the stability of Windows 7, the problem is the compatibility of the software from everyone else. I seem to recall that Rockwell was patching things for XP for several years. This is all money out of my pocket when things don't work. It can literally destroy a business.

 

[cronxeh]

ONE MORE! I can't resist. Mac OS X is so much better on my PC than Windows 7, its not even funny. Win 7 used to crash ATI drivers randomly, and without so much as a sorry. Oh and not to mention how IE injection bug took down my networking interface, and there were random trojans being installed from sites on a daily basis - even with an antivirus running. Its just so annoying and stupid, I truly, really, hate Windows. Its not for hardcore workstation users

But now I have so many more apps and stability (and its all freeeeeeee )

I keep all my apps and mp3s and movies and books and pdfs and all texts/docs/pictures on encrypted drives. Even all supercomputers in the world put together would take about 20 years to crack those volumes

 

[nobahar]

Mines not as cool as some of yours, nor as nerdy!
But this was my background up until the last day or so, I went to the trouble of changing it back just for you!:

It's part of the Roman wall that enclosed Londinium. I think it was built taller in the medieval times, though.

Here's my new one. I hope it doesn't come across as too mawkish!:

A little inspiration! Although it's hard to do!

 

[lisab]

A little inspiration! Although it's hard to do!

Very nice, nobahar, inspiring indeed!

 

[nobahar]

Very nice, nobahar, inspiring indeed!

Thanks! I can't find who it's attributed to.

 

[lisab]

Thanks! I can't find who it's attributed to.

It sounds like something a grandma would say.