I think a lot depends on what a pc is used for. Mine when I load it up again following my upgrade will have about 35gb of pdf's,djvu's many of which are ebooks on a variety of subjects. Also lots of print to file as well. I can navigate to these via a application but it's quicker to get to the directory they are in and click launch them. I may want several open at the same time. My usual route to that sort of thing is the desktop but having got fed up of these document, video, music type arrangements off home I've now decided to use them and place links to them on the desktop. In other circumstances writing software for certain systems I would have a directory with the files I'm working on in it. These would be click launched to an editor. A further icons would assemble or compile the last file I edited, another would do the lot. Another would link them. Should the desktop be hidden it isn't really a problem - I just use the show desktop and what ever I want next gets clicked and also goes to the focus. I think a lot depends on how much and for what reason a pc is used. I've pounded the d#mm things ever since they were invented and others before. I've used desktops since win 3.1 mark 1 with a little resistance to begin with. I find that the majority of what might be called heavy 8 hours a day users use the interface like this. Like me they also often use the desktop for what might be called a semi temp location. The activity aspect might interest me. I might find I can create one called microscopy. This might sub divide further into say manuals, slide making, image processing and a number of other things. Each of these would ideally break down further over several levels otherwise it wouldn't be of much use but the same thing can be done with ordinary directory structures. All would end in a launch click. I hardly ever use the launch panels. The only direct application launch icons I use are on the task bar. At the moment these are browser or two,email, dolphin, dolphin su mode and yast (system tool and update). You will notice that these aren't associated with a particular file type in the usual way Kate usually ends up there as well also run in su mode mainly because it did have a facility to return to files it had worked on in the past. Save remembering where system files are. Haven't looked how that has gone yet. I did shown as a sort of directory tree - little bit like launch clicking. It goes straight there without much in the line of navigation. The entire purpose of associations is to allow a pc to be used this way. Add easy link set ups as per kde4 allows the activity aspects to include applications as well, a replacement for my task bar maybe ;-) Makes me wonder if I can have an su activity as well. That would also be useful but I suspect wont be available. My nas will get a desktop link shortly as well. I'm fed up of opening dolphin selecting network and then selecting the nas and then navigating to the folder I use. A link gets there in one click. John Each to his or her own as they say but basically it's quicker to work this way. ----- Original Message ---- > From: Felix Miata <mrmazda@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > To: kde@xxxxxxxxxxxx > Sent: Mon, 30 May, 2011 14:56:24 > Subject: Re: How do I remove the "new activity" item from the desktop? > > On 2011/05/30 03:51 (GMT-0700) John Woodhouse composed: > > > Frankly what it boils down to is I can't see the point in having a > > largely empty screen. Many many others can't either. > > I can't see the point of having any icons on the desktop. It's rare that I > actually see more than a tiny fraction of my desktop, over which virtually > always lie open app windows. Without the panel and app starter, few apps > would ever manage to get opened here. I've yet to start a "new activity", > whatever that's supposed to be. I open apps exclusively from the quick > launcher items on the panel, or from the (traditional) app starter. > -- > "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant > words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation) > > Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks! > > Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ > ___________________________________________________ > This message is from the kde mailing list. > Account management: https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde. > Archives: http://lists.kde.org/. > More info: http://www.kde.org/faq.html. > ___________________________________________________ This message is from the kde mailing list. Account management: https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde. Archives: http://lists.kde.org/. More info: http://www.kde.org/faq.html.