Re: [Usability] nautilus, panel, and metacity not acting as if the desktop was a single entity

[Eric Larson <elarson novell com>]

Hmmm

> Having said that, I totally agree that we should strongly discourage
> applications to install launchers on the desktop... if we could find a
> way to prevent that whilst still allowing the user to create their own,
> I'd be entirely in favour.  

I realize this is a very window-centric view, but often times users
appreciate having a new icon on their desktop for a new application. It
is many times the users only feedback that anything actually worked.
Also, in user tests they often mention things like "I have an icon on my
desktop for..." where it refers to anything from bookmarks to
applications to documents. Now I totally agree that this gets really
annoying to many people since it can make for a cluttered desktop. It is
also silly that in order to launch an application you have to minimize
applications so you can see your desktop. With that said, it makes one
wonder why there is so much inconsistency with how users launch apps and
things. 

My main point here is that just because some people like to keep a clean
desktop, it doesn't mean that others are wrong for having a messy one.
To many people the desktop is a manageable space for them to put all
their files, bookmarks and everything else. They never have to think
about things like file system or where things are. They just go to their
desktop and start looking. I am not saying this is ideal mental model
but rather just pointing out that it can still be a very valid model for
using a computer. 

Eric