peter@aucs.UUCP (Peter Steele) (01/14/88)
I have a question about general desktop organization. I've gone
through several different approaches, changing when I think of
something I like better. Right now I have my hard disk divided
into several folders, a "work" folder (with appropriate sub-
folders), a utilities folder, and so on.
So I can access them quickly, I have my favorite applications
placed in a neat row across the bottom of my screen. Just above
that, I have a neat row of the folders I mentioned above. I never
really had any problem with this setup, using switcher or whatever.
Now that I have MultiFinder, this setup doesn't seem to work to well.
The main problem is that icons on the desktop can't be brought to
the front. As a result, I always have to slide windows around or
close them to access these icons. The same is true for the disk
icons on the right side of the desktop.
My question is: Is it a good idea to take files out of their home
folder and leave them on the desktop? Doing so, of course, make
them belong to the root, but that shouldn't be a problem. If there
was some to make MultiFinder to "hide" windows not belonging the to
current application, my approach to desktop organization would be
okay.
I'd like to hear what other people have found to be workable
desktop arrangements. If I get enough interesting ideas, I'll
post something to the net.
approaches
--
Peter Steele Acadia Univ. Wolfville NS Canada B0P1X0 (902)542-2201x121
UUCP:{uunet|watmath|utai|garfield}dalcs!aucs!Peter BITNET:Peter@Acadia
-------------Internet:Peter%Acadia.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU-------------atchison@hpindda.HP.COM (Lee Atchison) (01/19/88)
Try putting your applications in a long-thin folder at the bottom of your screen. You no longer have to worry about hiding windows behind the desk top, and the icons are still easily accessible for your use. I know this sounds like a simplistic suggestion, but it works!! -lee ------------ Lee Atchison Hewlett Packard, Information Networks Division atchison%hpindda@hplabs.hp.com
jac@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Jim Clausing) (01/20/88)
In article <6500007@hpindda.HP.COM> atchison@hpindda.HP.COM (Lee Atchison) writes: >Try putting your applications in a long-thin folder at the bottom of your >screen. You no longer have to worry about hiding windows behind the desk >top, and the icons are still easily accessible for your use. >Lee Atchison The only problem that still remains is the trash can. It still remains hidden on the desktop. I would like to be able to throw things away from the finder while in MultiFinder, but every so often I find an unfriendly application whose window cannot be shrunk or moved out of the way and it ends up hiding the trash can. I suppose I could use one of my desk accessories that can delete files, but I hesitate to do that with the finder open because of experiences I had in the past. A thought that just occured to me, can you put the trash can in a folder? -- Jim Clausing -- "Is it time for a colorful metaphor?" CIS Department jac@ohio-state.arpa Ohio State University jac@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu Columbus, OH 43210 GEnie: J.CLAUSING
perkins@acf8.UUCP (Mark E. Perkins) (01/21/88)
You could use the FKEY known as BLASTER (published in MacTutor
a few months ago) to blow holes in the windows that are in the way 8-).
That way you can uncover the trash can, toss the stuff out, and re-paint
the windows. I don't know how it behaves w/ MultiFinder, since I haven't
tried it. I think it's available on info-mac, or I can e-mail it, if
you like.
Mark Perkins Walk softly and carry a megawatt laser.
Internet: mark@vml.psych.nyu.edu (that's VEE-EM-ELL)
Usenet: {seismo|ihnp4|allegra}!cmcl2!vml!mark
US Mail: Department of Psychology, NYU
6 Washington Place, room 970
New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 998-7861clive@drutx.ATT.COM (Clive Steward) (01/21/88)
Two things work well for me:
1) Have a Current Work folder, and put currently interesting
documents and templates in it. It's easy then to either bring up
an application from the finder layer, or select and Set Startup
for all the things you want to work with together.
We're rapidly converging on the Lisa, and some earlier Xerox
methodologies here, I think.
2) To get the Trash, or a lost disk, close everything in the finder
layer by holding option as you mouse one window's close box.
Then use Select All from the Edit Menu, followed by Open from the
File menu. Voila.
Do hope the oversight about Finder icons will be updated soon. Sure
everyone agrees they need the Trash and disks to show. A clear
example is the case where you want to trash a disk, and of course one
often wants to casually trash a file.
Clive Stewardpalmer@tybalt.caltech.edu (David Palmer) (01/21/88)
In article <4914@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> jac@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Jim Clausing) writes: >In article <6500007@hpindda.HP.COM> atchison@hpindda.HP.COM (Lee Atchison) writes: >>Try putting your applications in a long-thin folder at the bottom of your >>screen. You no longer have to worry about hiding windows behind the desk >>top, and the icons are still easily accessible for your use. >>Lee Atchison > >The only problem that still remains is the trash can. It still remains >hidden on the desktop. I would like to be able to throw things away >from the finder while in MultiFinder, but every so often I find an >unfriendly application whose window cannot be shrunk or moved out of >the way and it ends up hiding the trash can. I suppose I could >use one of my desk accessories that can delete files, but I hesitate >to do that with the finder open because of experiences I had in the >past. A thought that just occured to me, can you put the trash can >in a folder? You cannot move the trash can off of the desktop. One possibility, if you have a large amount of free disk space, you could designate a folder to be the effective trash, and just empty it into the real trash can whenever it starts filling up. This also provides a longer-time undo for deleting files. If you edit the name of the trash can so that it is long enough to extend to the very edge of the desktop, then unfriendly applications which leave a one- pixel wide margin on the right side are no problem, you just use that one pixel to select the trash-can's name. (i.e., you go into Resedit and change "trash" to " trash". Then by dragging an icon down the right margin until you see the 1-pixel wide sliver of the name highlight itself, you can find the trashcan. I am not sure if this will work, but it's worth a try.) David Palmer palmer@tybalt.caltech.edu ...rutgers!cit-vax!tybalt.caltech.edu!palmer "Every day it's the same thing--variety. I want something different."
sbb@esquire.UUCP (Stephen B. Baumgarten) (01/21/88)
In article <4914@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> jac@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Jim Clausing) writes: About deleting files under Multifinder with the trash can hidden: >[ ... ] A thought that just occured to me, can you put the trash can >in a folder? Open the trash can and make its window very small (you could leave it on top of the trash can itself). Then just throw the files into the folder. Viola! -- Steve Baumgarten | "New York... when civilization falls apart, Davis Polk & Wardwell | remember, we were way ahead of you." ...!cmcl2!esquire!sbb | - David Letterman
martin@home.csc.ti.com (Steven Martin) (01/22/88)
In article <4914@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> jac@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Jim Clausing) writes: >The only problem that still remains is the trash can. It still remains >hidden on the desktop. I would like to be able to throw things away >from the finder while in MultiFinder, but every so often I find an >unfriendly application whose window cannot be shrunk or moved out of >the way and it ends up hiding the trash can. My solution is to "open" the trash can. You then can resize its window and move it to the lower right corner (or anywhere else). Steve Martin USENET: {ctvax,im4u,texsun,rice}!ti-csl!martin PHONE: (214)-995-5919, 404-1061 If you think of something, it exists somewhere.
dlw@hpsmtc1.HP.COM (David Williams) (01/23/88)
>Harry says: >It would be nice to have an init that shrinks/grows windows. I seem to remember an fkey that would reduce a window down to just its title bar! Of course I don't remember its name,but it seemed to do just what you want...anybody remember this one? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- David L. Williams dlw@hpda Hewlett Packard, Cupertino Ca Software Development Technology Laboratory Distributed Computing Environment Project Mailstop: 47LR "Sinanju, buddy -- the real stuff"
cosmos@druhi.ATT.COM (GuestRA) (01/25/88)
In article <40399@ti-csl.CSNET>, martin@home.csc.ti.com (Steven Martin) writes: > My solution is to "open" the trash can. You then can resize its > window and move it to the lower right corner (or anywhere else). You really don't need to open it. You can just move the icon for the trash can to the corner. Ronald A. Guest ...!ihnp4!druhi!cosmos Supervisor AT&T Laboratories 12110 N. Pecos St. Denver, Colorado 80234 (303) 538-4896
isle@eleazar.Dartmouth.EDU (Ken Hancock) (01/28/88)
I won't go requoting old articles and such, but basically what everyone says
about the Finder in multifinder is that the finder gets lost under all the
windows. Why not make the desktop an actual window then? When in the finder,
the desktop comes to the front, windows disappear completely.
Any comments?
Ken
--
Ken Hancock UUCP: isle@eleazar.dartmouth.edu
BITNET: isle@eleazar.dartmouth.edu
DISCLAIMER: If people weren't so sue-happy, I wouldn't need one!