Kubuntu desktop icons?

[scubscub]

Sorry, I know this subject must have come up before, but I haven't been able to find a clear answer on this.

Full disclosure -- I am a Unity refugee coming from Ubuntu 10.4 to Kubuntu 11.10 which I am largely pretty impressed with.

However, I really can't understand how the "desktop" is supposed to work. I dragged some files from the documents folder into the "Desktop" folder in the Home folder, but these do not then appear on the (actual?) desktop. The best I can do is drag the desktop folder to the desktop, whereupon it becomes a folder titled "Desktop", on the desktop.

If I right-click on the desktop itself (not the folder on the desktop), all I get a Desktop Settings option, but this only allows me to change the background image.

So is the "Desktop" a folder, the background image, or what I see on the computer when I look at it? How can I put things on it, so I can use it like I would the top of my desk?

[scubscub]

Does nobody in fact know the answer to this?

[oldos2er]

Changed thread title.

Right-click on the desktop, choose Activities, Desktop Icons.

[scubscub]

Thanks Oldos, though it seems that is only part of the answer.

The closest I could get to a functional desktop was to drag my Desktop folder from Dolphin to the (actual?) desktop, and select "folder view", which creates a see-through rectangle on a part of the desktop with the "desktop" files inside. There are controls on the edge which allowed me to drag this window/folder until it was almost, but not quite, coextensive with the actual desktop. Then I locked widgets to keep it from resizing or disappearing.

With this set up, selecting "desktop icons" just toggles the desktop window/folder/thing on and off.

This seems like a functional substitute though it has two slight drawbacks -- one, right-clicking the desktop now results in different functions than before because the actual desktop is covered; two, it looks like there is cellophane smeared across most of the desktop...

[oldos2er]

The closest I could get to a functional desktop was to drag my Desktop folder from Dolphin to the (actual?) desktop, and select "folder view", which creates a see-through rectangle on a part of the desktop with the "desktop" files inside. There are controls on the edge which allowed me to drag this window/folder until it was almost, but not quite, coextensive with the actual desktop. Then I locked widgets to keep it from resizing or disappearing.

With this set up, selecting "desktop icons" just toggles the desktop window/folder/thing on and off.

This seems like a functional substitute though it has two slight drawbacks -- one, right-clicking the desktop now results in different functions than before because the actual desktop is covered; two, it looks like there is cellophane smeared across most of the desktop...

The "see-through rectangle" sounds like the folder view widget, and it's sized to cover your entire desktop area. I don't see how it's possible to drag the Desktop folder onto itself, so I must be misunderstanding you (my fault).

You know you can drag real files and folders into the folder view widget to create links to them?

[scubscub]

Sorry, I should be more clear.

The "Desktop" I dragged was the folder in my home folder called "Desktop". This, however, had apparently no relation to my desktop (in the sense of the surface of my computer screen when there are no windows, etc. covering it) until I dragged the former out of Dolphin onto the latter and selected "folder view" to create a see through rectangle. Even after maximizing this as much as possible though, it does not cover the entire desktop (as in screen surface) but leaves some space on either side.

But this seems to be functionally pretty much the same as what I expect from a "desktop", as long as I keep the widgets locked so the whole thing remains stable.

(and this beats Unity hands down, imho)

There does seem to be, however, a certain lack of clarity (and I have now seen this point made in other posts on the internet) about just what constitutes a "desktop" in kubuntu...

[tkabir11]

Sorry, I should be more clear.

The "Desktop" I dragged was the folder in my home folder called "Desktop". This, however, had apparently no relation to my desktop (in the sense of the surface of my computer screen when there are no windows, etc. covering it) until I dragged the former out of Dolphin onto the latter and selected "folder view" to create a see through rectangle. Even after maximizing this as much as possible though, it does not cover the entire desktop (as in screen surface) but leaves some space on either side.

But this seems to be functionally pretty much the same as what I expect from a "desktop", as long as I keep the widgets locked so the whole thing remains stable.

(and this beats Unity hands down, imho)

There does seem to be, however, a certain lack of clarity (and I have now seen this point made in other posts on the internet) about just what constitutes a "desktop" in kubuntu...


There is no need to clarify a kubuntu desktop- because what constitutes any desktop should entirely be upto you :)

As for your problem- if you want to put an icon/file/folder on your desktop- you just need to drag the said icon/file/folder directly to your kubuntu desktop...or right click on the item and choose 'add to desktop'- you don't even need to touch the 'desktop folder'. I don't really know the purpose of that desktop folder; I got like a bunch of widgets,folders,icons on my actual desktop- and my desktop folder is still empty :tongue: So you could just ignore that folder. ;)

[whatthefunk]

Its so much easier than this.

-Right click on your desktop. Unlock widgets if they are locked.
-Open the menu.
-Drag a program from the menu to the desktop.
-Celebrate

[schnelle]

If you want "windows7 like" desktop with desktop icons, right click on desktop>desktop settings>layout - Folder View. You can then configure it from "location" and "display" tabs.

[tkabir11]

Just an update to my previous reply- OP if you want you can actually fill up your desktop folder with all the necessary icons and post the folder view widget on your kde desktop :) Take a look at the desktop folder on this desktop screenshot here:
http://kde-look.org/CONTENT/content-pre1/140398-1.jpg

Hope that helps (came across this when I was trying to install the blue sora theme)

TK