OpenSuSE 11.2 / KDE4 Plasma Desktop

English Applications
1

I don’t understand why the 11.2 / KDE4 desktop supports a “desktop folder” widget to contain various links to applications–rather than just keeping these links on the underlying desktop. Doubtless there is a good reason for supporting folder widgets in the Plasma desktop environment, but I don’t yet see how to use this feature to advantage. Why not just keep the links on the underlying desktop as before in 11.1 and earlier? I tried this and it seemed to work just fine–except of course that there is no “align to grid” option or global icon size setting in this arrangement: the icons have to be sized separately with their slide-out tools and moved manually to approximately neat row and column alignment.

Also, with widgets unlocked, right-clicking on a menu item offers the choice of placing the icon on the desktop. If one selects this feature, the icon is placed on the underlying desktop rather than on the desktop folder. This seems strange. Is it a bug?

2

If you use the Folder View Desktop activity
The whole Desktop becomes a folder and replicated the things you feel are missing.

The folder view widget is different.

3

Like this:

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p145/wakou/desktop.png

Right click on desktop, select “folder view activity settings”

4

Don’t know what the actual reason for a “Desktop Folder Widget” is but I must say I kinda like it. I think it looks more tidy.

5

Desktop Folder is just the default folder. The widget itself is called Folder View widget. This way you don’t even have to open up dolphin to get to your files. I myself use this to display my Windows D: drive which is my shared partition for all my songs and videos. That way I don’t have to go into dolphin just to find a movie to watch. I can just navigate the folder on my desktop.

Take Care,

Ian

6

Thanks to all above for the helpful and interesting responses!