Monday, July 02, 2007

Open letter to Linux/Beryl

Dear Linux,

Giving windows and desktop objects momentum and an editable friction constant is a very cool idea, but when I get bored with my thesis and start flinging open windows around my screen while my brain reboots itself, I would prefer my files not to slide right off the desktop into the Great Beyond.

Shouting, "Help! Help! Come back!" at them and waving my cursor a lot has, so far, been no substitute for a solution.

Yours sincerely,
StyleyGeek.

5 Comments:

Bella Sultane said...

I thought of you when I saw this:

http://www.popgadget.net/2007/06/linux_parking_s.php

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure how to restore the desktop icons, but you can confirm that the files are still there and edit them.

Launch Terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal). Type cd Desktop and then press enter. Then type ls to list the files therein.

To edit them, open up the program that created them. Go to File > Open and navigate to /home/your login/Desktop.

StyleyGeek said...

Thanks, Dave. I do know how to do that, actually. I was just whining. And it isn't icons I'm losing, but entire open windows. I've been using a keyboard shortcut, which escapes me at the moment, to maximise the window I have lost, which then brings it back into view. Of course, using the terminal is also an option. I'm not sure what would happen if I tried to open the file again while it was still open but invisible off-screen, though...

AS said...

This sounds like a VERY entertaining pass-time. Perhaps I'll play today... :o)

Badaunt said...

Ha!

Someone once gave me the 'Viagra virus' (on Mac OS). Naturally I clicked it. The cursor then grew bigger and bigger, and wobbly and hard to control, and I laughed myself silly.

Then I discovered I didn't know how to get it back to normal. I couldn't get the cursor to the menu to close the 'virus.'

I had a few moments of panic (imagine trying to explain THAT problem to someone in tech support) before I realized I only had to use the keyboard shortcut. Phew!