Version: (using KDE 4.0.3) Installed from: Ubuntu Packages OS: Linux It`s hard for people who are used to "traditional" desktops (like kde 3.5.x) to use plasma, because it`s strange that even files in the ~/Desktop are treated as widgets and they don`t behave like files as they behave in 3.5.x . While being able to rotate and scale may be cool, it many times decreases usability. Many users (including myself) like managing files on the desktop (not all files, but some) and think that it`s not right to give this up just for the sake of widgets. I would recommend eighter providing a desktop-mode for plasma, or a "big" widget that covers the desktop and behaves exaclty like the traditional desktop.
A folderview widget is already being worked on and will be included in KDE 4.1
My opinion counts for nothing but I agree with you. I use Konsole for local and remote file and service manipulation, rather than konqueror or gui tools in general, but the one aspect of a desktop gui that I found really useful (better than a shell) was the ability to dump files somewhere consistant where they are easily visualized and manipulated in a gui context, that being the traditional 3.5 desktop. For me, the most functional and useful aspect of a gui desktop has been removed for some new fangled concept that has yet to prove and provide any usefulness. I am very hopeful that Plasma will deliver a useful outcome but it's "stolen" what, to me, was the most important visual real estate on my computer and left me with nothing that I can actually use other than a glorified huge kicker (dashboard) with a few useful kicker-like utilies... but no NATURAL or TRADITIONAL file manipulation facilities. So use Dolphin for such things. But I have never used dolphin (or konqueror) for file manipulation, I have always used a shell for such things. Except as a general dumping ground for files and to be able to put them somehwere easily while in a gui (web browsing, mail attachments) context. That is where the old desktop was really useful. Anyway, your last suggestion could also be provided by dolphin in full screen mode with one extra ability, to be able to persistently place icons anywhere within the file/folder viewing area while in icon view mode. I have suggested this to a dolphin developer and posted a feature request along these lines. Apparently dolphin in full screen mode is easy but the ability to remember the placement of icons is not so easy. So, extending dolphin with a few extra features would get both of us almost exactly what we want... the ability to have the old desktop file manipulation back but by using dolphin in psuedo-desktop mode rather than tinker with Plasma. Believe me, I wish I knew how to C++ the KDE4 way.