Project: My Desktop, My GUI

Because it's not about what Microsoft wants you to do today.

Current Desktop

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Previous Desktops

Anyone who knows me recognizes that I bore easily when it comes to my environment. I spend a great deal of time on my computers—between the office and home I have two Windows XP Pro machines, a dual-boot Windows 2000 and Windows 98 SE machine, a dual-boot OS 9.2.2 and OS X 10.3x Mac, and a PocketPC 2002 handheld. My primary design system at home (one of the XP machines) utilizes dual 1280x1024 resolution flat-panel monitors.

I spend a lot of time in front of a monitor (or two). If I was stuck with Microsoft's or Apple's default GUIs (Graphical User Interface, the visual interface through which the user interacts with the computer, e.g. the Start Menu, the taskbar, the desktop, the finder, the dock, the windows in which applications appear, etc.) I'd go nuts. I've been customizing my computer environment since Windows 3.1 when I created custom wallpapers that actually integrated a custom laid out Program Manager. Back then not much was customizable, unlike today where virtually everything is skinnable and shell-level skinning applications abound. Under Windows 3.1 there was a slick little program called Breeze that allowed window borders to be skinned with predefined colors and patterns. And, of course, there was Norton Desktop for Windows, a whole new shell for Windows 3.1 and 3.11. They weren't much, but they did allow me to make the system mine.

While part of my drive to customize my GUI is wanting to change the appearnce of my system, mostly its that I need the GUI to behave differently. I'm a Power User (I might even qualify as a super Power User); I use computers a lot.

The default Windows interface (for simplicity's sake I'll confine my comments to Windows and not include Mac) is cumbersome. Clicking the Start button, navigating to the Programs menu, then scrolling and moving about until I find the default installation folder for the desired application, then, within it, the right shortcut, drives me up a fucking wall. Worse is having to open the application and then open a previously created file or open Windows Explorer and navigate its tree menu to find and double-click the desired fire. What a remarkably inefficient interface! Cumulatively it wastes vast amounts of time and energy, especially when one needs to access hundreds of programs and files daily.

I need programs one click away. I need my files organized and accessable. I won't even mention that pain-in-the-ass My Documents and its bastard children My Pictures and My Music. They're wonderful constructs for the average PC user, but they're useless to Power Users. I'd completely laud them but for the fact that a Power User can't get rid of them, and one must jump through hoops to avoid them.

I have always customized my GUI to work as closely as possible to my work habits. That is the point of a GUI: To work the way you want to work, not force you to adjust your habits and methodologies to work within its confines. Microsoft and Apple are still missing the point. Until they catch up, I employ various tools and techniques to force my computer to work the way I want it to work. While I'm making it behave differently, I might as well change its appearance as well. N'est pas?

Presented here, for your enjoyment are My Desktops. I change it every few weeks/months. As I do, I'll update this page with the latest, while keeping the previous desktops available. Hopefully my environment customization will inspire you to customize your own.

Check out my Links section (coming soon) for links to dozens of sites and hundreds of thousands of applications, wallpapers, skins, icons, and more to help you customize your environment.

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