Quoting: PatolaTell me people, is this screenshot thread supposed to be like that, just a collection of backgrounds? Because to me, properly showing your desktop would involve running real applications, showing your widgets, controls, overlapping windows, menus and so on. In fact I find it odd, if this is supposed just to show the backgrounds, why not just show them without the window manager elements? This way someone who likes that background can download and use it him/herself.

I know it's an unwritten rule of /r/unixporn to fill the screen with stuff you don't actually run most of the time, but I don't see why we should set that as a rule for this thread. For most people I imagine their applications and window decorations look pretty basic and there's no reason to demonstrate them. Also, it's not like anybody is selling their desktop setups here, people can take whatever kind of screenshots they want, demonstrating the parts of their setups that they want to share. If someone has really cool looking window decorations and widgets, they will probably share them. If not, that's fine.

Speaking of which, here's my very exciting wallpaper:
Sway WM screenshot

Quoting: d10sfan

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This is my desktop. Use KDE Plasma

Believe me or not, I have this wallpaper for lightDM!

Quoting: PatolaLol, your screenshot is classified as "Mature only", I had to log in to deviantart to be able to see it in higher resolution.

In this case it is because it depicts a man being burned alive. Which most of my desktops do not.

Quoting: PatolaTell me people, is this screenshot thread supposed to be like that, just a collection of backgrounds? Because to me, properly showing your desktop would involve running real applications, showing your widgets, controls, overlapping windows, menus and so on.

Funny you should bring me up in this case, since my last screenshot was more showing off the changes I made to my Conky script than the wallpapers themselves.

Got drunk yesterday and the first thing I wanted to do this morning, was gimp myself a new wallpaper:

I practically never see my desktop, so I saw no point in including it in the screenshot.

Pretty much the only time I see my background, is when I use the activities view.

Quoting: PatolaThanks for the wallpaper. I do not frequent /r/unixporn, so I didn't even know that unwritten rule. My point is that the middle-ground of showing an empty screen with a background is very bad -- it shows the background, but hides a portion of it which makes it non-reusable. I do not think people are being informative or useful too if they show applications which they do not run as you said, and the simple solution to that is... by showing application they run? Which would most likely show some window decorations and widgets, and pass a good overview of their user experience -- which is, I think, a common goal for the viewers in this thread.

Why are you assuming that there is a common goal for anybody? This thread is very old, we are talking 7 years worth of posts. People have been using it to post what their desktops look like and there have been no rules set for this thread that demand people show or avoid showing applications/widgets/decorations, it's just a generic screenshot thread. If you don't like what people post or you think certain kinds of screenshots might be "more informative" then that's your business. Maybe start up another thread with a more specific set of rules? But if you could stop trying to police this thread that would be fantastic.

It's just a casual show your desktop thread. There's no rules. Let people share whatever they feel comfortable to.

Want people to show more with specifics? Start a different post.

Quoting: PatolaLol, why this histrionism with a simple advice on how to be informative and useful without missing any of the goodies of sharing a screenshot? Don't you think people could benefit e.g. by having the background reference to download? I appreciated most if not all of the screenshots, read my comments as "it is nice, but it could be so nicer if you did that...". I want to see what environments people are using, I want references to the backgrounds so maybe I can use them also, I like these threads, that is why I post here in the first place.

If this was your intention then you've not done a great job with the way you worded it. All your messages oozed word choices that indicated you didn't think people weren't doing screenshots properly, which is completely different from giving advice on how to improve those screenshots or sharing your opinion on the kinds of screenshots you like. If that's not what you intended, fine, but I would recommend picking your words more carefully in the future. Also, I would like to point out that people don't necessarily post screenshots of their desktops with the intent to provide reference images for people seeking inspiration for their own desktop decor.

In my earlier days I used to visit these ...desktop beautification sites or whatever you call them, and trying to replicate what I saw, but soon realized that the more "beautiful" you get your desktop to be, the more unpractical it becomes.
Is the same feeling you get when you watch fashion models on catwalks, wearing beautiful and extravagant clothes. I mean, sure they are nice/gorgeous/etc, but how do you get in the car dressed like that, can you walk up a flight of stairs with those shoes?...you get the idea.
These days my requirements are just some nice anti-aliased fonts, some flat icons and a a blank desktop.
My current wallpaper: #E95420