Re: desktop icons. App icons are in the dock so having a shortcut link on the 

desktop to an app is not really needed. Hit the Super (the Windows) key and type 

the name of the app you want to launch. Much faster. If the current focus is the 

Gnome Terminal, Ctrl-Shift-N opens a new Gnome Terminal window which is what I 

use mostly.



The desktop icons I would have liked to have are files/documents one is 

currently working with. I haven't figured out how. Putting stuff in the Desktop 

folder has no effect. So, eventually, I just ended up using the file manager 

app. The only drawback is scrolling down to find for the file.  The Downloads 

window in the file manager has a 'ls -t' ordering so I imagine it is possible to 

configure the other folders to have the same ordering instead of the alphabetic 

or folder-then-files ordering.  This way your current document is always at the top.



The CLI for Gnome is gsettings but there is a gnome tweaks tool that is a GUI to 

gsettings. I used it for instance to add a compose key so I can type simple 

letters with diacriticals. It's worth installing.



Here's a section of my own notes on gnome with link to some useful (maybe 

outdated) info.



> Settings list

> =============

> 

> A useful on-line resource for gsettings, their keys and values, is 

> 

> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__people.gnome.org_-7Epmkovar_system-2Dadmin-2Dguide_index.html&d=DwIGaQ&c=gRgGjJ3BkIsb5y6s49QqsA&r=gd8BzeSQcySVxr0gDWSEbN-P-pgDXkdyCtaMqdCgPPdW1cyL5RIpaIYrCn8C5x2A&m=5GbBSPtAOuCA234pG8d5JY2ITZevk4w-pHdsVe8Kyns&s=gYM3IXWpZTse-8sAIYNQfcFL3NFlH9f0HRcuF8jkgho&e= 

> 

> No particular order:

> 

> * Disable automaximize when dragging a window to the top ::

> 

>     gsettings set org.gnome.mutter auto-maximize false

> 

>   Hmm...didn't seem to work.  Reboot?  Or edge-tiling false?

> 

> * Turning caps lock into a compose key: 

>   

>   | tweak-tool -> typing -> position-of-compose-key

> 

> * Show date in the top panel ::

> 

>     $ gsettings set org.gnome.shell.clock show-date true

> 

> * Dual monitor workspace. To make it span both monitors, say::

> 

>     $ gsettings set org.gnome.mutter workspaces-only-on-primary false





Hope this helps.









On 10/9/19 2:15 PM, Keith Lofstrom wrote:

> On Wed, Oct 09, 2019 at 12:10:50PM +0000, Teh, Kenneth M. wrote:

> 

>> One thing that annoys me is the hot top left corner but I have that disabled.

> 

> That is nice to know, I'll find out how.  I presume Mate and

> Gnome3 can coexist on the same machine, perhaps with different

> logins to access them, so I can make the transition as Gnome3

> is adapted to my needs.

> 

> 

>> For a while I missed the icons on the desktop but I don't anymore.

> 

> Is there a way around that with Gnome3, to keep user-generated

> icons on the desktop, and few or NO system-mandatory icons?

> 

> I keep about two dozen icons and folders on my desktop,

> changing them frequently with my workflow, different patterns

> for differently tasked machines.

> 

> Sadly, it is true that some people let icons accumulate and

> make a mess (resembling their physical desktops), and that

> slows down the machine.  I once helped a colleague move 800

> overlapped icons on her desktop to folders, and mostly to

> the trash.

> 

> For me, visual organization of my work using my own icons

> and classifications is vital, and saves mental effort for

> more important needs.  Also important is to avoid externally

> imposed change for change's sake; I'm quite capable of

> introducting more changes in my own life than I can manage.

> 

> Keith

>