Desktopple - powerful desktop hiding utility | TUAW

For podcasters and clutterbugs alike, there are a number of tools that help you hide your desktop, briefly change its wallpaper and digitally stuff all your icons in the closet to help your screencast shine and impress the boss with your ninja-like file management skills. Desktopple from FoggyNoggin Software (what a name for a software company) is just such a tool, and I'm an inch away from buying a license as it goes above and beyond merely hiding my messy desktop habits. As you can see, Desktopple still gives you easy access to your desktop files while hiding them, and it offers 'Window Cleaning,' the ability to automatically hide certain applications after a specified period of inactivity. It can also be set to hide your desktop when you start certain applications, and even restore it when you quit said apps. Toss in support for separately configuring the hiding of multiple desktops, ignoring Exposé (so your desktop remains hidden) hotkey and Automator support, and you can consider me sold as soon as I can explain yet another software purchase to my wife.

Desktopple costs $17, and a free 15-day trial is available from FoggyNoggin Software.

[via simongate's TUAW Flickr Desktops Pool submission]

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Source: http://foggynoggin.com/desktopple

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For podcasters and clutterbugs alike, there are a number of tools that help you hide your desktop, briefly change its wallpaper and...

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Dimebag

I prefer DeskShadeâ€¦

April 05 2007 at 2:19 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

David Chartier

#3: Something strange is going on there. By default, Mac OS X doesn't re-organize your icons at all. Are you using a personal machine? Or one for a company or school? In the Finder, have you tried going to View > Show View Options (or click on the desktop and hit cmd-j) to see if any of those options are messing with your icon arrangements?

It sounds like, in your case, the opposite might be true: either an option or an app might be running that is messing with your icons, because Mac OS X - by default - does not.

April 04 2007 at 9:05 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

John Tyler

I'm glad to see someone finally noticed this little gem of a utility!

I've been using it for months, and I bought the Pro version as soon as it was released. I use it more as a productivity tool than for screenshots, and since it added "Window Cleaning" I was able to finally replace the abandoned Spirited Away.

April 03 2007 at 10:52 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

JAitch

I second Camouflage...

April 03 2007 at 10:43 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Aleks Ivic

Why can't there be an app that persists your desktop icon positions between logon sessions :( I'm sick of ordering my icons from vertical to horizontal everytime I log in.

April 03 2007 at 10:27 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jack

If you don't need all the whizz-bang features, Camouflage is a free alternative that does nothing but hide your desktop icons - http://www.briksoftware.com/products/camouflage/

April 03 2007 at 8:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Stephen

I picked this app up a while ago when it was donationware but didn't get much use out of it because of that dumb Expose issue, a mere folder to hide everything worked better. I might buy it now though, seeing as it has Expose ignoring powers.

April 03 2007 at 7:22 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply