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From: nagel@ics.uci.edu (Mark Nagel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: What is the Desktop file?
Message-ID: <483@orion.cf.uci.edu>
Date: 12 May 88 03:24:24 GMT
References: <440008@hpdstma.HP.COM> <2419@polyslo.UUCP>
Sender: news@orion.cf.uci.edu
Reply-To: nagel@ics.uci.edu (Mark Nagel)
Organization: University of California, Irvine - Dept. of ICS
Lines: 17

In article <2419@polyslo.UUCP> dorourke@polyslo.UUCP (David O'Rourke) writes:
>>What can you do to it without some sort of custom program to manipulate it?
>
>   This is a file created by the finder, it is not there for you to manipulate.

Well, there *is* a program out there called Layout that will allow you to
modify the Desktop file to some extent.  It basically lets you change the
way icons get layed out on the grid, the font used for file names, the
distances between small icons, etc.  It has a very nice interface and lets
you revert back to the default layout easily.  It's kind of nice to use a
neat-looking cursive font for filenames and to have the icons stagger 
automatically.  If there's enough interest (e-mail me, please!), I will
send this puppy on to the moderator of comp.binaries.mac (although it may
have already appeared there--I don't remember).

Mark D. Nagel    Department of Information and Computer Science, UC Irvine
nagel@ics.uci.edu (ARPA)              {sdcsvax|ucbvax}!ucivax!nagel (UUCP)