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You are here: MacNN Forums > Enthusiast Zone > Classic Macs and Mac OS > Desktop Clutter = Slowdown?

Desktop Clutter = Slowdown?
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::maroma::
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Nov 12, 2002, 04:14 PM
 
Hello,

I hope this doesn't fall on deaf ears. I was just told by the tech guys at my work that having many files on your desktop actually slows down your machine. They say that accessing files on your desktop is different than accessing them on your drive(s). Is there any truth to this? Someone who I work with had tons of crap on his desktop, cleaned it off and says there's a noticeable difference in speed.

Confirm? Deny? Eh?
     
Big Mac
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Nov 13, 2002, 03:27 AM
 
No, I don't think that statement is accurate. I would say that many items on the desktop would slow Finder launching a tiny bit, but that's a minor issue. There could also be a very minimal redraw penalty for many desktop items, but that loss in speed would have to be quite negligible. I don't see how it could make much of a difference whatsoever.

The only real speed increase gained from clearing the desktop would come from added user productivity. It's easier to locate the items you really need if there are fewer of them on the screen. But in terms of computing speed, it really has no impact, AFAIK.

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
Cipher13
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Nov 13, 2002, 06:50 AM
 
Originally posted by ::maroma:::
Hello,

I hope this doesn't fall on deaf ears. I was just told by the tech guys at my work that having many files on your desktop actually slows down your machine. They say that accessing files on your desktop is different than accessing them on your drive(s). Is there any truth to this? Someone who I work with had tons of crap on his desktop, cleaned it off and says there's a noticeable difference in speed.

Confirm? Deny? Eh?
Not an ounce of truth.

As with anything, if the system is under high load and you go selecting a whole lot of items, and RAM is rather full, it might lag. That's no fault of the number of files on the Desktop - that'd happen in any window. The only reason clearing the Desktop would fix that is cause you'd have to open a window to do it, thereby making it seem 'normal' cause the lag was seen while in a window.

Anyway... if you're really low on RAM, you can tell, as the icons take a while to redraw on the Desktop picture.

That might give some people a false impression. This isn't seen with windows, as they don't have backgrounds...

Don't believe a word of it.
     
::maroma::  (op)
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Nov 13, 2002, 02:00 PM
 
I didn't believe it either. The IT guys here can be kinda lame sometimes. I seem to know more about Macs than they do, and I'm no Mac Genius. Anyway, thanks for confirming my suspicions.
     
   
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