What Icons Do You Keep on Your Desktop?

Nothing but the recycle bin. The desktop is a workspace, there are better places for shortcuts (like the quick launch bar) for the way I use it.

As I work, I'm downloading things to the desktop and cluttering it. Then I clean it all off and get a clean workspace back.

I don't like any shortcuts there. It clutters the work space and plus the quick launch bar is more accessible than the desktop anyway. So I make my taskbar double height and use the first row for shortcuts.

I keep things I need and a few I seldom use. Most things are on the quick launch bar.
Excel
Word
PowerPoint
Outlook
File transfer software for my PDA
Photo editing
Conversion
CD utilities
Calendar program
A couple games
Scheduling
Backup
etc.

would love to see a pic of your task bar ) thanks

Intrepid- When I got my first computer, I put everything that I liked on the desktop. At one point, there was no room for one more icon. (Subsequently, I learned to use and categorize "favorites".)One day, I needed a tech to repair something or other. He said that it was not good to have more than 15 icons on the desktop. I really never figured out why, but since then, I try to keep the desktop relatively lean (but not as lean as Robert's.)

Intrepid & Robert- Well.........................I learn something new every day. Do you know that I have NEVER used the quick launch bar? Now I will!!!

crap i just counted 121 icons but try and keep over 30kb items off desktop

I keep the MacIntosh Hard Drive Icon, and the so-called dock, which I keep fairly empty. The dock has the icons for the trash bin, the finder, stickies, sometimes the safari browser icon, and sometimes the IWorks icon. The rest is empty space which I fill up as I read articles that I might refer to a2k, or save them to read quickly - but I clean all that up almost entirely every day or two.

For handy finding of my favorite places, I use my Safari Tool Bar, which lists -
A2K
Ro (a sports site)
CBS (a sports site)
Fut (fantasy football)
ESP (espn)
SI (sports illustrated)
KC (kansas city star, which I use in baseball season)
Goo (google)
Gm (google images)
Gml (gmail)
Yoo (yahoo)
YT (you tube)
News - if I click I find a list of about 20 news sources I like
Abq - there to remember to check it, it's a local data/chat place
Mags - click and there's a list of magazines
eB - eBay
Cl - craig's list
Ref - click and list of things like conversion charts and urban dictionary
Shp - Shop - I could really get rid of that and put the stuff there into files
Accu - weather
Wund - weather
Wik - main wiki link
Blg - list of about 25 blog favs
Flg - list of about 40 food blogs
Wlog - I forget, so I should get rid of that
med - places like mayoclinic.com
art - a few art and architecture blogs
trav - a few travel blogs/sites
(I could consolidate those sports sites in one toolbar heading of Sports (Spts) but I like them spread out.)

The rest of my saved links are in subject folders in my Documents - and that's where the temporary crap on my desk top goes when I process it, to subject folders, or to the trash.

I'm with you, Robert. I have pretty wallpaper on my desktop, which I change when the mood strikes me, and it would be a shame to hide it under a clutter of icons. The task bar and the programs hidden under the "start" button are the proper places, not out in plain sight.

I keep all the icons I use regularly in work, research, writing across the top of the desktop where I can easily see them above whatever document I'm working on. These include Word, Word Perfect, Excel, Publisher, Printer, links to online client websites, reference manuals, Organizer (calendar/appt book etc), folder with critical work files, AOL, Comcast, Yellow Pages.

The others down the left side of the screen include a miscellaneous folder (where I stash stuff I don't know if I'll need or only need once in a blue moon), a game folder, and the usual stuff like the recycle bin, my computer, defrag, Google Earth, DVD maker, etc. Links to favorite places to visit for fun, news sources, etc. are all favorited on my ISPs

You are never too old to learn. Did I say that????

Intrepid- P.S. I put some of the stuff on the quick launch bar, but I found that some of the icons at the size that is on the quick launch bar were illegible. I have a flat screen monitor, that is VERY clear. I think that I will keep some of them that have more contrast (which I can SEE) and leave the others on the desktop.

Maybe I am never too old to learn..............................but sometimes it is better if I don't use that knowledge!!!