Too many files on desktop

Desktop Environments Plasma
21

Seems like it, although I searched for this error message and couldn’t find anyone else reporting it. This part of the error message is interesting:

4096 is the default filesystem block size for ext4 and many other filesystems. When you create a directory in a Linux filesystem, the filesystem allocates a 4096-byte (4KB) chunk of disk space for it. I’m not sure if this is a coincidence or not, but the fact that the error specifically mentions the number 4096 stood out to me.

I agree with others that this is a matter of preference, and not a meaningful rule in any way beyond that. I also like to keep nothing or next to it on my desktop, but is because I don’t find it useful. If someones workflow benefits from using the desktop then I think they should use it.

This is right. ~/Desktop is just another directory. Commonly the DE will implement some special handling (so the contents display in front of the wallpaper, etc) but other than that it is just an ordinary directory.

Whether or not the DE is able to print icons on the (visible) desktop shouldn’t affect the actual (~/Desktop) directory in any way. This seems to be the feature that is broken here (printing icons in front of the wallpaper), so the whole data loss conversation is a bit off-topic.

Still, since we are here:

The quoted statement here is actually false; this is not something we all have seen. Personally, I can’t recall ever having a system fail in a way where the data was unable to be recovered.

I am not saying it is impossible or even uncommon, just that the statement that we have all seen it is not accurate. The fact that you have doubled-down on this so emphatically makes me feel like this has happened to you more than once, so: sorry for your loss. :headstone: :floppy_disk: :angel:

To circle back to the actual topic: @milkytwix are you using Baloo? If so, have you tried disabling it?

Are you using Btrfs? If so, are you snapshotting the /home directory? Where are the snapshots stored?

3 Likes
22

I did not disable Baloo “yet” because until now it doesn’t gave me headache (it did in the past with Manjaro, before I switched over to EOS. Shall I give it a try? Will do so…
And yes, I am on BtrFS:
image
But did not took any snapshots of /home yet:

[root@neuromancer .snapshots]# pwd
/home/.snapshots
[root@neuromancer .snapshots]# ls -ali
total 0
256 drwxr-x--- 1 root root  0 10. Sep 15:09 .
256 drwxr-xr-x 1 root root 36 10. Sep 15:09 ..
23

Hmm, that seems odd that you have no snapshots in there, since it appears timeline snapshots are enabled. You should be getting a snapshot every hour. Did you just set that up?

If you restart Plasma are the desktop icons still missing?

plasmashell --replace </dev/null &>/dev/null & disown
24

Nope, set this up at the beginning of this installation, but never made an initial snapshot. will do now.

I cannot test this, because I can’t provoke missing desktop files. I can provoke the sorting / wrong position issue, and this is not solved by a relogin. Which restarts plasma.

What should I test first: disable baloo or restarting plasma?

25

So, it is getting even more interesting. I slowly began to add more files to the Desktop on the first screen, while having the files i want to have on the second desktop nicely sorted. No folders yet! And it starts again. This time, only the second Desktop is affected! I can arrange icons on the first Desktop nicely, but cannot drop Icons on the second one or reorder icons on the second one, but the icons stay in place. Also irritating is this:

[root@neuromancer Desktop]# cd /home/milkytwix/Desktop
[root@neuromancer Desktop]# find . |wc -l
87
[root@neuromancer Desktop]# find . /home/milkytwix/Desktop/ |wc -l
174

and this:
image
So three different ways to check filecount and three different answers…

26

I was always wondering why people want to have icons on the desktop. I typically don’t see my desktop at all. it is hidden behind application windows.

The “Desktop” is basically just a folder. Why would I want to display its content on the background canvas? Makes no sense to me. It makes much more sense to display it with a file manager. This way you can even get to see it by cycling through the application windows.You can put the “Desktop” window on top, you can tile it to some corner, etc.

But thats just my 2 cents.

1 Like
27

So, restarting plasma does not solve anything with this issue - any more ideas? I am currently a bit lost and like seconds away from “aww, screw it, where is my cassini iso”…

28

That makes sense. find . /home/milkytwix/Desktop/ will return everything twice. 174 is 2x 87.

1 Like
29

Aaaaaa, the magic of find. Ty for further enlightening me. Still no cue how to regain control over my desktop. :frowning:

30

So I ran out of ideas. My options:

  1. File a KDE bug

  2. Ask in Arch forums for help (kill me pls, those guys are nuts)

  3. Reinstall my system

I got the bad feeling that number 3 is the way to go…

31

I would encourage you to file a bug report with KDE. If you have discovered a bug, this will give the developers a chance to fix it, thus improving the software and benefiting the whole community.

#2 should not be considered an option. It is forbidden by the Arch LInux Forum code of conduct, see here:

Arch Linux distribution support ONLY #

Arch-based distributions have their own support fora and users of those distributions should be actively encouraged to seek support there. These distributions often use different packages, package versions, repositories, or make custom system configurations silently, practically rendering support for such projects within Arch Linux impossible. Community technical support shall only be provided for the Arch Linux distribution and the Arch User Repository. Posting issues with, and requesting support for, derivative distributions or operating systems other than Arch Linux are prohibited.

If you reinstall your system, try to set it up the same way and see if the issue can be recreated. If so, for sure you should raise a bug report with KDE.

2 Likes
32

Followed your advice:
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=474703
TY!

Regarding reinstallation: I have an eos.txt (funnily this file is one of the ones I keep on my desktop - take this, universe!) in which I copy every installation step that I make (programms, settings, creating directories, fstab, …), so a new installation would be kind of easy. Just go through this file, copy ~home afterwards from the backup, do some plasma magic (widgets, style, …) and be good. Will take “only” some hours, but let’s see what the plasmagods will say… First time ever that I actually “contributed”. Feels kinda bad…

33

Omg. Mr. pointystick himselfs comes to my help. I feel like a teenage girly that was recognized by its crush…

34

Btw, they identified the bug and it is fixed in the upcoming Plasma 5.27.9 release. Which really impressed me. Guess now I HAVE to donate for Plasma 6. I just LOVE everything FLOSS.
Kudos to @BluishHumility for encouraging me to file the bug - you, Sir, are in my book of cool people!

1 Like
35

This “meaning” is decades old and outdated. The evolution of desktop environments has produced way more efficient ways to start application or to open documents. Just saying.

36

And this is defined by… whom? Who decides what is more efficient for me? I guess that would be… me? Linux is all about freedom of choice, so no, I do not accept your argument in any way. And there are many many examples of it being wrong, the best one is that the guys from KDE just fixed a bug that made this “meaning” possible again… Sorry, you are wrong, and: not sorry. :frowning:

37

I am just saying that “the meaning of the desktop” as you put it is outdated. Of course you can do what you want. And I do not want to challenge your freedom of choice. I just wanted to point out that modern desktop environments have better ways to start programs or open files. That was part of the evolution of desktops.

Desktop icons make no sense to me at all. I only see the desktop right after login. With the first application window the desktop is in the background and will stay there until I log out. I frequently cycle through the application windows but the desktop will never show up again. (especially if you use automatic tiling). It makes more sense to display the “Desktop” folder in an application window like a file manager, so that it can participate in the window cycle to bring it up.

The discussion around desktop icons is very old. gnome removed support for desktop icons many years ago. (you need an extra extension to get them back). You can find plenty of discussions on this topic in the internet.

https://www.reddit.com/r/gnome/comments/qqwwg9/gnome_should_bring_back_desktop_icons_and_not/

But again. it is all your choice. I am just expressing my opinion.

38

FYI
There are many people who are Windows users or even no IT unlike you.

They would be lazy and just quickly save files on Desktop without thinking. But there are some advantages:
It helps them to easily remember their tasks when they directly see the tasks on Desktop at startup.

When they switch Windows to Linux Desktop for the first time, they behave the same way with Desktop.
They need more time to learn Linux culture and also change their mind.

39

So it is part of “the linux culture” to not place files onto the desktop? Well, KDE and I do disagree, but when - if - this becomes true I will gladly be no part of this “Linux culture”.

Hint: There is no such thing…

40

Nobody is questioning that. Although I doubt that you can keep track of everything on your desktop if it is 500+ icons.

All I was saying is, that “the meaning of the desktop” has changed over the years. In most cases (even on Windows) the desktop is not anymore the virtual equivalent of your desk where you put your physical files. The PCs Desktop has more become just a background on which you arrange application windows.

Especially in the professional world where data is no longer stored locally but in MS Teams or Sharepoint, or any other cloud application, the “Desktop” has changed its “meaning”.

I initially just replied to this statement

From my point of view that should be changed to “as it was meant to be”