The Evolution of the Desktop

My computer sure has come a long way.

Keith’s Desktop 2000

This is what my desktop looked like somewhere around April 13, 2000. I imagine it was either Windows 98 or Windows ME I was using at the time.

Note the Netscape icons – ah, the heady days of Netscape Communicator version 4!

Keith’s Desktop 2003

Then I upgraded to Windows 2000 – what a difference! And just look at all the icons I had in my system tray (sorry, the taskbar notification area).

Astute readers will notice I have a fondness for WinAmp that runs a long way back.

Keith’s Desktop 2007

And here we are today. The number of icons has gone down a lot, but that’s because I’ve learned the beauty of minimalism. And the option to “hide notification icons.”

There are a few more icons in my quick-launch area, but all in all not much has changed. I still use WinAmp (it’s semi-transparent at the top of the screen) and I still pretty much work the same way – often with the same programs – and my desktop reflects that. (Except now my desktop background changes every 15 minutes thanks to John’s Background Switcher. And of course I now use Firefox and Thunderbird instead of Netscape Communicator.)

I wish I had pictures from before this, but graphics (and screen captures) were kind of hard back then. Still, it’s interesting to see how far I’ve come.

By Keith Survell

Geek, professional programmer, amateur photographer, crazy rabbit guy, only slightly obsessed with cute things.