Windows only 
Most of the time I use my computer’s desktop as a temporary holding place for things that I need to organize later on. It’s normally filled with attachments that have been downloaded from emails, apps I’ve downloaded to try out, and more. My goal is to always have a clear desktop because that means I’ve filed everything away, but that rarely happens.
Stardock has released a free program called Fences that focuses on de-cluttering your desktop. Basically what it does is make it possible to group the icons on your desktop into self-contained areas. You can then hide all of the groupings simply by double-clicking on your desktop. If you’ve got certain icons you always want visible (like the Recycle Bin) you can specify them within the settings, and those will never be hidden when double-clicking on the desktop.
To top it off the application will also let you take snapshots of how all your icons are organized at any given moment. These will serve as backups in case you ever want to revert back to a previous state of organization.
Stardock Fences is completely free, but they do have a professional version in the works that will add more features if you’re willing to pay for them. The free version, however, will always remain available.
This has become a must-have app for me, and I highly recommend it for anyone that has troubles managing their desktop.
Definitely a very useful program. Been using it for a couple of days and I would already not want to live without it anymore. Where did you find out that it will always stay free? Mine says that it will expire :/
Does anyone know a similar program for OSX?
I’m like Change. I went to download it a week or so ago , and it noted an expiration date so I passed. Would be of big use for me since my desktop is always loaded with icons – most of which could be fenced off. In fact, after looking at their website again, the expiration date must have come up when I began the installation process.
Would appreciate other comments for confirmation or denial.
This seems similar to KDE’s Folder View, which lets you put any folder on your desktop in resizable, semi-transparent containers similar to those of Fence’s, though Folder View could learn something from this.
[comment=146830 Where did you find out that it will always stay free? Mine says that it will expire :/
[/comment]
On the download page it says:
Fences v0.96 Community-Preview Beta – FREE
Use the download button below to get your copy of Fences.
This release is a beta / community preview, and will expire on August 31, 2009.
[b]Fences is free and will remain free ; we hope to have a Pro version with even more features available later this year.[/b]
Thanks Carl, I missed that part at the end. I hope they won’t move current functionality to a Pro version at some point in time.
Also Thanks Carl.
I think the developer is paying attention. When I just went back to install Fences the second time, there no longer is any mention about an expiration date (although in the ABOUT tab, it does state that THIS BETA version expires in August. No problem with that – very clear.)
Looks very interesting, I will try this out! I am a bit autistic about my desktop, want it perfectly clean
satur9: Please find a dictionary and look up the word “autistic” before you make a fool of yourself again. I’m very spina bifida about such things.
Save me your condescension Humanoid. As the mother of a child with special needs, I do not need a dictionary to look up the word “autistic” and a lot of other words, I have done this a long time ago. I have come to terms with this, can put things in perspective, and don’t mind a stupid silly joke about it.
I wish. I haven’t found anything that offers similar functionality for Mac. This is a great concept though, and I’m sure some Mac developer will try to capitalize on it.
Please try to keep things light around here.
@k577d83
What can Folderview “learn” from a non-free .NET based inferior ripoff ?
And by non-free I mean this:
“The SOFTWARE is the property of
Stardock Corporation and is protected by
copyright laws and international copyright
treaties. The SOFTWARE is not sold, it is
licensed.”
Which is quite disgusting really since they are simply leeching off free and open source software projects.