1. General
  2. Ideas
+8

Option to prevent automatic creation of desktop shortcuts

Elliott Tallis 6 years ago • updated by p d 4 years ago • 4

Hey there,

I think it might be a good idea to add an option to prevent desktop shortcuts from being automatically made in applications, allowing users to prevent desktop clutter without having to click that damned box every time. Any feedback, hmu.

Thanks,

Elliott

+1
Durham Bell 5 years ago

This was requested 4 years ago, but they misunderstood it as a request to do so in their own installer. The fact that it was checked by default in their own installer is a little bit ludicrous to me, since it is an obnoxious installer check box checked by default, and Unchecky (it's right there in the name) is an app that unchecks obnoxiously checked-by-default check boxes.

Still, this is a no-brainer. I assumed it was already integrated (again: right there in the name guys) but it isn't.

The following is excerpted from Microsoft's Win32 environment design guidelines under the Desktop subheading:

Microsoft is (somewhat ironically) the voice of reason here:

If you do only one thing...

  • Don't abuse the desktop—keep users in control. If your target users are likely to use your program frequently, provide an option during setup to put a shortcut on the desktop, unselected by default.

Guidelines

  • If your users are very likely to use your program frequently, provide an option during setup to put a program shortcut on the desktop. Most programs won't be used frequently enough to warrant offering this option.

  • Present the option unselected by default. Requiring users to select the option is important because once undesired icons are on the desktop, many users are reluctant to remove them. This can lead to unnecessary desktop clutter.

They even said it twice.

+1
Elliott Tallis 5 years ago

Yeah I've already seen that article, unfortunately many companies aren't willing to follow these guidelines. I've considered writing an application to only allow my direct actions to affect the desktop, however this proves hard when Windows Installer runs at the highest permission level in most instances.

+1
Durham Bell 5 years ago

I wish I could upvote this over and over. Anybody have the number for one of Putin's troll farms?

p d 4 years ago

Guidelines are nothing but ignorable, unfortunately.


As the one, and hopefully only (aside from Defender or whatnot) installer monitoring service I would hope to run, that has worked very well for me over the years to the point that it is a default, reflex install on every system, I would enormously appreciate if Unchecky could add this feature.

Understand it might be considered 

Customer support service by UserEcho