Clearing the Decks
As I was clearing out a relative's apartment the other day, I began to realize something: Our homes are a lot like our computers-there's too much stuff we don't need that gets in the way of what we're trying to do.
What I mean is: We don't use most of what we have. Most of it sits in drawers, cupboards, basements, lofts, stairwells, garages and (increasingly) in industrial-sized rental lock-ups. This shouldn't be a problem, if it's out of the way, but in fact mere knowledge of its presence constricts us psychologically and inhibits us fromwhat we're trying to do.
The same applies to software. As we demand more of our computers by adding more software and widgets and making frequent email checks, they demand more of our peripheral attention. I call it Screen Clog.
Fifteen years ago, most computers would run only one program, and that program took up your whole screen. Now, chances are you've got five or six windows open, a task bar somewhere, and occasional little balloons popping up to breathlessly inform you of a computer error, an incoming email, telephone call or instant message.
If you've followed my advice and gotten into the world of widgets ('A dash of widgets for screen appeal,' June 10, 2005), then you'll probably have a lot of other little windows vying for your attention too: the latest sports scores/updated stock prices/the coordinates of a FedEx package. Even if you haven't, your eye is probably caught by a flicker in the corner of your screen from time to time, whether it's an icon in the system tray that's flashing (they always seem to be flashing, often for no discernible reason) or even just an innocent blink from your network connection icon. All of this begins to weigh you down,like those unsorted piles of boxes in the cellar. Says Seamus Phan, a Singapore-based software developer and systems administrator: '(Having) many windows open makes us look busy, but often at the expense of focus and concentration, not to mention slowing the computer.'
Here's what I suggest: Clear the decks. Do with your computer what I did with my relative's apartment (and subsequently with my own): Get rid of anything you haven't used in the past six months. The act of throwing stuff out clears the head, and having all that empty shelf space lets in more light and provides a surprising psychological lift. Same applies to the computer.
Uninstall any software you haven't been using recently. If there's stuff you really must keep, but you only use occasionally, make sure it doesn't load when your computer starts, as this not only slows things down, it will also (for Windows users) add a distracting icon to your system tray.
The next trick is to make the program you're working in the focus of your attention. This means getting rid of any distractions. Windows users can, for example, automatically hide the task bar (the bar at the bottom of your screen that contains the Start menu and, on the right, the system tray) when it's not in use. This gives you more screen for the application you're working in, although I must confess this feature-accessible through the 'Taskbar and Start Menu' function in the 'Start' menu-is somewhat temperamental.
If you want to really clear up, follow the advice of Web site writer Jason Thomas (www. lifehacker.com) and hide the desktop icons by hitting the Windows key and D(which will minimize all windows), right-clicking on the screen and selecting 'Hide Desktop Icons' from the 'Arrange Icons' menu. Hit the Windows key and D again to toggle back to where you were with your programs open.
But this only gets rid of junk from outside the program you're working in. You're still confronted by menus, title bars (the bits at the top that tell you which programyou're working in, in case you forget) and toolbars (those rows of icons, most of which you never use and only dimly understand the purpose of). In many programs you can hide all that stuff and grab more space for the important task of writing, or whatever it is you're doing.
In Microsoft Word or Excel, for example, go into the 'View' menu and select 'Full Screen.' Now your whole screen will be the document or spreadsheet you're working on, with just a small button visible for when you want to switch back. (If even that is still too eye-catching, you can drag it off the screen until it disappears. To return to the menus, toolbars and what not, just hit the Escape button.)
Sadly, not all programs offer this feature, or at least don't offer a standard way to access it. John Richards, a lighting designer in the Philippines, recommends hitting F11 in programs like Firefox, which achieves the same goal: 'Sometimes it's easier to cover all other items up and expand to a full screen,' he says. (He also recommends background music, but I'll save that for another column.)
Mac users face similar problems of onscreen distractions, although, as might be expected, their solutions are more imaginative. Productivity guru Merlin Mann of the Web site 43Folders (
www.43folders.com) has collated some great tools including Backdrop (
www.johnhaney.com/backdrop), which throws up a backdrop to 'black out' everything on the screen that's not the main program you're working in.
For those who want to go all the way, try text editors that mimic the monochrome-onblack screens of old: WestEdit (tinyurl. com/h6f5w) and Dark Room (tinyurl.com/fgrmr) for Windows, and WriteRoom for Macs (tinyurl.com/zv68a).
Another solution for Windows users is to install 'virtual screens,' allowing you to switch between screen layouts of your programs. By clicking an icon or a keystroke, your screen will convert from one containing, say, all your alert and monitoring windows to one blissfully serene space where you can work on a document uninterrupted. Microsoft offers its own free Virtual Desktop Manager (tinyurl.com/2meyw).
A few hours of focused work and you should be able to clear out the basement.■
Jeremy Wagstaff
清理电脑桌面
我那天打扫一位亲戚的公寓时悟出了一个道理：我们的家与我们的电脑有许多相似之处──我们做事时有太多用不着的东西在那里碍手碍脚。
双语阅读
? Clearing the Decks我的意思是：我们拥有的大多是些自己用不着的东西。它们或躺在抽屉里，或藏身壁橱中，或被堆放在地下室、阁楼、楼梯间和车库内。如果不妨碍我们做事，这些东西本不应造成什么问题，但事实是，仅仅知道它们的存在就会给我们带来心理压力，使我们做事时放不开手脚。
这一现象也同样适用于软件。由于我们对自己的电脑要求越来越高，不断给它安装新的软件和桌面秀(widget)，反过来电脑也要求我们给予它更多注视。我将这称之为屏幕拥堵。
15年前，多数电脑只能运行一个软件，这个软件占据了你的整个电脑屏幕。而现在，你往往同时开着五、六个浏览窗口，时不时还会有一个提示框跳到荧屏上，或告诉你电脑运行中出现了一个错误，或通知你留意接收电子邮件、语音电话或网络寻呼。
如果你听我的建议步入桌面秀世界，那你的电脑屏幕上可能还会出现众多小窗口来吸引你的眼球：最新的体育比赛结果/最新的股价信息/联邦快递(FedEx)的包裹运价表，等等。即使你没有安装桌面秀软件，电脑屏幕一角时时出现的闪烁也会吸引你的目光，这可能是系统托盘(system tray)上的一个图标在闪动(它们似乎总在莫名其妙地闪动)，或者只不过是你的网络连接图标在无意义地眨眼。但它们都能让你一阵心悸，这感觉就像看到了地下室里一大堆未经整理的盒子。新加坡的软件开发商和系统管理员谢默斯?范(Seamus Phan)说：“在电脑屏幕上开着许多窗口使我们看上去很忙，但这常常会分散我们的注意力，更不用说减慢电脑的运行速度了。”
以下是我的建议：清理一下房间。像我对待亲戚的公寓那样对待你的电脑：把你在过去6个月中没使用过的东西统统清理掉。把用不着的东西扔掉能使你神清气爽，清除掉房间里的杂物能让更多阳光照射进来，使人的精神顿时为之一振。电脑也是这个道理。
删除掉你最近没使用过的所有软件。如果哪个你并不常用的软件必须予以保留，那也要确保它在你的电脑启动后不会自动运行。否则不仅会减慢电脑的运行速度，(对视窗操作系统的用户来说)还会在你的系统托盘内增加一个无故闪动的图标。
第二条建议就是集中关注你电脑中正在运行的程序。这意味着将能分散你注意力的东西都去除掉。例如，视窗操作系统的用户能够让任务栏在其不被使用时自动隐藏起来，从而给你正在运行的程序提供更多屏幕空间。在你电脑屏幕底端的任务栏包含有开始菜单，而在电脑屏幕右侧的任务栏则包含有系统托盘。不过我必须承认，可通过“开始”菜单中的“任务栏和开始菜单”选项启动的这一功能并不总是很稳定的。
如果你想真的对电脑做一番整理，请按网络写手詹森?托马斯(Jason Thomas)的建议去做，敲击键盘上的视窗键和D键，将所有程序窗口最小化，然后点击鼠标右键，在“排列图标”菜单中选择“隐藏桌面图标”选项。再次敲击视窗键和D键可以使一切又回到初始状态。
但这只能使你摆脱未运行程序的打扰。而你仍需面对菜单、标题栏(位于屏幕上端，专门提示你哪个程序正在运行，以免你忘记)和工具栏(就是那些一排排的图标，多数图标对应的功能你永远不会用到，并且对这些功能你只是模模糊糊有些了解)。在你使用的许多软件中你都可以将上述这些东西隐藏起来，将更多的屏幕空间留给文字编写等你正在做的重要工作。
以微软(Microsoft)的Word和Excel软件为例，你可以点击“检视”菜单，然后选择“全屏”选项，这样整个屏幕都是文件或电子表格的空间了，其余能看到的只是一个小按钮，点击它可以使屏幕回到原来的状态。(如果你觉得这个小按钮也太碍眼，你可用鼠标将它向屏幕外拖拉，直到它看不见为止。这时要使屏幕回到原来的状态，只需敲击“退出”键即可。)
遗憾的是，并非所有的软件都有这种功能，有些软件虽有此项功能，但操作方式却不标准。菲律宾的灯光设计师约翰?理查德(John Richards)建议，使用Firefox等软件时敲击F11键可实现上述目的。他说，用这种方法可以比较轻松地把窗口最大化，盖住那些不想看到的应用。
Mac电脑的用户也会遇到屏幕上的各种图标分散人们注意力的问题。不过，不难想像，Mac电脑解决这一问题的办法更具创意。43Folders(
www.43folders.com)这家网站的头头墨林?曼恩(Merlin Mann)介绍了Backdrop等功能强大的系统背景更换软件，这种软件可以生成一种背景，使屏幕上所有不属于你正在运行程序的东西都“消失不见”。
如果想省事的话，可以试试文字编辑器软件，它们可以使屏幕呈现老式黑白显示屏的状态。视窗电脑的用户可选用WestEdit(tinyurl. com/h6f5w)和Dark Room (tinyurl.com/fgrmr)软件，Mac电脑的用户可选择WriteRoom(tinyurl.com/zv68a)软件。
视窗电脑用户可选择的另一个解决方案是安装“虚拟桌面”，它可以使你在显示不同程序运行情况的桌面间换来换去。通过点击一个图标或敲击一个按键，你的电脑屏幕就可以从显示所有程序运行情况的桌面跳到单纯的文字编写桌面。微软公司免费提供它自己的虚拟桌面Virtual Desktop Manager (tinyurl.com/2meyw)。
集中精力干了几小时的活，你现在可以去清理地下室了。■
Jeremy Wagstaff
