1st day vs 1 month

Im in this picture and it hurts. I legit would have to spend 4-5h just cleaning up my desktop ( I have folders within folders)

had to re-install recently so enjoying my early desktop minimal clutter arc

Linuxcels: nooooooo, there shouldn't be anything on the desktop what's the point of a desktop directory when personal files and directories can just go to ~/Documents programs can just be executed through keyboard shortcuts the gentlesirs at /r/unixporn will laugh at it icons will obstruct the anime waifu I have as the desktop background noooooo

Winchads: Behold my 100+ folders and shortcut icons

Unironically though, having a usable and competent Search that actually finds what you're looking for and gives it to you as your top result is great. Win/Super key + type 3 letters + hit Enter. Don't have to care about where things like programs, games, etc are.

I always turn on the setting where I can decide where each download goes and set my Downloads folder by Most Recent for anything without a specific home. I never really look at my desktop

1st day of first job in an office only, after that you never smile again.

My desktop of pirated games and shortcuts. I'm a boomer who still launches things off the desktop.

Pirated games are one use case for desktop shortcuts. I'm not going to try search for whatever the .exe is called or dive into folders to launch it
I think desktop icons are just a result of Windows being a shitty ad-ridden UI since 10. You can't use the start menu anymore because it's filled with Ads (start menu icons to corpo social media apps that aren't even installed) and shortcuts to bing search when you just want an app or file. Literally the only part of windows not covered in slop is your desktop screen.
GNOME Shell ripped out desktop icons (citing it as a design anti-pattern via reasons mentioned above) and KDE Plasma doesn't have them by default (and at least has the decency to have a "show desktop" button on taskbar) and both actually have usable start menus with no ads for candy crush (with both being easily replaceable).
- I'll use the Desktop at work as a sort of poor man's kanban since most projects live in directories. For anything that's managed through git, I don't care where it ends up

i have simply become enlightened beyond the need for desktop icons or start menus.