Originally downloaded 10/22/06. Here’s a new entrant in the “get rid of my desktop icons” category. This simple freeware puts an icon in your menubar that you can use to turn icons on and off… it still lets you switch to the Finder by clicking on the desktop. Unlike Desktop Sweeper, which is what I currently use, it appears to work without use of Application Enhancer. Does this mean I can use it in Leopard (which isn’t APE-friendly yet)? Stay tuned…
Update 10/26/06. Camouflage does what it says it will do: Puts your desktop picture in front of your desktop icons. Unfortunately, that’s not exactly what I’m looking for, and not nearly in the same league with Desktop Sweeper. Why? Two reasons: First, it provides no way to change your desktop picture. This is important because one of the main markets for desktop sweeping is when you’re trying to take a screenshot and want a “clean” desktop temporarily. In this case, you probably will want to change your desktop picture at the same time. There are several tools that do this as well, so Camouflage adds nothing to the market.
Second, the other reason for cleaning your desktop is to just eliminate visual clutter so you have a better view of your beautiful desktop. If you’re motivated this way, you probably might be the type who would go for a desktop slideshow from iPhoto or the Desktop Preferences pane, say, or maybe a Quartz composition or screensaver… or even a QuickTime movie. All of these things are possible to run on your desktop nowadays. But if you’re running Camouflage, you won’t be able to see them, because it covers everything else on your desktop, too. No, thanks.
Version as tested: 1.1.
