Technical information

Chapter 2: The Traditional Desktop
41
website’s picture and choose Set as Background
from the pop-up menu. Microsoft sneakily
copies the image onto your desktop as its new
background.
✓ If a background photograph makes your desk-
top icons too difficult to see, splash your desk-
top with a single color instead: After Step 1 of
the preceding list, click the Picture Location
box’s down arrow. When the drop-down list
appears, select Solid Colors. Choose your favor-
ite color to have it fill your desktop.
✓ To change the entire look of Windows 8, right-
click on the desktop, choose Personalize, and
select a theme. Aimed at heavy-duty procrasti-
nators, different themes splash different colors
across the various Windows buttons, borders,
and boxes.
Snapping an app alongside
the desktop
Windows 8 normally keeps the Start screen and the
desktop separated into two distinct worlds. You can
work within the Start screen or within the desktop,
but not both. Sometimes, though, that’s not good
enough.
For example, you may want to see the Start screen’s
Calendar app resting alongside your desktop to
remind you of your day’s commitments. Or perhaps
you need your Messenger app open while you work,
so you can consult a friend on a name for your latest
jazz band. The solution is to snap your app alongside
the desktop: The app consumes less than one-quarter
of the screen, while the desktop fills the rest, as
shown in Figure 2-4. Or, you can give your app the
larger screen portion, shrinking the desktop.
These materials are the copyright of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and any
dissemination, distribution, or unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.