DESKonTOP for Windows

If you're less of a true multitasker and more of a flitter, then switching screens every time you pop over to your desktop produces a cognitive interruption that could derail concentration. DESKonTOP erases even that small annoyance. The simple freeware utility inhabits the system tray and lets you view desktop files and icons regardless of which window is currently open. Right-click to pull up a complete list of desktop files and left-click for an icon-driven view. Either way, clicking the individual file launches it on top of your current screen, which saves you time manually switching.

You do have some control over cosmetic trifles such as icon size on the virtual desktop view and whether or not the program runs on start-up, but additional preferences are scant--this is a one-trick program. The interface could use a smidgen of spit polish, and we would love it if the app could also display the properties of Desktop items.