I can't see the icons on my desktop that are supposed to be in ~/Desktop but I think I got rid of the extra desktops (this machine is not good for multitasking so I don't want/need multiple desktops). I got rid of that thing on the task bar that you can use to switch desktops. How do I confirm what is happening? Is there a keyboard shortcut to switch between desktops?

THX1138 wrote: I can't see the icons on my desktop that are supposed to be in ~/Desktop but I think I got rid of the extra desktops (this machine is not good for multitasking so I don't want/need multiple desktops). I got rid of that thing on the task bar that you can use to switch desktops. How do I confirm what is happening? Is there a keyboard shortcut to switch between desktops?

if you are using the default rox-icewm setup (or any of the rox-*** setups) then the icons will not show up in ~/Desktop.  Those file are links on what's called the"rox pinboard".   Where those links are stored I don't remember right now, but its in your home folder somewhere.

if using the spacefm-*** type setups, then yes, the icons on the desktop are just files and those should be in ~/Desktop.

if not using either spacefm or rox, then there will be no icons on the desktop, even if there are files location in ~/Desktop.

I hope that's not clear as mud.  rox isn't like standard desktops.

Thanks. So rox doesn't allow you to put icons on your desktop?! What the heck is the point in that?

THX1138 wrote: Thanks. So rox doesn't allow you to put icons on your desktop?! What the heck is the point in that?

No, rox does allow icons on the desktop.  they just won't be files in your ~/Desktop folder.  All the icons on the rox desktop are"shortcuts" or links to files in other locations.  The default icons on the rox-icewm desktop are such files.  Drag a file onto the rox desktop and a link to that file will be created.

but if you prefer a more traditional desktop, that's what the spacefm desktop offers.

I did drag an icon to the desktop in the first instance but it didn't create a shortcut (or anything) there.

THX1138 wrote: I did drag an icon to the desktop in the first instance but it didn't create a shortcut (or anything) there.

are there any of the original icons on your desktop?   

dolphin_oracle wrote:

THX1138 wrote: I did drag an icon to the desktop in the first instance but it didn't create a shortcut (or anything) there.

are there any of the original icons on your desktop?   

No, it's completely blank apart from Conky.

so what desktop are you running (if any)?  Its quite possible to run without a desktop.

here's a screen shot of my conky.  under the date it shows rox-icewm, indicating the rox desktop with the icewm window manager.  What does yours indicate.  and if it doesn't say, try
in the terminal.

I wonder if somehow they might be running herbstluftwm(?)

Edit: I'm not familiar with how it might look, just a possibility.

this machine is not good for multitasking so I don't want/need multiple desktops).

How did you accomplish this? By editing a preferences file?
If so, which file did you edit?

noted: Within the iceWM and fluxbox preferences the relevant lingo is"workspaces" (not"desktops").
For JWM, the change would be accomplished by editing a numeric"desktop blahblah" value within  ~/.jwm/preferences.

BTW, I tested again today (had done so previously at some point) and observed:
~~ adding 10 additional workspaces to fluxbox does not add measurable/detectable session overhead
~~ adding 10 additional workspaces to iceWM does not add measurable/detectable session overhead
For JWM (which i rarely use), I only tested by adding 2 additional (4 total).
Doing so did not add measurable/detectable JWM session overhead

I got rid of that thing on the task bar that you can use to switch desktops.

If you provide a screenshot, the folks here playing guessing games might recognize the taskbar styling, toward identifying which window manager session you're running. Better yet, perform a session log out and, when you login again, take note of (and post here stating) which session you have chosen.

reiterating what dolphin oracle mentioned:
FYI, absence of desktop icons is the correct/expected result, unless you choose a session which bears"space" or"rox" in its name

^---- explained in the antiX helpdocs, accessible from desktop menu and, as you're discovering... ignorance is not bliss, not even for"just a teleprompter" machine.

Conky says IceWM and does not mention Rox.

Here is the output from my terminal:
I don't remember how I removed the other desktops (hereafter"workspaces").

Providing screenshots on this machine is a lot more effort than on Windows and I didn't realise it would add anything beyond what I was saying. The PrintScrn button does nothing here and I have to enable things in my browser to upload the screenshot but here is a screenshot:

If you logout, then choose (pressing F1 on the login screen rotates through the list of available sessions)"rox-icewm" session,
hopefully you'll find that your desktop icons are again visible
(and you'll be able to drag-drop files to the desktop to create additional desktop shortcut icons)

or open the menu, select desktops, other desktops, and pick rox-icewm (or a different one)

This is an interesting discussion which helps me to understand how the desktop works. 
Thanks for the input.