Who can explain what the Show desktop is really for?

So this one has been bugging me to the point I wish I could call and ask Microsoft!

Windows 7 articles love to point out the "Show desktop" feature, the one where you hover the end of the taskbar and the desktop displays (every window open fading out, except for gadgets).

But nobody says why it is so cool! WHAT IS IT FOR!?

On the Mac, there's an Expose button to move all windows out of the way, but then while that feature is active you can move the mouse, do something on the desktop (like rename a file, copy some files, etc.); so the feature looks like a "quickly do something on the desktop" feature.

But on windows, all you can do is look. The mouse moves, all windows go back to normal.

Now, that gadgets don't fade out suggests that it is a way to look at your gadgets -- but Windows-G does that, and better (by bringing them up).

So, who dares try to give their best shot at:

Why is that feature there?

perhaps by simply answering:

When have you used it and what did you gain by using it?

It is for viewing the gadgets or the desktop without disrupting your current active window. So just flicking your mouse down to the corner would allow you to see what you want to see then flick it back up to continue working. *shrugs* Doesn't really matter in the end.

I don't have gadgets and a rather bare desktop so I hardly ever use it.

jfar said:

If you click on the button in he right hand corner of your screen ,you can work on the desktop and then click again to go back to whatever you were doing before.

Interesting. Didn't realize it was clickable. Good point, now it matches the Mac feature. Subtle, yet it makes a big difference.

logicearth said:

I don't have gadgets and a rather bare desktop so I hardly ever use it.

That's my situation. I think that little by little even Microsoft is moving away from the Desktop (by default there's pretty much no icons there now, and most apps are shying away from polluting it with shortcuts)... and yet they put a feature to get to it quickly!

isthar said:

Interesting. Didn't realize it was clickable. Good point, now it matches the Mac feature. Subtle, yet it makes a big difference.

I dont think you can work on the desktop, and then go back to whatever you were doing, but you can click on it and look at your desktop and view items,seems to be about all you can do with it, or it stays on your desktop.

jfar said:

I dont think you can work on the desktop, and then go back to whatever you were doing, but you can click on it and look at your desktop and view items,seems to be about all you can do with it, or it stays on your desktop.

You can -- have a few windows up, click the Show desktop button, I did a File/New zip file on the desktop, then clicked the Show desktop button again, and the windows all returned.

There you go , so it works.

You can turn off the Desktop Peeking by right-clicking on it.
What I did....