XFCE, LXDE, or JWM fit what you describe. Gnome is somewhat close for now, but it has been getting away from the simple desktop approach for a while, and the latest (3.0) is very Mac-like and far less customizable than KDE.
You might also look at WindowMaker (ultra clean/light, but no taskbar) or the Enlightenment Desktop (very nice graphics, but still cleaner than KDE and more customizable than Gnome)
mz wrote:
> I'm looking for a replacement desktop. Currently I'm using KDE v4.4.4. It has
> way too many bells and whistles for my needs, and there doesn't seem to be a
> way to turn them off.
>
> I keep an extremely clean desktop with almost nothing on it. There are a few
> links to frequently accessed files or directories, but that's about it. At
> times I will temporarily store files on the desktop before deciding whether or
> where to store them. I do almost everything through the application launcher
> menu and the file manager.
>
> My perfect desktop would be similar to the old Windows XP with a simple task
> bar and system tray. There would be simple icons, no widgets and no plasma
> workspaces. The file manager would be similar to the old Program Manager in
> Windows 3.1 with only a tree directory and files always displayed with a
> detailed view and absolutely no folder views.
>
> Is there such a thing any more? If not, what's the closest to it?
>
> TIA,
> Mark Z.
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