Phase 1:   Save/restore icon positions on the desktop to an easily selectable file.   So
                  you can maintain several icon layouts.

Phase 2:  "Corrals".   Polygon lines drawn on the desktop that group icons within them.
                 Affordances-wigets-buttons that re-order each icon group by modification date,
                 or name or just previous saved order.  Ideally, the polygon lines would be in a layer
                 between the background and the windows.  Could be useful for each corral to be
                 a folder (semi-hard links like Cygwin creates with ln -s, better than shortcuts, though
                 it would become difficult to really delete an object). 

I used to have different icon sets for the desktop in alternate desktop folders in 98; much
harder in XP due to locked files and folders; I can't just move/mv the folders back and forth.

Ideally also, this would be scripty/scriptable, easy to modify, add to, written in
AutoHotKey or NewLisp.  (I want AutoHotKey for Linux/FreeBSD X, I'm trying to run PerlTOP)


And, separate issue, grrrr, I just erased my entire posting by hitting escape, a reflex from "vi".
Something to capture/restore what "esc" erases.