Everyone knows it's wise to work with as few open windows on the desktop as possible, to avoid clutter. And everyone knows that you always end up with numerous open windows in the course of a day's work. Here are some tips for keeping windows (with a lower-case "w") in line:

Can't be bothered grabbing the mouse to close a window by clicking in the upper left corner? Command-W is the magic incantation to make windows go away without touching a rodent. Want all the windows to go away at once? Option-Command-W closes all windows on the desktop. Note that Command-W also works within applications, while Option-Command-W doesn't.

Mac OS 8 Extras: Pop-up windows are a boon to us disorganised types, since it is only possible to have one open at a time. Keeping commonly-used folders on the desktop as tabbed pop-ups can save time and hassles. Command-W will send any open pop-ups back to the bottom of the screen, and Option-Command-W closes all windows completely, so your pop-ups won't be there any more.

One last thing: If you want to get rid of all open windows but the one you're working on, simply make it a pop-up by dragging its title bar to the bottom of the screen, then hit Option-Command-W to dispose of all open windows. Drag your desired window back up and away you go.