Just want to post the stupid problem and workaround.
I'm running on a Intel Powerbook 2.3 GHz OS 10.4.9.
*Sometimes* when I download files in Safari to my desktop, they do not show up on the desktop visually. They also do not show up if you open a finder window. However, they show up in a terminal window if you do an "ls" on the Desktop directory. If you go into the Desktop directory in a terminal, and you create new files with an editor, they do not show up on the Desktop either. Nothing new shows up, period. Not until you force a Finder relaunch (go to the apple dropdown, then Force Quit, then Finder, then hit Relaunch". After that, the missing files appear. Macs rule, but this new bug sucks.
kris

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