Because I do not want a desktop filled with files I do not want to
keep long term. I generate "temporary" files all the time. More often
then not they are from me converting Keynote files to PowerPoint
files. I have originals, I do not need to keep around these copies.
Why tmp? Because OSX deletes all of the contents of it each time I
reboot my laptop. By linking it to my home directory I make it
possible to create a link in the Finder. This saves me from having to
go through my desktop and delete files manually (which is what I
observe other OSX users doing).
How do you do this?
Create a logical link in your home directory like so:
ln -s /tmp /Users/brian/Tmp
After that you can just drag and drop it into your Finders "PLACES"
list. From now on it is simple to save documents there from any OSX
application. No need to worry about cleaning it up, this will be done
on each reboot.
Update: Yes, I forgot to put the "Tmp" on the end of the symbolic create. Ooops :) Though the command will work anyways, since trying to create a link to a directory will just force the creation of the link into the directory (aka it does not overwrite).