How to make manipulating all-white objects without a background easier in Inkscape?

Solution 1:

Not perfect, but a usable work-around that I do:

1. While editing your icons, give the document a non-white background color. This setting is in "File" > "Document Properties" (Remember to set the alpha to opaque)
2. Then before you're done, go back to the document background and set the alpha to be fully transparent

Solution 2:

Another option, also not perfect:

Instead of setting the document properties to have a non-white background colour, you could add a coloured rectangle to a second layer underneath your drawing. This allows the background to be quickly switched between white and your chosen colour by setting the layer visibility.