Something that has proven to be quite divisive in the Linux community for KDE Plasma users is single or double-click to open something, as Plasma 6 will default to double-click.
It will still be configurable of course, but it's a change that has people split with lots of posts across social media arguing about it. Me though? I'm happy about it! Single click to open just seemed like such an odd default to have. Especially so for people coming from Windows, which as we all know is the most used desktop platform - for such a small thing, it just makes sense to match the behaviour there.
On top of that, Plasma 6 will also have touchpads have tap to click turned on by default now that touchpads aren't as bad as they were 9 years ago when the original decision was made.
Another big change is how bug reporting happens when apps crash on Plasma, with it being much more simplified with an option to report the issues automatically. So you won't even need to sign up for a Bugzilla account, bugs get reported quicker and hopefully this will means bugs get solved faster.
There's so much more the KDE team have been doing for Plasma lately, here's some highlights:
- Keyboard brightness level on many laptops now shows an on-screen display for the change.
- When toggling keyboard backlight off / on it now remembers the original brightness level.
- Minimum screen brightness now set to 1 so you can't accidentally turn it off.
- Dolphin’s settings window has gotten an overhaul to re-arrange things to be more logical.
- Starting a Plasma Wayland session in VirtualBox is now more reliable.
- They fixed the ability to monitor NVIDIA GPUs using System Monitor, and improving compatibility with multi-GPU setups (Plasma 5.27.8).
- System Settings' minimum window size is now smaller, fitting better into low-resolution 1366×768 screens with thick panels.
- Plasma Wayland improvements like keeping copied text from XWayland apps after it quits.
What do you think to all the changes coming to Plasma 6? Is there something you're particularly pleased or displeased with coming to Plasma 6?
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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The comments on this article are closed.
pleasereadthemanual Aug 30, 2023
I don't use KDE anymore, but the one thing I adopted from Dolphin (which is an amazing file manager) is single-click open. It just makes so much more sense. Why click twice when you can click once? I have single-click behavior enabled for Nautilus, though Nautilus is not as good as Dolphin because it doesn't have select handles. Nonetheless, it's comfortable.
What was that KDE motto again? Familiar by Default, Powerful When Needed?
I use single-key open in lf, too
What was that KDE motto again? Familiar by Default, Powerful When Needed?
I use single-key open in lf, too
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StoneColdSpider Aug 30, 2023
The very first thing I did when I made the switch from Windows to Linux KDE was change it to double click to open....... Its good to have options but having single click to open as default....... Yeah...... Nah......
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Mountain Man Aug 30, 2023
Single click to open is the right way as far as I'm concerned. It just makes the most sense when you consider that the interface in every other piece of software you use on a computer only requires single clicks, so why should the desktop be the sole exception?
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Quoting: Mountain ManSingle click to open is the right way as far as I'm concerned. It just makes the most sense when you consider that the interface in every other piece of software you use on a computer only requires single clicks, so why should the desktop be the sole exception?
Because of Windows. I grew up on Windows, and first experienced single click in KDE when trying to select a file. I thought my mouse button was super sensitive or something.
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TheRiddick Aug 30, 2023
Quoting: TheSHEEEPSingle click to select. Double click to open.
This is the way.
True, can't tell you how often I've fubar'd something up due to single clicks to open/execute/move/break things...
Got to have a bit of buffer for us clumsy mortals!
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Quoting: Mountain ManSingle click to open is the right way as far as I'm concerned. It just makes the most sense when you consider that the interface in every other piece of software you use on a computer only requires single clicks, so why should the desktop be the sole exception?It is rather easy to accidentally do a single click.
Happens to me quite often.
Usually, nothing happens as the cursor isn't really on top of anything.
When that opens a link, it doesn't really matter, just go back quickly.
When that opens an entire program, that's a massive problem as it'll likely take focus away, might make the PC slower for a moment, forces you to close that program again, etc.
When you accidentally select something, that's not really a problem.
Accidentally double clicking is not something that really happens.
And what makes the most sense in practice is what most people are used to, not something that might or might not make sense in a bubble detached from that reality.
Especially when the difference in usage isn't that big (like the time difference of a double vs single click).
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Mountain Man Aug 30, 2023
Quoting: bingusQuoting: Mountain ManSingle click to open is the right way as far as I'm concerned. It just makes the most sense when you consider that the interface in every other piece of software you use on a computer only requires single clicks, so why should the desktop be the sole exception?
Because of Windows. I grew up on Windows, and first experienced single click in KDE when trying to select a file. I thought my mouse button was super sensitive or something.
Windows does it wrong.
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Mountain Man Aug 30, 2023
Quoting: TheSHEEEPQuoting: Mountain ManSingle click to open is the right way as far as I'm concerned. It just makes the most sense when you consider that the interface in every other piece of software you use on a computer only requires single clicks, so why should the desktop be the sole exception?It is rather easy to accidentally do a single click.
Happens to me quite often.
Usually, nothing happens as the cursor isn't really on top of anything.
When that opens a link, it doesn't really matter, just go back quickly.
When that opens an entire program, that's a massive problem as it'll likely take focus away, might make the PC slower for a moment, forces you to close that program again, etc.
When you accidentally select something, that's not really a problem.
Accidentally double clicking is not something that really happens.
And what makes the most sense in practice is what most people are used to, not something that might or might not make sense in a bubble detached from that reality.
Especially when the difference in usage isn't that big (like the time difference of a double vs single click).
Frankly, I don't have a problem with randomly clicking around the desktop and unintentionally opening stuff, but based on your argument, nothing in a user interface should be accessible with a single click, and yet, it's standard to be able to open menu items with one click, or toggle a button in something like Libre Office with one click. The only exception is the desktop. I know it's what people are used to because that's how UI designers made it back in the dark ages of computer interface design, but in my opinion, they got it wrong.
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Quoting: Mountain ManFrankly, I don't have a problem with randomly clicking around the desktop and unintentionally opening stuff, but based on your argument, nothing in a user interface should be accessible with a single click, and yet, it's standard to be able to open menu items with one click, or toggle a button in something like Libre Office with one click.I don't think you really understood the argument.
It's cool that you are so perfect that you never make such an easy to make mistake, but for the rest of us, well...
Why do you think games ask you "Do you really want to overwrite/load/delete save X?" ?
Not because people would be too dumb to understand that clicking the load/delete/etc. button would actually load/delete/etc.
Not because people click around at random (but thanks for going "ur so stoopid randomly clicking around LOL").
Because it is normal that people trigger a single click on stuff without intending to. It just happens. Not often, obviously, but it does and it is annoying when it does.
For me it happens most often when I bump my mouse into something on the desk.
So when an action would be very disruptive (like accidentally opening a file) or even harmful and not easily undone and when basically every single action would be like that (such as interacting with folders and files in a file browser), then you make the default harder to trigger by accident.
When you navigate a browser or operate most menus, most single click actions are not like described above at all, so it is fine to have them activate by single click. The few that are disruptive can then be "caught" with these confirmations.
Last edited by TheSHEEEP on 30 August 2023 at 11:50 am UTC
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Mountain Man Aug 31, 2023
Quoting: TheSHEEEPQuoting: Mountain ManFrankly, I don't have a problem with randomly clicking around the desktop and unintentionally opening stuff, but based on your argument, nothing in a user interface should be accessible with a single click, and yet, it's standard to be able to open menu items with one click, or toggle a button in something like Libre Office with one click.I don't think you really understood the argument.
It's cool that you are so perfect that you never make such an easy to make mistake, but for the rest of us, well...
Why do you think games ask you "Do you really want to overwrite/load/delete save X?" ?
Not because people would be too dumb to understand that clicking the load/delete/etc. button would actually load/delete/etc.
Not because people click around at random (but thanks for going "ur so stoopid randomly clicking around LOL").
Because it is normal that people trigger a single click on stuff without intending to. It just happens. Not often, obviously, but it does and it is annoying when it does.
For me it happens most often when I bump my mouse into something on the desk.
So when an action would be very disruptive (like accidentally opening a file) or even harmful and not easily undone and when basically every single action would be like that (such as interacting with folders and files in a file browser), then you make the default harder to trigger by accident.
When you navigate a browser or operate most menus, most single click actions are not like described above at all, so it is fine to have them activate by single click. The few that are disruptive can then be "caught" with these confirmations.
I never implied that you were stupid. You came up with that yourself.
As for programs that ask "Are you sure?" before allowing the user to do something potentially destructive and irreversible, that's more to warn about the consequences of an intended action than it is to protect against accidental clicks, and good interface design will build in additional safeguards, such as burying the feature two levels deep in a menu where the user has to go through a series of specific steps to access it.
But we're not talking about anything like that, we're talking about activities like navigating files and directories in Dolphin where the user's chances of doing anything catastrophic that would warrant an "Are you sure?" prompt are essentially zero.
Face it, standard desktop behavior requiring a double click is the "odd man out" in computer interface design.
Last edited by Mountain Man on 31 August 2023 at 1:07 am UTC
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