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KDE Goes and Does It (Double-Click By Default, That Is) - OMG! Linux

  • KDE Plasma 6 will require users to double-click on files and folders to open them by default.
  • This change is controversial for those familiar with single-click behavior in KDE Plasma.
  • Click behavior in KDE Plasma 6 is configurable, allowing users to choose between single-click and double-click.

archive.ph/BseL3

This is one of the first things I always tweak in KDE, so I love this change, but I’m curious how others feel.

darkmatternoodlecow ,

When I first switched to KDE, this issue took up roughly 15 seconds of my time as I saw what was happening and went exploring for the setting to change the behavior. Apart from having to change the setting again from time to time, I have spent exactly zero seconds thinking about it and exactly zero seconds wondering which approach was the “best” since then. I wonder how honest it is for this site to refer to a “debate”; it’s hard for me to imagine anyone giving a shit beyond setting their own system up the way they like it.

laurelraven ,

I mean, this is the Internet

darkmatternoodlecow ,

Yes; my post is obliquely suggesting that people are ridiculous.

Wispy2891 ,

I used kubuntu for an year on an old ProBook and I just assumed that the trackpad buttons were broken and sent a double click.

I discovered this issue only today lol

BreakDecks ,

KDE is an open source desktop environment. If we didn’t debate how to make the UI/UX as intuitive as possible, the project would be dead in the water. The entire Libre movement is built on debating how software should work, and then making it work that way.

You don’t have to contribute, but don’t throw shade at the people who do.

darkmatternoodlecow ,

Equating a debate over the default behavior of mouse clicks—behavior that can be changed in ten seconds—with the very essence of the free software movement is so comically misguided as to be downright sad.

octopus_ink ,

It’s not a holy war issue for me, but it is the first thing I change when I’m on a fresh KDE system. While I haven’t had any angst about it, I’m selfishly happy for the change. I realize there’s just a different group of people who will now have to make the opposite adjustment, but dem’s da brakes.

And, I have to admit it might be less likely to throw off someone coming from Windows defaults.

highduc ,

This truely is the darkest timeline

BreakDecks ,

I honestly forgot that single-click is the default behavior in Plasma. I set up new desktop environments so rarely, and this is such an infuriating default behavior that I change it immediately. Glad to hear this is changing.

Pantherina ,

Main reason is Distros reverting that anyways. It was always doubleclick on Kubuntu and Fedora KDE afaik

fxt_ryknow ,

See… I’m the opposite… I change and hip around and reinstall across various machine so often, changing the setting has just become second nature… I don’t even think about it anymore! Hahahaha

WindowsEnjoyer ,

Honestly I just love that Plasma closely resembles the Windows 10/11 UI. Not that I like Windows, but because I have to deal with Windows from time to time.

Switching between Gnome UI and Windows 10/11 UI requires an effort to me. Switching betweek Plasma and Windows - almost no difference.

Plasma is fucking great!

moreeni ,

Windows resembles the Plasma UI, not the other way around.

BreakDecks ,

It’s funny, because the original KDE was definitely inspired by Windows, but Plasma has introduced enough new features before Windows now that it isn’t inaccurate to say that Windows was inspired by Plasma.

WindowsEnjoyer ,

And features 😅

Nyfure ,

To be fair, windows development also included UI changes beneficial for users, so its not necessarily bad to copy those.
Of course there are many which are.. questionable, we of course shouldnt copy those :D

AnActOfCreation OP ,
@AnActOfCreation@programming.dev avatar

WindowsEnjoyer

Not that I like Windows

Hmm…

Seriously tho, agreed!

westyvw ,

Kinda disappointed actually. It’s in my top ten best features if KDE. Single click is so much faster and easier. No other OS has gotten this right.

As long as they dont take it away. But since most people now won’t know it’s there they are unlikely to find out just how great it is.

cyberpunk007 ,

It’s great except when there’s no “white space” to easily do a drag select. Or I’m just an idiot and do it wrong.

mozzribo ,

In Dolphin, there is a “+” icon in the top right corner on hover for selection.

oshu ,
@oshu@lemmy.world avatar

I use ctrl-click to select

Deckweiss ,

My left hand is busy

Bene7rddso ,

Windows had it for ages

westyvw ,

Windows had it for ages

Windows single click never worked right. I don’t use the little check box or selection. I use both Windows and Linux, and windows stays in Double click even though I have been doing single on KDE since as long as I can remember.

CrabAndBroom ,

I never thought I’d see the day

linearchaos ,
@linearchaos@lemmy.world avatar

Um, I just switched from gnome to plasma about three or four months ago. I don’t keep anything at all in my desktop I didn’t realize that it was single click.

AnActOfCreation OP ,
@AnActOfCreation@programming.dev avatar

It would apply to files and folders in Dolphin (file explorer) as well.

themusicman ,

As someone who hasn’t touched KDE in years, can someone fill me in: How did you previously select a folder without opening it?

Turtle ,
@Turtle@aussie.zone avatar
  1. click it
  2. as it instantly opens you realise you didn’t change that setting yet and go change it
BreakDecks ,

Snark aside, this is probably a more common solution than using Ctrl-click or clicking the tiny “+” icon as was intended.

crazycaveman ,

There’s a symbol at the top left of the file or directory icon to select the item rather than open. It’s stays there even if you have double click to open

qaz ,

Control + Left click

kelvie ,

Drag a selection box around it, or use ctrl. Or right click.

westyvw ,

If you have a list, click on the item to open, click next to it to select.

lemmytellyousomething ,

My problem with it: It was not consistent when using KDE:

In Dolpin, it’s a single click…

When downloading something in Firefox and choosing the location, it’s a double click.

Anafabula ,
@Anafabula@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

Firefox doesn’t use the KDE file picker by default. You can set widget.use-xdg-desktop-portal.file-picker to 1 to use the desktop environment’s native picker.

wiki.archlinux.org/title/Firefox#KDE_integration

BreakDecks ,

To be fair, even when both UI elements are both a part of Dolphin, the element shown when selecting files in a browser is different than a default Dolphin instance. In-browser you are selecting where to download a file, or what file to upload, and it is assumed that you don’t intend to open a file locally, so turning off single click in this instance is actually pretty intuitive.

1984 ,
@1984@lemmy.today avatar

I think it’s great. I think it’s impossible to use dolphin with single click since it goes into folders or starts files when clicking on them once.

Anyone knows the historic reason for single click? Plasma was inspired by some older system?

Wispy2891 ,

I think it was windows 98 that introduced “hovering on an item” = single click and single click = double click. Disabled by default of course

9point6 ,

Oh god, I’d forgotten the dark days of windows UI introduced with the active desktop update

SpaceCadet ,
@SpaceCadet@feddit.nl avatar

It was introduced by “Active Desktop”, which came with IE4. So if you installed IE4, you also got this on Windows 95.

zygo_histo_morpheus ,

Use the terminal mostly anyway, but navigating deeply nested folders when you have to double click is slightly annoying so I can see the appeal.

Rustmilian ,
@Rustmilian@lemmy.world avatar

I don’t see why they can’t just have the folders behave differently.
Just make opening folders single click & executing/opening everything else double click.

MyNameIsRichard ,
@MyNameIsRichard@lemmy.ml avatar

That would annoy everyone. I like it.

BreakDecks ,

Bash is superior, but if I’m going to use the UI I just use tree view in Dolphin so I can expand folders with a single-click while seeing the directory structure.

Rustmilian ,
@Rustmilian@lemmy.world avatar

I could definitely be remembering wrong, but if I remember correctly there was a TechOverTea video by Brodie Robertson featuring Nicco Loves Linux aka Niccolo Venerandi where this topic came up in which there was the mention of I think something to do with carpal tunnel, and a weird drag-to-select bug or something.
My memory is a little hazy here.

iusearchbtw ,

Shame that they gave in to the haters, single click is great. Far more intuitive too, as you’d immediately tell if you ever had to guide your parents around a computer constantly reminding them in which arbitrary situation you’re meant to double click and in which to single click.

deliriousn0mad , (edited )

I really don’t think it’s a matter of “haters”. It might be more logical and consistent if you have no other frames of reference, but most Plasma users come over from other OSs who all use double click (Windows, Mac, even Gnome). If a new user blindly tries KDE and keeps accidentally opening everything while trying to select it’s just an immediate and big annoyance. It’s not even clear that it isn’t a bug because there is no clear explanation of how to select and how to open.

Edit: we are of course all used to single clicking on touch screens, but there it is contrasted with the long press to see options and some “select mode” for file management. There is no system that works exactly like Plasma single-click, which makes it disorienting.

Matty_r ,
@Matty_r@programming.dev avatar

I’ve been using my install script for so long, I’ve forgotten that single click was the default. I guess that’s at least one extra line I can remove.

Hupf ,

The Year of Linux on the Desktop has finally come guys.

Ephera ,

My parents found single-click much more intuitive, because everything else (web browser, phone) uses single-click.

GroteStreet ,

My parents still double click everything on their mobile…

FrostyCaveman ,

That’s hilarious lol

Linssiili ,

Oh that makes so much sense. I was wondering why single-click would ever be default.

visnudeva ,
@visnudeva@lemmy.ml avatar

They can change the default settings as long as they leave the option to change it available.

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