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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.

db2 ,

Single click is for web page links, not my computer.

burgermeister ,

Way too easy to accidentally run a program with single click

Ephera ,

It should throw up a prompt to ask, if you really want to run it. You might have disabled that…

Klaymore ,
@Klaymore@sh.itjust.works avatar

You mean… a prompt that needs a second click to run the program?

eager_eagle ,
@eager_eagle@lemmy.world avatar

Yes, mine does that. Files open with one click, programs need confirmation.

db2 ,

That seems more like and accessibility feature, like what someone with a muscle spasm disorder would find helpful.

Ephera , (edited )

I mean, yeah, muscle spasm disorder or my dumb ass absent-mindedly opening files in my download folder or Jester from HR, who doesn’t know that a job application shouldn’t have the executable icon. For all of us, it improves accessibility, because we don’t need to be as cautious anymore.

elvith ,

Ransomware in Windows:
You need to allow macros to read this job application

Ransomware in Linux:
You need to run chmod +x application.ods.sh to read this job application

eager_eagle ,
@eager_eagle@lemmy.world avatar

that reminds me of the albanian virus

https://www.kuppingercole.com/pics/albanianvirus.png

eager_eagle ,
@eager_eagle@lemmy.world avatar

It cuts in half the average number of clicks when navigating the file manager. Accessibility or not, it’s a welcome change imo.

db2 ,

I think you’re not following along here. One click was the default, they’re changing it from that to two clicks by default.

eager_eagle ,
@eager_eagle@lemmy.world avatar

I’m not referring to the default - (manually) changing it to a single click is a good thing.

Ephera ,

I appreciate the joke, but well, yes. The difference being that it’s only for executables and you need to do click-move-click rather than the usual double-click, so it’s even harder to accidentally trigger.

bionicjoey ,

I’d be okay with a compromise like single click for folders, double click for files

Feathercrown ,

That’s inconsistent though and possibly worse than either other option (but better than single click files double click folders at least, yeesh)

westyvw ,

No it isn’t. It just doesn’t happen.

iopq ,

Joke’s on you, I run Nix, the program won’t even start unless I steam-run it

eager_eagle ,
@eager_eagle@lemmy.world avatar

not really, just set to “always ask” or when opening an executable.

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/4a3e8fa9-f75d-445b-88dc-a0b698b71ed2.png

Jestzer ,

Which is just another, less convenient way of turning a single click into two, no?

eager_eagle ,
@eager_eagle@lemmy.world avatar

no, because it only applies to executables.

idk about you, but I only run executables from dolphin once every full moon, or so. And even if it was frequently, it doesn’t come close to the number of folders I open that only need a single click.

Jestzer ,

I guess it depends on habits, then. I use them all the time. Not as much as folders, but enough that I would rather the 2 have the same behavior.

eager_eagle ,
@eager_eagle@lemmy.world avatar

Right. I use a proper launcher for anything I execute constantly - like Gnome shell or KRunner on KDE. Scripts I usually run in the terminal to see their output. So it’s really rare for me to run anything by clicking on it using Dolphin.

Kusimulkku ,

You’re not running executables from a file manager very often with Linux

Jestzer ,

… I am, though.

Kusimulkku ,

I’m talking about the typical user. There shouldn’t be a need for them to be doing that.

laurelraven ,

Exactly. I never need to select a link on the web to do things like rename or move them, while I do that with files all the time

Hamartiogonic ,
@Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz avatar

Maybe the KDE devs were expecting you to do file management using the keyboard only. Or maybe they thought that linux users aren’t technical enough that they would ever consider organizing their files. Just dumb it all on the desktop and call it a day, amarite?

mrGarbanzo ,

This + some other quirks are what have kept me off KDE for a good while. I understand wanting to do things differently, possibly easier – but it’s hard to break old habits.

AnActOfCreation OP ,
@AnActOfCreation@programming.dev avatar

What DE do you use?

penquin ,

So instead of changing to double click from the settings, you switched DEs?

spaduf ,

It’s not so crazy. Most people choose a DE for the defaults

thingsiplay ,

I can understand why someone don’t want to use GNOME, because the defaults can suck for some people. And not everything is configurable. But KDE? Can be configured about anything imaginable. While I understand that not everyone want to go full in to learn everything, I still don’t get the default setting for a simple switch like double/single mouse click is a big deal not to use the environment.

If you really like KDE and are used to it, then you won’t change to something else just because the next update changes the default value (for new installations only BTW) of mouse click setting.

penquin ,

I’m sorry, but this to me, sounds insane and kind of lazy. You can’t go to the settings and make a couple of changes??? People really can’t do that?

Jack ,

It may mean the user doesn’t think their use is similar enough to the people who make the distro/DE, or trust the distro makers’ decision making ability.

If a distros’ makers think snaps are a good idea, or that the distro shouldn’t by default show available security updates, or have a UI that hides how many open instances there are of a program unless you hover over an icon, or hides the titles of those open programs, or hides panels; then the way I use a PC is too different from the way they do - and there are likely more things in the background that we disagree with which can’t as easily be changed like UI settings.

penquin ,

I’m a single click person, but I welcome this change. Those who like single click already know where to change it. This is good for new users.

eager_eagle ,
@eager_eagle@lemmy.world avatar

It makes file system navigation much faster and more pleasant imo, I’m definitely reverting this.

kurumin ,
@kurumin@linux.community avatar

How do you select without executing?

reflex , (edited )
@reflex@kbin.social avatar

There's a little + that you can click on the icons.
Or, you can use the keyboard arrows and spacebar.

Not sure if there's others.

Edit: Just found another one actually. Middle-clicking selects without opening.
This works better than the little + on the icons because the + behaves like a "ctrl-click."

dirtbiker509 ,

I haven’t tried it but if it works the same as a mobile OS you long click to select. Single click to execute.

Edit: apparently that’s not how it works. There is a checkbox on every icon that you have to click directly on the check box to select/unselect.

eager_eagle ,
@eager_eagle@lemmy.world avatar

I wish a long click worked on desktop though…

qaz ,

CTRL + Click

penquin , (edited )

I’ve always used the little plus sign on icons. It’s ingrained into my brain. I even did the same on windows before switching to Linux 6 years ago. Single click and the little check box on Windows.

westyvw ,

check box

Its funny, I single click in KDE since 3.X or when ever it was introduced. But I never really used the check boxes.

eager_eagle , (edited )
@eager_eagle@lemmy.world avatar

personally, I don’t like the plus icons (I’d prefer it if they were simple checkboxes), so any one of:

  • (mouse-only) drag a selection box from an empty area
  • (mouse-only) right click directly, already opening the context menu to copy, cut, rename, share, etc - which is often the goal when selecting a single item.
  • Ctrl+Click
  • Shift+Click
  • (kb-only) Arrow keys
Kusimulkku ,

Doubt you’ll have to revert this. I don’t think they switch you back to defaults when updating.

mozzribo ,

If it wasn’t default, I likely would have never tried single click, which I prefer now.

narc0tic_bird ,

I could’ve sworn I already double click in Dolphin.

SatyrSack ,

Some distributions that ship with KDE have that option set out of the box for you already.

narc0tic_bird ,

That must be it then. I’m on Fedora 39 KDE Spin.

rem26_art ,
@rem26_art@kbin.social avatar

lol same here on F39 KDE. I was wondering "wait was that a setting i changed?" I haven't used KDE on another distro in a real long time

smileyhead ,

So be it. I don’t understand why there is so much debate around such simple setting.

IronKrill ,

Same reason we debate how to pronounce GIF (it’s pronounced gif, I’ll have you know) or what toppings to put on pizza. Because it’s entertaining for some, no matter how grating it may get for others.

Jestzer ,

People will be damned if…

  1. They are forced to do something for an additional 10 seconds.
  2. Their opinion is wrong.
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.

corvus ,
@corvus@lemmy.ml avatar

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW. In the the next issue of Linux Magazine Torvalds talks about the new default in the single click behavior of Plasma: “KDE, fuck you”

Feathercrown ,

It would be a much longer insult of course

yianiris ,
@yianiris@kafeneio.social avatar

Both plasma and gnome will get zero clicks from me. They are the two black holes sucking free open source software into their m{ac,s}-win core.

@AnActOfCreation

AnActOfCreation OP ,
@AnActOfCreation@programming.dev avatar

What DE do you use?

yianiris ,
@yianiris@kafeneio.social avatar

DE require tremendous overhead of serv/daemons just to be able to make shortcuts/menu items clickable, I would never use such contraptions on my system.

I use a wm and have no use for polkit, dbus, logind, automount, obfuscated rights elevations and demotions, .... all this crap that unnecessarily must run for the sake of aesthetics and MS-win utility.

If I needed icons on my background I would use just a light filemanager, like pcmanfm, but I don't.

@AnActOfCreation

redcalcium ,

Emacs obviously.

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.

YurkshireLad ,

Single click was always the first setting I changed.

the_q ,

Ah yes… I remember when IE 4 came to Windows and introduced single clicking. What a terrible idea.

inetknght ,

Don’t worry, apps are so slow that we don’t risk repeating the same problem of double-clicking causing the first click to open the app and the second click to do something in the app that you didn’t want to do.

rwhitisissle ,

Is this a change I’m too “command line” to care about?

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.

Sinistar ,

I’m also always changing this first, so i agree with the change.

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.

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