Feedback on KDE Plasma 6 Default Settings: A Call for Reflection

[Martin Steigerwald]

Hi.

I held back my initial reply, but now I want to write about two aspects:

1. Who speaks for whom?

2. How and why does a default dis-empower anyone.

Tobias Leupold - 04.12.24, 08:56:08 MEZ:
> My experience with "real" end-users (do we have any though?!) is that
> defaults are not changed. People accept what they are being served. And
> I fully agree that the one-click mode is an outstandig feature of our
> desktop, that makes a big difference to Windows or macOS. We should push
> this and present us a bit more confident here.

Coming from Amiga and AmigaOS I am used to using double click for opening 
drawers, starting applications and single click for selection. Amiga 
Workbench has been the first graphical desktop in my life I used regularly. 
I set KDE 3, KDE 4 SC and Plasma desktops to double click or kept them 
that way by copying home directory with config files from one laptop to 
another for decades meanwhile.

But maybe I am neither a member of the Linux community Lucy claims 
speaking for nor "people". However truth is: Lucy does not speak for *the* 
Linux community. And you do not speak for people. If you really want to 
know, organize a survey which could at least give some indication on what 
people prefer!

I'd appreciate when people who write here speak for themselves and for 
themselves only unless authorized by others to vote for them.

Also I did not feel dis-empowered in any way by the previous default that 
deviated from my choice. It was easy enough to change even when it was not 
in any welcome settings. As written I changed it for decades. So change or 
keep the current default, I do not even care and I do not get why and how 
this default decision could dis-empower anyone.

Actually I got the impression that Lucy's post specifically was written in 
a way to stir up objection and encourage spending a lot of energy for a 
discussion about a decision which I bet those who have been doing it have 
just been discussing a lot prior to it. Which was exactly why I held back 
my initial reply.

Unless there *provably* is a strong objection within the current user and/
or developer base regarding the new default, I do not see why to spend a 
lot of energy into revisiting it just so briefly after implementing it. I'd 
keep it for now and give some time for evaluating the effect of the 
decision. If you have any good ideas on how to evaluate it, please share!

Also out of respect for the KDE developer community I encourage you to 
first find out and/or ask why they changed the default. And then argue on 
the base of their findings!

Thank you,
-- 
Martin