Plasma and the Unbearably Fascinating Amount of Options

[gvisoc]

As I am creating some software using Qt and Python (*), I am switching from Gnome 41 to Plasma (formely just KDE), to have more Qt around and see how things should behave in their natural habitat.

It is fascinating. The amount of options that you can access at all times is so "so much" that is captivating me to an extent that did't happen to me since decades ago.

As I will say before closing, don't get me wrong, I am liking it, and I am enjoying all the options, but here we go.

Look at this:

That is a widget in a Plasma that is meant to show the desktop when clicked. Seems pretty simple. Instead, I clicked with the secondary button.

1. Minimize All Windows --i.e., "Show desktop"
2. Configure "Show Desktop" -- configuring a keyboard shorcut
3. Show alternatives --alternative widgets to "Show Destop"; somehow there are more widgets to do this)
4. Add Widgets to the Panel,
5. Enter Edit Mode in the Panel

You have the following options that the environment offers to you and there's no way of hiding them --there's no "lite amount of options" to get things less procrastinating. If you're slightly weak, you'll get drawn into a rabbit hole of things to try.

So, taking such a simple software function as an example of the options shown at a mere contextual menu, when we think on how this can escale for more complex programs like Dolphin (the file manager) or the notifications, things go bananas.

Look at this menu:

Ratings. Ratings! You can sort things according to ratings! You can rate your own files!!!!

Don't get me wrong; I like Plasma and I prefer to have options rhather than not having them, but.... do we need that many?

(*): A podcast post-production tool to handle feeds, chapters in audio files, and so on.

 

[kc1di]

I'm using Kubuntu 22.04 Daily builds at the moment and yes there are many options available. For my simple needs I only use a few of them. But on the other hand I like having them available and there if needed. And I don't have to go hunting in obscure files to find how to do things. I like plasma. I'm not much of a expert but find it works for me

It's not that I don't like GTK I do and use several gtk based programs. It's Gnome I have a problem with. ad-ons break between releases and there seem to be little continuity and backward functionality between releases. That bothers me. Cinnamon has mitigated them to some degree. But I still find it irritating that the Gnome devs seem to dictate what I can and can not do with my desktop. I find much more freedom in QT/Plasma. It's just my opinion and others will have theirs. But that's where I'm at at the moment. Will be interesting to see what POPOS comes with as they develop their own DE. I've always liked XFCE But it's very slow to change, which may be part of it's appeal to some.

 

[KGIII]

LOL Yeah, KDE is the land of infinite options.

The current Lubuntu is LXQt, also having a lot of Qt handy. As such, we have some software that we use from KDE. I was all sorts of happy when I saw kvantum. I kinda like a ton of options - so long as I can set and forget them.

 

[gvisoc]

I like the ton of options, but a saner balance would be to have them out of sight when not needed. I mean, give me them inside the DE Settings panels, but not in every contextual menu so I have to brain-filter them out of my way to be productive, hahah.

It's like "oh, it looks like you want to copy this file but hey here's also another 500 settings and actions and activities at the tip of your fingers!"