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List:       kfm-devel
Subject:    Re: [Kde-accessibility] Re: mmb pasting in Konqueror
From:       Roland Seuhs <roland.seuhs () hasos ! com>
Date:       2003-05-18 0:56:04
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Am Samstag, 17. Mai 2003 15:48 schrieb Datschge:

> That isn't exactly true either. What the users can see is that the location
> bar contains the formerly pasted and now progressed selection buffer. This
> is exactly the point where it becomes brutally obvious how fatal it
> actually is that the mmb is no longer used solely for pasting the selection
> buffer: If mmb paste were the only thing users can do with the mmb the
> whole behavior would be perfectly consistent and the user wouldn't even get
> the idea to mix it up with another behavior at all.

First, it's not consistent at all.

The browser window is a read-only area, just like the mail-view in kmail, the desktop \
or the window of kghostview.

Let's compare the behaviour of those:

- When I middle-click the desktop, a menu appears, it doen't paste anything, it also \
                doesn't want to create an icon with the clipboard contents as name.
- When I middle-cklick the mail-view in kmail, nothing happens, it doesn't try to \
                send a reply with the clipboard contents.
- When I middle-click the kghostview-window, it jumps to the next page, it doens't \
try to find pdf documents about whatever happens to be in the clipboard on Google.

For read-only areas, IMO, it is possible and a good idea when the middle mouse \
buttion is used for a very common task.

Sending whatever happens to be in the clipboard to Google is not a common task and \
destroys whatever is currently shown. And it's not consistent with traditional \
Unix-style copy-paste at all. Even if it were consistent, it would still be nonsense. \
Consistency doesn't legitimate stupidity, if the consistent behaviour is stupid, it \
shouldn't be there, especially if it is destructive and especially if huge ressources \
(in this case a valuable mouse button and a whole browser window) are wasted.

> But instead mmb click
> on link to open it in a new window/tab has been taken over from mozilla
> breaking this consistency leading to the current mess where we even get
> requests to introduce a mmb "internet style autoscroll" feature instead.

So?
I'm no fan of autoscroll, but it can't get any worse than the current behaviour.

> So yes, in this regard I'm in favor of removing "mmb click on link to open
> it in a new window/tab" (which is also as non-obvious and even less
> consistent) or move it to another button/key combo so the consistency of
> mmb paste doesn't get watered down any further.

[Rant written, then deleted]

Please:

1) Trying to display the clipboard is not consistent at all, especially for a \
read-only area. 2) I'm all for consistency, but sometimes it does pay off to actually \
use your creative powers and use a button for an inconsistent function if the \
consistent function is not possible, rarely used or complete nonsense (like sending \
                the clipboard to Google).
Example: In Gimp, the middle mouse button is used to scroll the drawing area. The \
"consistent" function would be to paste a text into the picture with the font \
settings last used - But this function would be rarely used so (gasp):

IN THAT CASE THE INCONSISTENT BEHAVIOUR IS BETTER THAN THE CONSISTENT BEHAVIOUR.

> Or remove all traces of mmb paste usage so all non-*nix converts will be
> happy

I'm a very happy Unix user and I used Unix-style copy-paste for many years and it's \
one of the things I love about Unix. (Actually it's the reason why I even preferred \
the pretty crappy FVWM over any Windows or MacOS alternative)

Roland

-- 
Always remember that you are unique.  Just like everyone else.


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