Bug 245622

Summary:	Disappearing Taskbar -- unlock widgets->Delete this System tray
Product:	[Unmaintained] plasma4	Reporter:	marc
Component:	general	Assignee:	Plasma Bugs List <plasma-bugs>
Status:	RESOLVED INTENTIONAL
Severity:	normal	CC:	aseigo
Priority:	NOR
Version:	unspecified
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Mandriva RPMs
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description marc 2010-07-24 10:48:38 UTC

Version: unspecified (using KDE 4.4.3)
OS: Linux

I have installed Mandriva 2010.1 (latest version) on several machines thus far. The biggest problem (serious) that I have bumped into is the option right-click "Unlock Widgets" in the taskbar. Some of my users are older/younger and they have already, after only 2 weeks of usage, inadvertently deleted their taskbar from their desktop. Note that if you inadvertently right-click on the taskbar it is extremely easy to unlock the widgets after which you can inadvertently pick "Remove this System tray".

It would seem to make more sense to make the choice of "Unlock Widgets" to be made more of a deliberate choice rather than allow for an inadvertent choice from the user (whether new to the KDE desktop or regular user). The "Unlock Widgets" should be put in a sub-choice when right clicking on the taskbar and the "Delete this System tray" should also be put in an other location in the following choices rather than the first option on the list.

KDE4 should never allow an inadvertent/non-deliberate choice that is so destructive to the first-time or even long-time user experience. This needs be fixed.

BTW 1: re-installing the System tray for someone who has inadvertently removed it is difficult to find on any lists/sites and it may prove too complex for first-time users. This also adds to the frustration level of both first-time and long-time users of KDE.

BTW 2: great job overall on the KDE4.4.XXX desktop. Pretty nice. A big thanks to the KDE developer team.

Cheers

Marc

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
Taskbar -- unlock widgets->Delete this System tray when chosen by mistake.

Actual Results:
Taskbar disappears

Expected Results:
These options should be relocated in such a way as a user would not be able to mistakenly choose them. Make these steps a deliberate action from the user and NOT possible by mistake.

I help quite a few users with their Mandriva Linux KDE setups (I am a school teacher and help many students with their distributions as well as parents and others). This just happens too often to be ignored. It just adds frustration to an otherwise excellent windowing system --- KDE.

Comment 1 Aaron J. Seigo 2010-08-06 19:36:21 UTC

unlocking is not destructive on its own, and making it harder to get to will only frustrate other users.

removing a widget could perhaps use a confirmation, but that also gets highly annoying pretty quickly. (i say that based on feedback from other users..)

documentation is indeed an issue, and one we're working on. code-wise, though, i don't see this changing. sorry :(

Comment 2 marc 2010-08-07 04:35:30 UTC

Thanks for your reply. 

While clearly in agreement that the unlocking of the widget is not in itself destructive, one would clearly come to the conclusion that the resulting effect of inadvertently deleting the whole of the taskbar itself is in itself destructive. I have helped enough users who have had this happen to realize their panic of not being able to retrieve the lost taskbar as well as being put in a position where usage of the KDE windowing is put into question.

It would seem trivial to make this such that the possibility of deleting the taskbar become more of a deliberate action rather than inadvertent. It is not the seasoned user who is deleting the taskbar, but in my "on the ground" experience, the new adopter of KDE who is falling into this act.

This is obviously a known problem as the next KDE version is set to have a "return original taskbar" command to deal with this. I am not sure what would one consider more frustrating ... deleting the taskbar by mistake or knowing that the risk of deleting the taskbar was a known act by the developer team and not eliminated.

Initial user experience usually wins votes.

Marc