Bug 54971

Version:            (using KDE KDE 3.1)
Installed from:    Debian testing/unstable Packages

I have seen this bug many times.

And still, eventhough the bug has been closed again and again, I find it difficult to use KMail.

There are no clear focus areas. Focus sometimes in on a folder, sometimes on a mail and sometimes on a link.

It is very missleading to have KNode and KMail having so different behaviours:

KNode divides the interface in 3 areas, as well as KMail. However, KNode uses the tab key to navigate along them 3, whereas KMail uses tab to jump from the folder list, to the message list, to the message pan and then jumps to/from various Sender/From/To headers.

That is very missleading, since the usual action is to select a different mail to read, and then you have to use the mouse to move up and down (and YES, it is very difficult to move use ctrl-up, ctrl-down... since you have to _GO BACK_ with shift-tab to the subject pan,... and NO, once you are on the message you want to read in the subject pan, there is no obvious way to open that message; it might be documented, but it is not _OBVIOUS_).

Specially this is the usual action when you use a slow link or when you receive a variation of CVS/reports mails and you want to navigate and select just an specific set of mails.

On the other hand, the not so usual action of selecting a recipient from the To/From/CC list of individuals and sending a mail to the specific person is made "easy" using the tab key.

I believe an effort to improve this usability issues (and make them at least *common* between the different applications) should be started.

If not changing the interface with no other option, a way to select the behaviour of the interface (kmail/knode modes) should be created.