(*** This bug was imported into bugs.kde.org ***)

Package:           kwin
Version:           KDE 2.9.2 
Severity:          wishlist
Installed from:    Unspecified Linux
Compiler:          Not Specified
OS:                Linux
OS/Compiler notes: Not Specified

I noticed different behaviors 
of 
various programs when holding the MMB (selecting with MMB) with a non-empty 
clipboard:

Inconsistencies:

KMail Konqueror(html-input fields): 
like selecting with LMB (don't paste and insert selection into clipboard)

KWrite Kate Quanta all GTK-based apps I tried:
immediately paste where MMB is pressed don't care when or where it's released

KNotes Konsole:
immediately paste where the cursor is don't care where MMB is pressed and 
released

KWord v1.1:
Does not support selection with LMB;
Don't paste immediately paste as soon as the user moves the mouse to another 
character (very strange)

I tried both v2.2.2 and v.3beta2 for all KDE-apps unless noted otherwise.
Anyway there are 4 different ways KDE-apps handle this case so I'm pretty 
sure that there is no guideline for this yet. It also looks like programmers 
assume that nobody will drag with the MMB anyway. Of course users won't drag 
very much with the MMB because it will result in a lot of unexpected 
behaviour depending on the application.

Suggestion:

IMO the weak spot of Unix-style copy&paste is that there is no way to 
replace text with the mouse.
I would suggest that when the user holds the middle mouse button and selects 
text with it that the so selected text is replaced with the clipboard and 
the current clipboard-contents should remain unchanged. (And just like you 
would select a word with double-left-click a double-middle-click would 
replace the word with the clipboard)

The beauty about this solution is that it is consistent and non-intrusive (a 
usual middle-click replaces nothing with the clipboard -> inserts clipboard 
just like now).

Example:

1) Text: "abcdefghijk"
2) User selects "abc" with the left mouse-button
3) User presses the MMB above "e"
4) User releases the MMB above "j" (-> user has selected "efghij" with the 
middle mouse button)
5) "efghij" is replaced with "abc" -> "abcdabck" "abc" is still in clipboard

other example:
1) Text: "abcdefghijk"
2) User selects "abc" with the left mouse-button
3) User double clicks with the MMB on the whole word
4) Text changes to "abc" "abc" still in clipboard

yet another example:
1) User empties clipboard or selects a space
2) User double clicks with the MMB on various words in a text to replace them 
with the empty clipboard (= remove the words)

I think this would greatly enhance the usability of copy-paste in KDE and 
make it possible (for the first time) to delete text only using the mouse.


(Submitted via bugs.kde.org)