Bug 433823 - Application description makes the launcher look big and selection becomes disturbing
Summary: Application description makes the launcher look big and selection becomes dis...
Status: CLOSED INTENTIONAL
Alias: None
Product: plasmashell
Classification: Plasma
Component: Application Menu (Kicker) (show other bugs)
Version: 5.21.1
Platform: Other Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: 1.0
Assignee: Eike Hein
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2021-03-01 22:09 UTC by medin
Modified: 2021-03-02 22:26 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:


Attachments
Application description makes the launcher look big and selection becomes disturbing (133.03 KB, image/png)
2021-03-01 22:09 UTC, medin
Details

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Description medin 2021-03-01 22:09:14 UTC
Created attachment 136299 [details]
Application description makes the launcher look big and selection becomes disturbing

I don't think there is anyone who install an app and then always read the app description in kicker before launching it, it would be better to have an option to remove those descriptions and make the launcher more compact (because they don't have priority to be always visible and also disturb user when scrolling down for specific an app). And there are wasted horizontal spaces that makes the launcher not well presented or pleasing to the eyes. See attached image for more info.

Operating System: Manjaro Linux
KDE Plasma Version: 5.21.1
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.79.0
Qt Version: 5.15.2
Kernel Version: 5.4.100-1-MANJARO
OS Type: 64-bit
Comment 1 David Edmundson 2021-03-01 22:15:02 UTC
>I don't think there is anyone who install an app and then always read the app description in kicker before launching it

There definitely absolutely are, I know this from dealing with bug reports with people mentioning them. Sometimes wanting them to have more precedence.
Comment 2 medin 2021-03-01 22:24:25 UTC
(In reply to David Edmundson from comment #1)
> >I don't think there is anyone who install an app and then always read the app description in kicker before launching it
> 
> There definitely absolutely are, I know this from dealing with bug reports
> with people mentioning them. Sometimes wanting them to have more precedence.

It can be used only for first time then its existence become not useful at all. And it's not logical to read app description each time a user want to open an app, the app name is enough to identify the target app, and even if the description is important that displayed text as description is not sufficient to clarify the usage or identity of the app.
Comment 3 Nate Graham 2021-03-02 19:15:49 UTC
The launcher can't know whether an app's description is enough to identify it or not, so it can't just discard that information.

As for wasted space, there is none. If your sidebar items have longer text, they will fill that space.
Comment 4 medin 2021-03-02 22:16:50 UTC
(In reply to Nate Graham from comment #3)
> The launcher can't know whether an app's description is enough to identify
> it or not, so it can't just discard that information.
> 
> As for wasted space, there is none. If your sidebar items have longer text,
> they will fill that space.

The problem is that app description makes search process while scrolling for an app very confusing and hard because eyes see more information that has no role in search process. Apps names are unique and well chosen and more known which make those descriptions useless for any kind of use.
Comment 5 Nate Graham 2021-03-02 22:26:54 UTC
When you're searching, that's the exact moment when you do need to see the descriptions, because you're signaling to the system that you're not 100% sure of either what you want or what's available.

And if you are 100% sure, and are using the search as a quick app launcher, then you can simply keep typing until the app you're looking for is the top entry and then hit the return key, ignoring the descriptions entirely.

So this is the intended design, sorry.