Created attachment 182837 [details] Screenshot showing the constantly moving item SUMMARY There seems to be some newly added progress bar indicating how long a notification is going to remain visible. I assume some people like this, so it seems like a great addition for them. However, the problem is that this an animation that is constantly moving, and there doesn't seem to be a setting to turn this off. I'd like to raise awareness that this seemingly makes the notifications unusable for some, since not everyone can tolerate a constant disorienting movement in a corner while working. (While a notification that otherwise stays still is a better trade-off that some people can tolerate, even when it causes some additional movement.) This can be an issue especially for neurodivergent users. Sorry if the setting is actually there and I just missed it. STEPS TO REPRODUCE 1. Upgrade to plasma version that adds the constant movement in notifications 2. Check "Notifications" setting in KDE system settings and see there is no way to disable this OBSERVED RESULT Notifications have constant movement, which can be more distraction and disorientation than some people can tolerate. This seems to be a regression for those people. There doesn't seem to be a setting for this. EXPECTED RESULT New extremely prominent constantly moving animations should ideally always have a setting to disable them individually. This seems to have slipped through the gaps here. Sorry again if the setting is actually there and I just missed it. SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS Windows: macOS: (available in the Info Center app, or by running `kinfo` in a terminal window) Linux/KDE Plasma: postmarketOS KDE Plasma Version: 6.4.1 KDE Frameworks Version: 6.15.0 Qt Version: 6.8.3 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Created attachment 182838 [details] Screenshot showing the notification settings
This isn't a recent addition; the timeout indicator was always there, just in the slightly more subtle form of a circular indicator around the close button. We had to get rid of that because it was not compatible with icon theming, since the close button is a themed icon. We already thought about the concern you bring up here, and the indicator goes away if you globally disable animations. Beyond that, there are no plans to make this individually configurable. If I look at your screenshots, it seems like it's super duper visible due to your choice of a plasma theme with almost completely transparent backgrounds. I can sympathize, but ultimately it's on you. :)
I accept your opinion, but I wanted to leave a final note think this is a mistake. I currently basically don't have notifications due to this. I might eventually switch desktops just because of this issue. Perhaps at least try to ask others who have problems with moving items, preferably neurodivergent users, and see if it's really just me.
My entire family (self, spouse, children) is neurodivergent in some capacity or other, so I'm sensitive to that argument. However there are many kinds of neurodivergence. It seems that you're talking about the axis of distractability/ADHD. You say the timeout indicator is distracting because it constantly moves. So I have two questions: 1. Is it not distracting to receive notifications in the first place? These appear in your peripheral vision with motion and animation, and then disappear. 2. Are other animations distracting as well? Or just this one? 3. Is the timeout indicator less distracting if you use a Plasma theme where there's substantially less contrast between the indicator and the background? For example, Breeze Light. I'm sure you're smart enough to realize that what I'm getting at here is that we have existing settings to address those angles, and I'd like to at least dig into why they aren't sufficient first.
I'm glad to provide more responses! 1. The notifications are distracting to me, which is why I manage them by turning a lot of them off. Some however are useful. Previously I found it manageable that they pop up but don't move much, not in a way I could tell. The sort of rigid placement rather than any floating or sliding around, among with the previously rather tiny moving indicator made that work well enough. I also place them in a corner where they get least in the way for me and are easier to ignore. 2. For me the practical difference to the kwin window management animations is that those usually trigger after a user action. This means they don't happen out of the blue while I'm busy with something else and distract me. I find that somewhat tolerable as a result. However, I'm known to e.g. turn off most animations inside apps, and I usually crank up the speed of the plasma window management animations to make them less distracting. But I like the window management ones since they some make some actions easier to read, like minimizing vs. closing, and so on. 3. From what I can tell it's not much better, since the moving bar is still relatively wide, and the contrast between the bar and the notifications item is relatively high. For the plasma white theme I am trying in this moment to test this, the progress bar is a solid saturated blue, and the background is a bright gray white mix. The previous indicator I didn't ever consciously notice when I was looking at a different screen area, perhaps due to its size. I hope these responses are helpful. I'm okay with switching desktops if I'm really the only one having this problem, but I would recommend asking others like I suggested above.
Thanks for those details. We can consider another design. Note that if this is really bothersome for you, a theme where everything is extremely transparent is likely never going to look great with any kind of opaque timeout indicator that's not really really really small.
Thank you, I'm glad this is being considered! I think the easiest idea remains a switch to fully hide the indicator, e.g. in the "Configure Event Notifications and Actions..." menu, independently from the other animations.