Bug 512063 - Spatial tiling degrades tiling UX
Summary: Spatial tiling degrades tiling UX
Status: REPORTED
Alias: None
Product: kwin
Classification: Plasma
Component: Quick Tiling (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: 6.5.2
Platform: Fedora RPMs Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: KWin default assignee
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-11-14 07:51 UTC by Coacher
Modified: 2025-11-14 10:18 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

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Description Coacher 2025-11-14 07:51:24 UTC
SUMMARY
Spatial tiling makes overall tiling UX worse compared to previous non-spatial tiling.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Open three windows tiled like this:
╔══╦══╗
║ 1║  ║
╠══╣ 3║
║ 2║  ║
╚══╩══╝
2. Close window 3
3. Try to achieve this layout:
╔══╦══╗
║  ║  ║
║ 1║ 2║
║  ║  ║
╚══╩══╝
4. Select window 1, tile it to the bottom (1 shortcut)
5. Select window 2, tile it to the right twice, then tile to the top (3 shortcuts) or tile to the bottom right, then tile to the top (2 shortcuts).

OBSERVED RESULT
There are at least three problems:
1. To reach the second layout at least 3 shortcuts must be used. Previously only 2 were required. More unnecessary typing.
2.  A simple thought "I want this window to be tiled there" must be broken down into steps like this "First I must tile it to the intermediate state that I don't care about, then to the destination I actually want". More cumbersome.
3. If I want the second layout, but actually don't care if windows 1 and 2 will be swapped, with non-spatial tiling only three shortcuts were required: "Tile window to the left", "Alt+Tab", "Tile window to the right". The desired layout can be reached without touching mouse or worrying about the starting window positions. With spatial tiling I have to consider the initial window placement and adjust shortcut sequence accordingly. More unnecessary cognitive load.

EXPECTED RESULT
Less unnecessary typing. Shortcuts should help the user to reach the goal not to force the user to worry about the intermediate steps to that goal. Shortcuts should actually be a short way to do something, not a bunch of actions that require planning to execute.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Operating System: Fedora Linux 43
KDE Plasma Version: 6.5.2
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.19.0
Qt Version: 6.10.0
Kernel Version: 6.17.7-300.fc43.x86_64 (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: Wayland
Processors: 8 × 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 @ 2.80GHz
Memory: 16 GiB of RAM (15.3 GiB usable)
Graphics Processor: Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This used to work flawlessly before spatial tiling introduction.