<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>KDE was never just a knockoff of Windows or macOS—it’s always been its own thing: a modern, flexible, and powerful desktop environment. The real strength of KDE isn’t in copying what other operating systems do, but in carving out its own, better path.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trying to tweak KDE just to make it feel more familiar to Windows users completely misses the point and goes against what KDE stands for. The majority of KDE users come from the Linux world, not from Windows. People choose KDE because they want a powerful, customizable, and efficient system—not because they’re looking for a Windows clone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>KDE has always been ahead of the curve, proving that real progress comes from making smart, independent decisions—not from blindly following what everyone else is doing. While other desktops locked users into rigid systems, KDE focused on flexibility and personalization from day one. The single-click standard was introduced back in the ‘90s because it’s simply better—faster, smoother, and more intuitive. And that was long before smartphones and tablets showed the world that double-clicking is outdated.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If KDE wants to stay the best desktop out there, it needs to stick to its roots and keep pushing forward. Rolling back progress just to accommodate old habits is a step in the wrong direction.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->...
<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Exposing Nate Graham’s Illogical Arguments and KDE’s Biggest Usability Mistake</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>KDE’s decision to <strong>abandon its long-standing single-click default</strong> is not just <strong>a mistake</strong>, it’s a <strong>betrayal of its own principles</strong>. Nate Graham’s justification for this change is <strong>full of contradictions, false logic, and a complete disregard for KDE’s identity</strong>. Let’s <strong>tear down</strong> these weak arguments and expose why this decision is <strong>one of the worst regressions in KDE’s history.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1. "People like to bring up Windows a lot, but it’s not just Windows. Every other desktop OS also uses double-click for opening files and folders. MacOS, ChromeOS, GNOME, XFCE, everyone. It’s universal."</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>This is the worst possible argument for anything related to UI design.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let’s break it down:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Just because something is widespread doesn’t mean it’s good.</strong><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Windows has had <strong>registry corruption issues for decades</strong>—should KDE copy that too?</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Windows and macOS require <strong>manual defragmentation or SSD trimming</strong>—does that mean KDE should force users to do it as well?</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Internet Explorer was once <strong>the most used browser</strong>—did that make it good?</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>KDE didn’t become a great desktop by <strong>blindly following what everyone else does</strong>—it became great by <strong>offering something better</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Second, <strong>his claim is factually false.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Mobile operating systems like Android and iOS don’t use double-click.</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Web browsers open links with a single click.</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Every button and UI element in modern OSes? Single-click.</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Single-click is the default in touch interfaces, which are becoming dominant.</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If KDE is switching to <strong>double-click just because "others do it"</strong>, then <strong>why not remove customization entirely? Why not make KDE a GNOME clone?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>KDE has always been about <strong>offering an alternative</strong>—not about <strong>mindlessly following what Windows does</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2. "Now, maybe they’re all wrong. An argument has often been made that smartphones will eventually condition people into seeing the virtue of single-click. I even witnessed this myself with my own kids, who intuitively tried to open files and folders with a single-click the first time they used a computer."</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>And here we see him completely contradicting himself.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>If <strong>people naturally try to use single-click</strong>, that means <strong>it’s the better interaction model</strong>.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>If <strong>children, who have never used a computer before, instinctively single-click</strong>, then <strong>why are we forcing them to use an outdated double-click model?</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>KDE was <strong>ahead of Windows, macOS, and GNOME</strong> in this regard. Instead of <strong>being proud of it</strong>, KDE is now <strong>going backwards</strong> because of <strong>fear of change</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If KDE had followed this logic in the past, we would still be stuck with:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>No <strong>tabs in Dolphin</strong>, because "Windows doesn’t have them."</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>No <strong>KWin customization</strong>, because "GNOME doesn’t allow it."</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>No <strong>global menu</strong>, because "macOS keeps it locked down."</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>KDE should be <strong>leading usability improvements, not erasing its own innovations.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3. "Thing is, it took me 10 seconds to teach them to double-click, and then boom, it’s in their heads forever, and now they also know how to open files and folders on every Windows and macOS machine they’ll ever use. It was a complete non-issue."</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This <strong>completely destroys his own logic</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>If you <strong>have to teach someone something</strong>, it means <strong>it’s not intuitive</strong>.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>If something <strong>needs to be manually learned</strong>, it means <strong>it’s less natural</strong>.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>If something is <strong>not natural, it should not be the default interaction model</strong>.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Imagine if someone said:<br><em>"I taught my kids to drive a car without power steering in 10 seconds, so now we don’t need power steering in modern cars."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Or:"I taught my kids to press Ctrl+Alt+Del to open the Task Manager in Windows. Since they learned it, it must be the best way."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Teaching <strong>workarounds for bad UI</strong> doesn’t make the UI better.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4. "In the end I think the context is important. I went back to single-click on my home theater PC because double-clicking with an air mouse remote is a huge pain in the butt, and there’s little reason to be selecting files on such a PC."</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>So let’s get this straight:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>On a media PC, <strong>single-click is the better UX</strong>.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>But on a desktop, <strong>double-click should be forced on users?</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is <strong>pure nonsense</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>The <strong>main reason users click files is to open them</strong>.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Selection is a <strong>secondary action</strong>.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>A <strong>good UX model prioritizes the most frequent action over rare ones</strong>.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If <strong>single-click is better in some cases, then it’s better overall.</strong> There is no reason why <strong>a good UI should only work well on one type of device.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5. KDE’s Decision Breaks Documentation, Books, and Training Materials</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is <strong>one of the biggest disasters of this change.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Books on KDE now have incorrect information.</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Online tutorials and training materials are now outdated.</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>IT courses teaching KDE as an "efficient alternative" to Windows are now misleading.</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Why? Because KDE <strong>decided to break its own UI principles</strong> to align with <strong>Windows, GNOME, and macOS.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you care about KDE’s credibility, you should care about <strong>not making past documentation useless overnight.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This change will cause:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Confusion among users.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Frustration for long-time KDE supporters.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Perception of KDE as <strong>an inconsistent and unreliable system</strong>.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final Verdict: A Disgraceful Step Backwards</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Single-click was a deliberate KDE choice</strong> based on <strong>superior usability principles</strong>.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Double-click is NOT used because it’s better, but because people never questioned it.</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>People naturally use single-click, but KDE is forcing them to unlearn it.</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>There is ZERO technical advantage to double-click.</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>KDE is abandoning one of its biggest usability advantages to become a bad Windows clone.</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a <strong>betrayal of KDE’s core philosophy</strong>, a <strong>cowardly move to please Windows users stuck in bad habits</strong>, and <strong>an unnecessary regression that breaks documentation, confuses users, and removes one of KDE’s biggest UX strengths</strong>.<strong>Nate Graham’s Justifications Are Completely Illogical.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They contradict themselves, rely on <strong>false equivalence</strong>, and completely <strong>disregard the fundamental principles of good UI design</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This decision should be <strong>reversed immediately</strong>. KDE <strong>does not need to become a second-class Windows clone</strong> just because some users are <strong>too lazy to adapt</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>KDE must <strong>stand by its design principles</strong> and <strong>keep single-click as the default</strong>—anything else is a <strong>sellout move</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->...