Comment 5 for bug 1861088

"all that is required is moving the mouse further" - David Edmundson

Respectfully, here me out.

As a new user of KDE, I have no clue what that means (above). Is there some implicitly hidden gesture that produces the Application Menu on Additional Monitors? If so, why is this gesture not required on the default monitor? That's an inconsistency guaranteed to confuse a new users of KDE (like myself).

Closing this ticket on the grounds that "defaults are subjective" ignores the fact that "sensible default increase new user adoption".

I'm making the effort to push this point because I've just started using KDE and I want it to become the goto desktop for all types of users. Obviously, I can see that it is the goto desktop for power users, but if you'd give my suggestions deeper consideration KDE will evolve into the desktop that's preferred by power users AND new users. This can be accomplished by making defaults explicit instead of hidden: "Show it until they know it".

I donated $20.00 to KDE.org the other day because of the potential I see in KDE. That doesn't make what I'm saying unquestionable, but I want you to know my sincerity.

Here's my primary desktop history:
Windows 3.1
Windows 98
Window XP
GNOME 2 (April 2007 is when I started using Linux exclusively)
Unity 7
GNOME 3
KDE

Out of all of these GNOME 2 was the easiest to use as a new user, but Unity 7 had the most sensible defaults when it comes to panels in a Multiple Monitors environment:

In Unity 7, if you installed that desktop onto a computer having multiple monitors, each additional monitor had all the same panels as the default monitor. In its day, Unity 7 had more users than GNOME and KDE combined. When it came to new user adoption, they were doing something right.

Here's why KDE should do this too by default:

1) Concept of "Burden of Configuration". The burden of configuration is best placed on users that already have the knowledge of how to configure KDE. New users benefit from explicit interfaces that show things (on screen) by default. Auto-hide and gesture-driven access to menus are NOT sensible defaults for new users. This is NOT subjective. It is a fact. Once new users know where things are, at that point they can give more priority to saving screen real-estate with auto-hide and learning shortcuts such as mouse gestures and hot-keys. Those things are not intuitive to new users. Until they know it, show it!

2) Concept of "Lowest Number of Steps Required". It requires less steps to remove a panel than it does to 1) Learn what a panel is 2) Learn the KDE names of each type of panel 3) Learn the KDE idiosyncrasies of new panel creation in a multiple monitor setup (see #4 in my original post; its a bug in and of itself).

3) Concept of "Less Steps Drive New User Adoption". In Web Marketing, it is a known fact that you lose sales for each additional step that's required to purchase your product online. Example, if it requires one step maybe 20% of the people that see it will buy it. If it requires 2 steps: only 15% will buy it. 3 steps 7% will buy it. Amazon.com knows this, and that's why they created the feature (one click purchasing). The point is, with each additional set required, you lose people.

The same is probably true for New User adoption of a desktop environments. How many people have run into the problem I'm reporting here, and decided to put no effort into trying to change it? How many people evaluate KDE and after not seeing an application menu on an additional monitor, just assume wrongly that KDE is inadequate and quit evaluating it?. How many people get to step 1 (of learning about panels) and then give up. How many people add a panel, and give up because they don't want to take the next step to configure it to their liking. Each additional step a new user has to endure could be the step they give up on.

Give the new user everything on all monitors by default and I promise you it will benefit new user adoption. I can't prove it, but I intelligible know it (based on the concepts above).