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Last I tried, you couldn't type direct paths into the fileselector or the file browser, basically requiring that you mouse your way around. I found that extreme

Last I tried, you couldn't type direct paths into the fileselector or the file browser, basically requiring that you mouse your way around. I found that extremely aggravating and went back to KDE almost immediately.

symlinkk 7y ago
You can, simply press Ctrl + L. It's funny to me that you switched desktop environments instead of Googling that.
- TheCraiggers 7y ago
  Well, it wasn't advertised, and I argue it's a basic feature of a file picker / browser so it should be very obvious. To be honest, that was just the final straw. I was already unhappy with Gnome for a variety of reasons, that was just one of them.
hadrien01 7y ago
Ctrl+L has always worked for me, it highlights the path field.
- inetknght 7y ago
  Having a key sequence is fine. Remembering the key sequence is annoying. Every OS and UI wants to have it different. Modern OSes even get rid of hints and text so people don't even know that a key sequence is available.
  - ghostly_s 7y ago
    This shortcut has been the same on MacOS, Windows, and most Linux DEs for ages. Can't please everyone, I guess.
    - the_pwner224 7y ago
      This is true, but having just a keyboard shortcut is still a disaster for discoverability. I've used Windows a fair bit and have spent a decade using various Linux DEs; it was only two weeks ago that I discovered Ctrl+L. It's a wonderful shortcut, useful in browsers and a huge number of other applications, but having buttons and menus and other UI features - which may take up a tiny bit of space and piss off designers who want ultra simple UIs - are what allow people to become good at using software naturally, without having to actively seek out knowledge from the few enlightened ones.
      - eitland 7y ago
        > I've used Windows a fair bit and have spent a decade using various Linux DEs; it was only two weeks ago that I discovered Ctrl+L. It wasn't available in Explorer until recently. More specifically: sometimes I have to work with Windows 2008 servers and it is not available there. I think in older Windows Explorers you could use an F-key or something but I don't work that much with Windows anymore. > but having buttons and menus and other UI features - which may take up a tiny bit of space and piss off designers who want ultra simple UIs - are what allow people to become good at using software naturally, without having to actively seek out knowledge from the few enlightened ones. I tvink we agree. I have had a feeling for a while that a lot of the simplification of UX we have done in the last 10 years is more dumbification, and that by removing the learning curve we've also removed the learning. Do I mean software should be hard to use? No. Use as clear ux as possible but if you are designing power user apps for existing power users (or people that should become power users) don't be afraid to add some configurability. If I should try to come up with one rule of thumb: if a ux designer is removing options the users want they might be dumbing down the UX instead of simplifying it.
    - sk0g 7y ago
      And it works on browsers, Spotify, etc. As close to a universal shortcut as we're getting, albeit not as well known as ones like Ctrl+S.

symlinkk 7y ago

You can, simply press Ctrl + L. It's funny to me that you switched desktop environments instead of Googling that.

TheCraiggers 7y ago
Well, it wasn't advertised, and I argue it's a basic feature of a file picker / browser so it should be very obvious. To be honest, that was just the final straw. I was already unhappy with Gnome for a variety of reasons, that was just one of them.

hadrien01 7y ago

Ctrl+L has always worked for me, it highlights the path field.

inetknght 7y ago
Having a key sequence is fine. Remembering the key sequence is annoying. Every OS and UI wants to have it different. Modern OSes even get rid of hints and text so people don't even know that a key sequence is available.
- ghostly_s 7y ago
  This shortcut has been the same on MacOS, Windows, and most Linux DEs for ages. Can't please everyone, I guess.
  - the_pwner224 7y ago
    This is true, but having just a keyboard shortcut is still a disaster for discoverability. I've used Windows a fair bit and have spent a decade using various Linux DEs; it was only two weeks ago that I discovered Ctrl+L. It's a wonderful shortcut, useful in browsers and a huge number of other applications, but having buttons and menus and other UI features - which may take up a tiny bit of space and piss off designers who want ultra simple UIs - are what allow people to become good at using software naturally, without having to actively seek out knowledge from the few enlightened ones.
    - eitland 7y ago
      > I've used Windows a fair bit and have spent a decade using various Linux DEs; it was only two weeks ago that I discovered Ctrl+L. It wasn't available in Explorer until recently. More specifically: sometimes I have to work with Windows 2008 servers and it is not available there. I think in older Windows Explorers you could use an F-key or something but I don't work that much with Windows anymore. > but having buttons and menus and other UI features - which may take up a tiny bit of space and piss off designers who want ultra simple UIs - are what allow people to become good at using software naturally, without having to actively seek out knowledge from the few enlightened ones. I tvink we agree. I have had a feeling for a while that a lot of the simplification of UX we have done in the last 10 years is more dumbification, and that by removing the learning curve we've also removed the learning. Do I mean software should be hard to use? No. Use as clear ux as possible but if you are designing power user apps for existing power users (or people that should become power users) don't be afraid to add some configurability. If I should try to come up with one rule of thumb: if a ux designer is removing options the users want they might be dumbing down the UX instead of simplifying it.
  - sk0g 7y ago
    And it works on browsers, Spotify, etc. As close to a universal shortcut as we're getting, albeit not as well known as ones like Ctrl+S.