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Currently, plasma uses a locked/unlocked model for editing plasma and managing widgets. This idea is to create a third, much more clearly defined "mode" when working with the plasma configuration; "Unlocked", "Locked", "Edit".

"Locked" and "Unlocked" would not change. "Edit" would be a much more editor-centric version of "Unlocked". Edit-mode would replace Unlocked-Mode, while the user would be able to decide which mode they prefer working with via the control panel.

The distro itself would toggle which variation they want to use by default.

Below is a list of behavioral changes you might expect to see in the Edit mode (compared to Unlocked)

• The background would darken, and all windows would be force-minimized/hidden.
  
• Clicks on widgets would not "pass through" to the widget.
  
• The hover-drawer would replaced with a full bounding box w/ centering dot on hover.
  
• Clicking on widgets would initiate dragging. Double clicking widgets would switch the bounding box between resize and rotate.
  
• Right-clicking would present resize, rotate, bring to front, bring forward, send backward, send to back, remove widget and configure. No widget-specific menus would show up.
  
• Widgets would "snap" to other widgets, or line up with the edge-lines.
  
• Hotkeys such as ctrl+Z would become available.
  
• Widgets might display rulers/dimensions/angles/positions when being modified.
  
• A scalable, centered grid would be imposed on the darkened background.
  
• The Jelly-Bean would have "save"/"save as new workspace"/"close without saving" options.
  

I like this. For example I don�t want to unlock my widgets just to resize a note because not all text fits in it.
So the edit mode would give you access to all the configuration things like today you can. And the unlocked part would allow you to at least manipulate widgets on your desktop or so.