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Kubuntiac wrote:

TheBlackCat wrote:This isn't possible because of how Qt handles shortcuts.

This is true... but silly. QT is open source and open governnce now. KDE is arguably it's largest user. This idea clearly has traction with users. I'd say it would be highly valuable if someone from the relevant part of KDE would talk with or send a patch for QT so we can get this fixed once and for all. No, I don't know enough to do it myself, but the point of the brainstorm section is to find out what the users want most, right?

Well, that's a comment after my own heart!
Apart from talented piano players users will have to use both hands for this shortcut - which is highly regrettable for a function that might be among the most frequently used ones of all!

The super key is used for lots of things, you probably just don't know.
Having an extra modifier for global usage is really nice, apart from the massive use by kwin, I use it for a lot of common tasks like maximize, go full screen, show desktop etc.

If you can't type alt + f1, try something easier like alt + space - or meta + space

A good thing about Gnome and the Meta key is that pressing just the Meta (Win) key brings up the menu; but, you can also use Meta + [key(s)] for hotkeys.

I would like to vote this up... but, then, would that mean in KDE it's only one or the other, not both?

That is, would it only allow you to open the menu with Meta key, or only use Meta with Shortcut keys? To be able to do both, like in Gnome, would be great.

Further to my comment above, if the choice is really only one or the other, open menu or hotkey combination, I would much rather keep Meta for hotkey combinations.

I see no reason it should be one or the other. Currently, if you make something use a shortcut that's taken, you get told what else is already using it.

Just have it so that if you set meta key for something, that you get given a list of shortcuts using the meta key already, and if the user decides to continue, then those conflicting shortcuts are removed (just like when you click reassign now).

I wouldn't like any key modifier to act alone (shift, ctrl, alt & meta/super). Simple reason for me is that many programs use these or some as modifiers/shortcuts.

I have to rearange keys with new installs so that program+Kwin wont collide, thus meta is good for Kwin as a modifier and not stand alone key.

As ref. Blender 3D uses modifier keys ALOT, Alt has to reconfigured, closes at hand is meta.

I can understand that some people would not want to use a modifier key alone. That is why my suggestion does not do this by default. That said, many people *do* want to use the meta key solo. This proposal doesn't take away people's ability to keep things as they are. It just gives the freedom to configure things for those of us who either don't use meta in any shortcut (like me - and I use Blender a lot), or who are happy to change whichever shortcuts they *do* use that conflict. People don't need to reconfigure shortcuts they don't use. Saying that there are other things that have conflicting shortcuts misses the point. None of them matter if the person configuring the shortcut doesn't use the conflicting shortcuts, or is happy to change them to get use of the meta key by itself.

If someone wanted to change ctrl+f12 to minimize all windows, KDE lets them, despite it currently being used to show the dashboard. We just disable the current shortcut and reassign ctrl+f12 to the users preference.

Why should we limit this ability to exclude the super key solo?

I can understand that some people would not want to use a modifier key alone. That is why my suggestion does not do this by default. That said, many people *do* want to use the meta key solo. This proposal doesn't take away people's ability to keep things as they are. It just gives the freedom to configure things for those of us who either don't use meta in any shortcut (like me - and I use Blender a lot), or who are happy to change whichever shortcuts they *do* use that conflict. People don't need to reconfigure shortcuts they don't use. Saying that there are other things that have conflicting shortcuts misses the point. None of them matter if the person configuring the shortcut doesn't use the conflicting shortcuts, or is happy to change them to get use of the meta key by itself.

If someone wanted to change ctrl+f12 to minimize all windows, KDE lets them, despite it currently being used to show the dashboard. We just disable the current shortcut and reassign ctrl+f12 to the users preference.

Why should we limit this ability to exclude the super key solo?

Actually, looking at the original idea again, I will say that this would be a much larger change if the idea is to use the super key for kickoff *by default*, where what I was describing in the comments is the *ability* to *configure* the meta key to launch kickoff if desired.

I am curious though of the previous poster, where does Blender use the meta key by default? I've only ever come across shortcuts with shift, ctrl and alt...

Kubuntiac wrote:
I am curious though of the previous poster, where does Blender use the meta key by default? I've only ever come across shortcuts with shift, ctrl and alt...

It's the other way around, blender use ALT+Mouse click (for loop select) and Kubuntu uses ALT+M-click for drag window, by default. The other standard option is meta+mouse. If meta was a stand-alone(w/o configurable) this wouldn't be possible.

All in all - I prefer modifiers over stand alone key press, but that's my personal workflow/opinion.

Just to be technically accurate Blender uses 'b' for "bounding box select".

Hi all, I'll have a wholeheartdly +1 to the idea.
Having no easy way to open the main menu get many new users lost, especially when they come from other OS.
It's a native "reflex" to look for the main menu when you don't know where to start.
As for the risk of conflict, it exists indeed, but as previous comments stated if it's easy to configure it shouldn't be a problem.

So this imo should be a default behaviour in KDE, but with a dedicated option easy to find.
Or, at least, should be an option to use meta as "stand-alone" key.

My 2 cents, Cheers!

While I support the idea that super key should also as standalone shortcut available I think that it shouldn't be the default for a simple application menu like kickoff which only opens applications. It would be better to have someting which is more like lenses in unity or the application launcer of gnome 3. Something which combinded application launching and semantic search. There are some thoughts of improving krunner. But the time will show if it will happen.

Question: is it actually impossible to use a key both as a modifier AND get something done by itself only?

In our case.
- You press key 'META/super'
- If you press another key --> you the combo modifier+what-you-pressed
- otherwise (thus if you release key 'META/super' before pressing any other key) --> you get the kickoff menu

No way, the "Win" or "cmd" key is way too much used here as modifier that I cannot get rid of it to have it behave like a standard key.
Why don't you use F3, F4, F5... to F9 ? Unless you only ise htop, there aren't all used at the same time in a same app....
You get a -1 from me.

PS: Perhaps double click on the Win key will do the trick? One keypress = win key as modifier and double keypress would be "win" key as key.