The KDE team have announced another significant change for Plasma 6, saying tap-to-click will be enabled by default for touchpads.

The KDE developers have been working on the next major release of the Plasma desktop environment for Linux, adding features and refinements along the way. According to developer Nate Graham, this includes enabling tap-to-click by default:

This week we weren’t done improving input device defaults; for Plasma 6, touchpad tap-to-click is now enabled by default!

In the initial proposal to change the default, Guilherme Marçal Silva made the case that touchpads have evolved greatly since the decision was made to leave it off by default nine years ago. Silva then outlined a number of reasons why the default should be updated:

I would like to propose enabling the tap-to-click option for all touchpads by default. A few distributions already enable it even though the upstream default is to leave it disabled. The current default was decided on 9 years ago, when low-quality touchpads were more widespread. In the same vein as #94, that upstream default no longer represents the reality of most laptop users.

• Windows enables tap-to-click (and tap-and-drag) by default for millions of users without any widespread issues. Following the same default would make migrating users more comfortable with the transition. This also means that manufacturers already have to take care of touchpad quality and placement, making accidental clicks rare.
• Clicking physically requires repeated physical force, which can create repeated strain injuries or aggravate symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
• If the touchpad has physical buttons at the bottom and the option is disabled, the user has to move the hand to a specific part of the laptop to click every time.
• Users of smartphones, which encompass virtually everyone, are already familiar with the concept of tapping to click on something. Translating that action to the touchpad means they don’t have to learn another interaction pattern.
• Clicking physically wears down the touchpad, creating hardware problems over time.
• Depending on the quality of the touchpad, clicking physically can be noisy.

This latest decision is further evidence that Plasma 6 is shaping up to be an outstanding release of the venerable desktop environment.