RANT : What is with KDM LogIn and keyboard/mouse support

[sling-shot]

ISSUE 1 :
I always had an issue with the lack of an OK button to click in our KDM login screen. In fact if I remember correct, it was there in earlier releases, disappeared somewhere in-between, made an appearance again by itself or due to some forum posts, and then disappeared again. Right now, it is not there.

ISSUE 2 :
Try logging in using keyboard alone. If you have never done this before, then good. If not put yourself in the shoes of someone who does not yet know.
(This became apparent to me only when I had problems with the touchpad of my notebook not working)
My knowledge of keyboard only use in a GUI was that Tab is used to navigate between fields and ENTER to select the field/button. SPACE is used to fill checkboxes or put tick marks etc.

I have only root and a user configured. Initially when KDM presents itself, it shows the user login at the top and root at the bottom. The user name is slightly highlighted but not underlined.
Now this will make you think that the user is already selected. So if you try to enter a password, it will not accept. (probably because at this time your keystrokes are being used to locate the user name beginning with the letter typed. This will not be apparent in a login screen with only root and another user.)
OK. So now you will think that you should select a user first by hitting the  tab may be. So you do that and the user name will be highlighted and underlined. Now you try to enter the password. Oh No. Bad password. (Very strange if you consider that there are only root and 1 user and the password is same for both!)
So I used the trick of plugging in external USB mouse and clicking on the user name and then entering password.
Now I am expecting to use the mouse. BUT only, there is no point to click. I have to hit ENTER to login.

EUREKA !!! After more than a month of fiddling and getting frustrated, today I landed the solution (the feeling was akin to arriving at E=MC^2.) I have to hit the Da*n SPACE BAR to select user.

So in all :
1. Arrive at the KDM LogIn screen.
2. Bring your hands to KEYBOARD.
3. Hit TAB.
4. Highlight user name.
5. Hit SPACE.
6. Enter password.
7. Hit ENTER.

Now I am sure many will laugh at me for not knowing this or that it is such a silly issue. But everyone has their own things that irritate and this has been mine for sometime now.

Just had a look at this http://docs.kde.org/stable/en/kde-workspace/kdm/configuring-kdm.html.
I did not see anything related to my issue there.

[menotu]

ISSUE 1 :
I always had an issue with the lack of an OK button to click in our KDM login screen. In fact if I remember correct, it was there in earlier releases, disappeared somewhere in-between, made an appearance again by itself or due to some forum posts, and then disappeared again. Right now, it is not there.

+1

I too like an OK button on the KDM login screen so I use the MIB Ossigeno themes;

Icons  - MIB Ossigeno Ultimate v4
KDM Login screen - MIB Ossigeno Ultimate v4
KSplash screen - MIB Ossigeno Ultimate Splash Screen v4  (I also use Archies PCLinuxOS Wet Air theme)

I believe the Ossigeno themes were originally for Mandriva (but no mention of Mandriva on the actual themes) and apparently they can be used for both KDE and Gnome

[sling-shot]

Thanks menotu. I will try that out.

[kjpetrie]

I always log in using the keyboard only. What's confusing is the absence of a visible field to type the user name in. However, that has focus even though it's not visible, as was pointed out to me by O-P many moons ago.

So:
1. type the user name
2. hit Tab
3. type the password (the caret will be visible in the pw field and the user will be strongly highlighted)
4. hit Enter

Counter-intuitive because the user name field is invisible, but not difficult once known.

Why one would want a clickable button when the Enter key is far easier to use is a mystery to me, but I suppose it's all about choice.

[sling-shot]

So that makes 2 of us. Where is the usability?

Generally, I do not expect to have to type the whole user name when there is a visible / apparently scrollable / clickable list. This is not how the GUI's I have known behave.
And the procedure I / you described above is very difficult to figure out as our experience shows without clear cut instructions because they are not 'intuitive'. This is because they break away from the regular user experience without explanation for no apparent reason (to me).

One would want a clickable button because that is what one inherently expects in such a situation after being used to many many dialog boxes etc previously wherein even if hitting enter would result in selection, hitting on the OK button is definitive. (Sometimes, I am not too sure what will hitting ENTER do)

Ultimately, I would rather ask "What do we lose if we have an OK / CANCEL button?" rather than "What do we gain by having them?"