[edgy] Can't show root (/) in gtk file chooser after update to edgy

If I select "Show Hidden Files" the files magically appears...
I've found the same behavior in KDE (even Konqueror): even there "Show hidden files" solves the problem.
So this is a bug or a feature?

Thanks for your bugreport.

Can you please attach a screenshot of this reduced view? I'm unable to reproduce this here on a machine that was upgraded from dapper->edgy (i386 though).

Thanks,
 Michael

Maybe I've found the reason for that "feature". On my system I've installed ubuntu with a near complete kubuntu set of packages (so it is a gnome+kde system), my desktop is KDE.
I found that in my root dir there's a symbolic link named ".hidden" that points to "/etc/kubuntu-default-settings/hidden-root". Deleting or renaming this file make my system behave as expected letting me browse my filesystem freely (without checking the "show hidden files" on the various browsers).
The file "/etc/kubuntu-default-settings/hidden-root" contains a list of directories "obscured". Don't ask me how this can interfere with Gnome or GTK+, really don't know....
All those settings were put in the "kubuntu-default-settings" package.

This is the designed-in behavior, not a bug, so I'm setting importance to wishlist. Not rejecting it because I don't know a better way to track the response of users to this change than to track reported bugs. It works in gtk apps too, presumably, because Gnome has supported this feature since long before KDE implemented it.

I think it's only a matter of documenting that "feature" (IMHO a useless and confusing feature) somewhere (kubuntu release notes?)...

removing /.hidden is not going to break anything?

The problem is probably that usability is different for everyone. Having this "complexity hiding" by default is maybe desirable for very new newbies, but keeping it hidden and not having a very obvious way of unhiding the complexity will be confusing and limiting to go beyond newbie level.

If file dialogs all had a "show hidden files" option and all file manager had an obvious way to configure them to show hidden files (and ignore .hidden lists), it wouldn't be so bad.

Another way of solving it might be to show hidden files (.hidden and files starting with a dot) in a lower contrast to the background (grey if your bg is white/black).

A risk with completely hiding is that it can lead to confusing and false bugreports as well as breakage when the FSH changes. Also, I think it would be more respectful of the user to not assume he/she is stupid.

if the .hidden file was visible, I think that would give a clue about this microsoft-ish feature, and hence allow newcomers to disable it.

the better fix would be to let this feature go.

Rocco Stanzione wrote:
>This is the designed-in behavior, not a bug, so I'm setting importance
>to wishlist.

I'm biting my tongue here, because to say this "feature" is confusing, worthless and contradicts standards is an understatement. :-)

> Not rejecting it because I don't know a better way to
>track the response of users to this change than to track reported bugs.

THANK YOU! Not all developers feel that way...

I've got a GNOME bug report to prove it. :-) But I digress....

>It works in gtk apps too, presumably, because Gnome has supported this
>feature since long before KDE implemented it.

But it seems then that it's been an option that K(U)ubuntu wasn't utilizing until Edgy.

And as has been pointed out, it's a result of the "kubuntu-default-settings" package. This "feature" wasn't in said package prior to Edgy, so clearly it's a decision made by the Kubuntu team (or Jonathan Riddell, the package maintainer). It didn't come from KDE or GNOME.

klerfayt wrote:

>removing /.hidden is not going to break anything?

Not at all. I removed it countless times when I was running the Edgy alpha/beta.

You might want to take /media/.hidden along with it.

Quote from k-d-s changelog:
kubuntu-default-settings (1:7.04-1) feisty; urgency=low
....
  * Removed .hidden file for /

Fixed in feisty.