Both the GNOME desktop and Mozilla Firefox browser projects are considering disabling middle-click-paste functionality by default.
A merge request for GNOME’s gsettings-desktop-schemas was opened this weekend to disable the primary-paste functionality by default that allows using the middle mouse button for pasting.
Jordan Petridis argued in that GNOME pull request that middle-click paste is an “X11’ism” and that the setting could remain for those wanting to opt-in to enabling the functionality:
“This is an X11ism, originally an xsetting 1 which frequently results is in unexpected behavior when people pressing the middle mouse button.
It’s commonly used for other actions or more often getting clicked by accident, and dumping your entire clipboard while having no indication that this will happen is nothing short of a dumpster fire.
People that know about this functionality and really love this functionality can easily override the setting.”
The gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-enable-primary-paste true command would be a way of restoring the primary paste (middle click paste) for those desiring the functionality.
The decision over the default has been tasked to GNOME’s design team for consideration.
Separately, Mozilla is also considering disabling middle mouse button paste by default too. The ticket opened this weekend noted:
“This is a little known feature and behavior that leads into user confusion when they click the middle mouse button without knowing about its functionality. Most of the time, its also clicked by accident, and its very weird to have the clipboard dumped on such occasions.
The feature is also not discoverable at all, and even on the Freedesktop wiki page, the entirity of the “PRIMARY” selection is refferred to as an “easter egg”.”
Another option being considered is having the option to enable/disable it at either the GTK toolkit level or Wayland compositor level.
