https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=497239
Bug ID: 497239
Summary: Accessibility: Plasma lacks the ability to set reduced
animations, preventing applications from getting user
preference from environment
Classification: Applications
Product: systemsettings
Version: git-stable-Plasma/6.2
Platform: Arch Linux
OS: Linux
Status: REPORTED
Severity: normal
Priority: NOR
Component: kcm_accessibility
Assignee: plasma-b...@kde.org
Reporter: spleefe...@gmail.com
CC: duha.b...@gmail.com
Target Milestone: ---
Some applications, as an accessibility feature, implement a setting to
reduce/disable non-essential animation motions.
They read this setting from the operating system, or on Linux, the DE.
For example, browsers have a "prefers-reduced-motion" CSS value to enable
websites to reduce animations for the users.
For a more specific example, Firefox attempts to read the value from the
environment these ways -
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/@media/prefers-reduced-motion#user_preferences
In macOS, it reads the "Reduce motion" setting, in iOS
"Accessibility->Motion", in GNOME, it reads from "Reduced animation", ...
Unfortunately, KDE/Plasma does not currently seem to have a setting for this,
so on Plasma, Firefox gets it from:
"System Settings > Workspace Behavior -> General Behavior > Animation speed"
and checks if the animation slider is set to all the way to right to "Instant",
which means it is currently checking whether animations are outright disabled
(and it checks for Disabled Animations on Android too, but that's for another
tracker).
Sometimes, this motion reduction is conflated with latency, as Firefox is doing
there (as it has no choice), but they are different concepts.
Imagine that every time you Minimize an application, your OS plays:
#1 An effect of the application swirling on its own axis
#2 Followed by a vacuum effect of sucking the window into the place of the icon
where it can be interacted with again
#1 Is eye candy, it does not provide functionality, but perhaps most users
enjoy looking at it, so it is there
#2 Has a function of telling you where you can interact with the application
again
Now, as a user, due to perhaps vestibular or distractability issues (or simple
preference, from the non-accessibility reasons):
A) Disable all animations, completely removing #1 and #2
B) Reduce/slowdown motion for both effects, slowing down both 1 and 2 visually,
potentially relying on a second implementation of the animation, which does not
necessarily change animation time
C) Disable animations without a function, swirly #1 goes out, highlighting
vacuum #2 stays in
Neither of those three motion options conflicts with reducing animation times
for people who need or desire lower latency.
Personally, I prefer to disable unnecessary animations animations, keep the
important ones, and at the same time I prefer low latency, so my current
setting is about 80% animation speed in Plasma, and Firefox takes it as me not
wanting reduced animations, since I did not disable them all.
To re-iterate, Firefox is not the only application that does or could be taking
this setting into account, and other KDE components could too, in the future.
Being able to at least *set* this value in Plasma, even if it won't immediately
be used for anything and will need integrations from apps, would be a great
start.
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