https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=434953
Bug ID: 434953
Summary: Rule creation interface is hard to use
Product: systemsettings
Version: unspecified
Platform: unspecified
URL: https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-firewall/-/issues
/15
OS: Linux
Status: REPORTED
Severity: normal
Priority: NOR
Component: kcm_firewall
Assignee: plasma-b...@kde.org
Reporter: kevin.kof...@chello.at
CC: tcanabr...@kde.org
Target Milestone: ---
Looking at the code here and the screenshot under
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2021/01/kde-plasma-5-21-features , it looks like
the rule creation interface was taken almost unmodified from the predecessor
nx-firewall (formerly nomad-firewall). Unfortunately, this interface is
unnecessarily hard to use.
UFW-KDE, the old KDE 4 KCM from upstream UFW, had a "simple" mode (which was
the default) and an "advanced" mode (easily enabled through a dropdown at the
top). In the "simple" mode, only the destination port (for an incoming rule)
was shown (with the possibility to pick an application profile instead of a
port number, see also #14 (closed)), all the other settings (source address,
source port, destination address) were hidden and set to "any". In the
"advanced" mode, everything was shown. Plasma Firewall currently only has the
equivalent of the "advanced" mode.
The rationale there is (and I tend to agree with whomever came up with that
design) that an inexperienced user will not know that the destination port is
the only setting that really matters in nearly all cases and what to do with
the other settings. The "simple" mode allows such users to just open up a port
(or ideally an application profile, see #14 (closed)) without knowing the
technical details. And if you need to set everything, you can quickly switch to
"advanced" mode.
I think Plasma Firewall would greatly benefit from having such a "simple" mode,
or something equivalent (could also be, e.g., a separate "Add simple rule" or
"Quickly add rule" button), available as well.
Of course, if you are editing a rule that uses advanced settings, it should
automatically come up in "advanced" mode so that the non-default settings are
clearly visible.
Somewhat related to this, the defaults when creating a new rule should probably
be Incoming and Allow, at least if the firewall is set to default deny.
See also: https://github.com/nx-desktop/nx-firewall/issues/16
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