Why a modal dialog for authentication?

[asinbeer]

With 22.1 I'm confronted with a modal dialog box for authentication. Nothing can be done until a password is entered. Including copy/paste, which is how I enter my long password.

I've been a user for a long time of LM. Since Ubuntu & Gnome decided to blow up the UI years ago. I chose Mint then. I'm not a programmer, just a user who expects his desktop to do what I ask.

Anytime you think a modal dialog is the answer, you should think some more. You need a very good reason to interrupt the user. What is gained?

I am, as always, a fan.

[billyswong]

I guess the rationale may be so that no other software may steal focus when the user is typing password.

But there are some instance where an user may NOT want to confirm or cancel the password prompt immediately, but want to work on other tasks first, even if they don't need to copy & paste passwords as in your situation. Similar for any other WM-induced dialogs. In my opinion, it will be best if these dialogs be non-steal-able but still possible for an user to un-modal it by a click of button and/or certain key combination, until the keyboard focus is back to the password field in the prompt.

[cplittlfield]

I am not a fan of system-modal dialogues. They are completely disruptive and not called for in most cases. As someone posted in the LM forums, "If you think a modal dialogue is called for, then you should think some more."

What, for example, is so important about authenticating an update that the user must interrupt everything else to respond? Authentication at startup, or when recovering from a locked screen, or when shutting down the system, are very different situations, where using a system-modal dialogue is justified, even required. But for a normal task, such as updating? Come on, folks!

A system-modal window in such a case feels a lot like the "nanny-ism" of Microsoft products. Since switching to Linux Mint, I have grown accustomed to being treated as an adult again. I don't want to lose that.

[billyswong]

What, for example, is so important about authenticating an update that the user must interrupt everything else to respond? Authentication at startup, or when recovering from a locked screen, or when shutting down the system, are very different situations, where using a system-modal dialogue is justified, even required. But for a normal task, such as updating? Come on, folks!

I agree with you mostly. If the purpose of modal password prompt is to prevent other software stealing focus from the password prompt, the password prompt shouldn't steal focus from other software either. A software may request admin right in the middle of itself running in background. Such request and such password prompt shouldn't steal focus from what I am doing in foreground.

[bigboipete]

See #12691.

[Secret-chest]

Workaround: MATE

[asinbeer]

I find the modal dialog to be so offensive that I am considering moving to another OS. Maybe MATE.
I also thought about removing the password requirement completely through the magic of cut and paste. Also, I can make my password so short and easy that it is very typeable.
For now, I've retreated to LM 21.3.