Ubuntu developers are working on a new feature for Ubuntu called click lock. This is already present in Windows systems, but it looks like no one figured how to integrate it in Linux systems.

Not a lot of people have heard of a nice little feature present in Windows systems named click lock. This allows users to just click on an item, like a folder or file, and move it around without having to keep the button pressed.

This is a usability feature and it’s not aimed at regular users, but more for people with disabilities that have a hard time keeping the mouse button pressed. It’s quite useful, and it’s weird that nobody figured a way of implementing it on Linux systems.

From what the Ubuntu developers are saying, this feature is not present in the Linux ecosystem, so it’s like they can take the work of another and adapt it, as it usually happens with open source projects. This means that they need to do everything from scratch, and they need the help of other devs.

Feature planned for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

This feature is being planned for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, but given the fact that Ubuntu devs need to make this happen from scratch, it’s possible that it won’t be ready in time.

This idea has been raised by Will Cooke, the Ubuntu desktop lead, during the latest Ubuntu Online Summit. He only mentioned this in passing, but he’s been working on improving the usability features in Ubuntu for a while now, and this would be a great addition.

The latest Ubuntu Online Summit has been a very fruitful one, and a lot of interesting ideas have been presented. For example, Ubuntu Software Center is being dropped, along with a number of other default apps.

More details about upcoming features of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) are available in the full presentation below.