Is this the single worse piece of bad design for confusing computer users?

From the article: Raise Your Windows IQ: Advice for Newbies

When to Single-Click, When to Double-Click

Now let's tackle an area that typically confuses the heck out of Windows novices: single-clicking versus double-clicking. The reason this is so confusing is that there's very little rhyme or reason to it. Some functions require a single click (of the left mouse button, that is), others a double. Nowhere in Windows is it made obvious which is which.

However, it's important to learn the rules, as double-clicking when you should be single-clicking can lead to unexpected and/or unwanted results. (Conversely, single-clicking when you need to double-click can lead to no results at all.)

Rule #1: Don't double-click in a Web browser. Links, buttons, tabs, toolbar icons, and everything else you're likely to encounter in your browser require one click only. If you double-click, say, an e-mail address, you'll end up with two e-mail windows.

Rule #2: Don't double-click the quick-launch program icons in your Windows taskbar (you know, the ones to the right of the Start button). Part of what makes these "quick" is that they require only one click. In fact, don't double-click anything in the taskbar.

Rule #3: Do double-click program icons on your desktop (when you want to run those programs, natch) and files/folders you want to open. And that's it. You'll rarely ever need to double-click anything else in Windows.


Computers should just work, simply.

Cheers,
Martin

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There is a setting in Windows to make everything a single-click.

Happy now?

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There is a setting in Windows to make everything a single-click.

That's very interesting...

So why is that hidden away?

Why is that not the default?

Regards,
Martin

[edit]
Please note this is not Windows specific - the 'double-click'/'single-click' confusion abounds across various GUIs, and not only on Windows.
[/edit]

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

So why is that hidden away?

Why is that not the default?

I remember when Microsoft added the feature to turn all clicks to single clicks, but you had to enable it. This was back in Windows 98SE, and you had to install Internet Explorer 6, since Microsoft tightly integrated the web browser into the OS so as to lie to the courts about removing it breaking Windows altogether.

I remember enabling it on my machine at work, then all the other "techies" would laugh at me because I was using such a silly "feature".

The main reason behind hating the feature seems to be that sometimes you want to access an icon's property sheet. In the default behavior, you single-click the icon (or actually right-click it) then go to Properties (or even copy, run as, etc.). With Single-Click enabled, clicking the icon automatically launches the application. To access the properties sheet, you have to actually click-and-hold the icon, then right-click it to access the context menu. Simply right-clicking on a single-click icon didn't always bring up the appropriate context menu.

The entire ordeal was very frustrating for power users that were used to things being a specific way. Since it generally doesn't cause too many complaints to leave things as they are, and since most users are very comfortable with doing things this way, Microsoft made it an option that has to be enabled for those that prefer single-clicking (if they know about it).

I can't state definitively if this is true for other GUIs, but I'm willing to bet that it's probably the same. Single vs. Double clicking has it's uses, as confusing as it is for everyone else.

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So why is that hidden away?

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