Four prevalent themes from the discussion
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Keyboard accessibility and discoverability should be built into GUIs
Users stress that shortcuts, consistent bindings, and discoverable aids (tooltips, command palettes, underlined accelerators) are essential for efficient and inclusive interaction.“Where possible, there should be keyboard shortcuts/navigation.” – WillAdams
“I agree but I think being usable by the keyboard isn’t enough, because the shortcuts are often hard to discover and remember.” – marklar423
“Keyboard accessibility is one of those things that tends to get swept under the rug…” – cosmic_cheese -
Critique of web‑based/Electron GUIs; preference for native desktop frameworks
Many commenters argue that treating the browser as a universal UI layer leads to bloat, inconsistency, and poorer keyboard support compared to native toolkits.“Most GUIs should just be web.” – sublinear (original claim)
“Hard disagree. Most web interfaces are worse than most native UIs.” – Arainach
“One of the reasons old timers like me say that using a computer has sucked a lot in the last ~20 years is the use of a browser as an interface to everything.” – BeetleB
“It's not even in consideration anymore since the plaque of electron swept over desktop apps.” – trentor -
Support both keyboard and mouse; avoid forcing one‑size‑fits‑all
The consensus is that GUIs should accommodate both input methods, recognizing that power users benefit from keyboard‑centric workflows while casual users rely on mice, and that designing for both improves overall usability.“I agree 100 %. The mouse is great … but it's wonderful to have the ability to keep your hands on your keyboard when doing data‑entry tasks.” – bigstrat2003
“Ideally you should have both. Every action should be doable by mouse only and by keyboard only.” – ckardaris
“Power user experience is not the same thing as user experience in general … most people aren’t willing to deal with the learning curve of keyboard‑driven GUIs.” – manlymuppet -
Keyboard navigation is vital for accessibility and inclusivity
Enabling full keyboard control helps people with motor or visual impairments, works with screen readers and voice control, and ultimately benefits all users.“Because not everyone has a mouse or is able to use a mouse. Accessibility matters.” – Arainach
“Where appropriate, the labeling of fields … should be such that it will work for a screen reader.” – WillAdams
“If your app is not accessible I literally cannot use your app regardless of how useful it might be.” – ethin
“Being keyboard driven helps people with disabilities AND makes things easier for AI agents.” – godelski