[dolphin] [Bug 505234] [Feature Request] Add GUI in Dolphin to permanently mount network shares, manage them, and provide better integration with applications

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=505234

--- Comment #2 from Nils Arnold <[email protected]> ---
1. GTK apps are ubiquitous – they need real filesystem paths
GTK-based apps (Firefox, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, etc.) use the GTK file
chooser, which does not reliably support KIO/GVFS network shares. Users often
encounter missing drives or errors. A share mounted via /etc/fstab appears as a
genuine filesystem path and works flawlessly in all apps
lincplustech.com
.

2. Safe and boot-friendly with nofail, noauto, and automount
Concerns about /etc/fstab hanging at boot are valid – but systemd options like
nofail, _netdev, noauto, and x-systemd.automount resolve this effectively:

    nofail: prevents boot delays or stops if the share is missing

    Combined with _netdev, noauto, and x-systemd.automount, the share is
mounted on access after network readiness, avoiding startup issues .

3. fstab mounts are reliable and consistently available
GUI-based KDE mounts often fail to persist after reboot – especially in apps
like Steam, which then can’t find the share. /etc/fstab mounts are system-wide
and ready at boot, ensuring all applications have immediate access.

4. Massive Steam user base & Windows switchers

    Steam boasts ~132 million monthly active users and over 37 million
concurrent users .

    Around 2.7% are Linux users – approximately 3.55 million monthly .

    Many are migrating from Windows, expecting network shares to auto-mount –
failures in KDE lead to frustration and poor first impressions.

5. Modern networks: 2.5–10 Gbps are mainstream
Home and hobby networks frequently use 2.5Gbit or even 10Gbit Ethernet,
delivering speeds over 1 GB/s – equivalent to SATA SSDs
linustechtips.com+13reddit.com+13androidcentral.com+13
.

6. SSD caching enables “local-like” gaming performance
Many NAS devices employ NVMe or SSD caches alongside HDDs, allowing games to be
streamed from the NAS at near-local SSD speeds
lincplustech.com
.

    This lets users run game libraries directly from a cached NAS, yielding
high performance and credible experience for gamers and media users.

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