Products · Pattern or everyday thing
Cut and paste
Raised as a usability problem by 10 people on Hacker News over 15 years (2012–2026), in 8 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads in the last 5 years.
Every issue, all time, most people first
Unclear whether cut files are deleted or pending until pastedUnreviewed
20122026- Cutting a file without pasting it can lose work since the file is hidden from its original spot2019-11-22
- Users cut files, lose track of the destination, and can't find pasted files2018-02-07
- Unclear whether cut files are deleted or pending until pasted, making outcomes unpredictable2012-07-27
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 9 complaints
- Cut and paste takes multiple separate steps, so moving text is confusing and error-prone2026-07-23
- Cut action accidentally overwrites the clipboard contents2026-07-22
- Cut text is replaced by inert ghost text, can't undo the clipboard change2026-07-22
- Users keep trying the wrong syntax and must google the flags each time2020-06-07
- Silently prints the whole input instead of signalling that field selection failed2020-01-21
- Cutting a file without pasting it can lose work since the file is hidden from its original spot2019-11-22
- The cut command's name and scissors icon don't clearly convey what it does, so users must guess2018-05-15
- Users cut files, lose track of the destination, and can't find pasted files2018-02-07
- Unclear whether cut files are deleted or pending until pasted, making outcomes unpredictable2012-07-27