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GIMP 2.8 Will Sport a Redesigned UI
ceswiedler writes "Ars Technica's Ryan Paul previews the upcoming release of the GIMP. It will include a single-window mode where the user can dock toolbar windows and switch between images via tabs. There are other improvements as well, including docking support in multi-window mode and improvements to the text tool." To get this early preview, Paul compiled version 2.7.1 from the active development branch, along with its dependencies.
Are they still committed to breaking one of Gimp's best features: "Intelligent Save" ? (Inferring file type based on extension)
Splitting "File > Export" and "File > Save" is counter-intuitive; it's not DWIMish, and I guarantee more people will be frustrated that the Save dialog box is "broken" when they try to save a JPG and end up with an XCF file instead. "File > Export" reeks of being Designed By Developers, rather than actually taking user behavior into account.
(And stealing the keystroke for "Fit In Window" is just adding insult to injury...)
I've always noticed a kind of cultural difference in this respect between people who came up through the Windows vs. the UNIX/Linux worlds. Generally, the former like their apps monolithic and full-screen, whereas the latter prefer to have multiple windows open, each just large enough to do the job. E.g., my GF, an unrepentant Windows user, runs just about everything full-screen, regardless of how little real estate the contents of the window might consume. She uses PS a lot, and to her GIMP looks very fragmented and confusing. I, on the other hand, find that GIMP's multiple windows fits my thought process very well, and consider PS to be overwrought and clunky. To each their own, I suppose...
That's all very well and good, but a window manager that's broken covers:
KDE
GNOME (I believe - I've never used it in anger myself)
Windows
and probably MANY more, if not most. So, a significant proportion of the potential user-base.
Yes, some of these can be configured to work the way the developers require for sensible functioning of their app.
Also, this does not address the problem of having to use GIMP with multiple workspaces/desktops, whereby "Send to desktop n" will send the image you're working on, but none of the toolbars or dialogs associated with working on that image. This was my second biggest bugbear of using GIMP (the first, obviously, being the absurdly steep learning curve).
"The dew has clearly fallen with a particularly sickening thud this morning"
OK, but how does focus-follows-mouse disadvantage everyone else? I use it, and I don't have a beard.
I can't speak for everyone else, but in my case the keyboard and mouse works like a team, I do shortcuts on the keyboard while the mouse is on its way or already somewhere else. A typical operation is copying/moving files or text which for me is usually Ctrl-X/C *click* Ctrl-V as the click focuses on the destination. Focus follow steals the focus too soon.
Another big annoyance is losing focus if I move my hand over to the keyboard to type, particularly on the stupid apps that have focus follows mouse even inside the application. It really doesn't take much to move a line away in a form or something.
Also, I find I can be much more effective if I can be erratic with the mouse and click to confirm rather than things popping in and out of focus all over the place. That I could probably get used to ignore but I find it distracting and not productive.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Blender is in the process of changing it's UI, too! They had this amazing and innovative idea of putting important and often used commands available on actual buttons, so you're not completely screwed if you don't happen to remember the shortcut!
You might be able to shave off at least a month of that one year learning curve now!
(The latest SVN builds for all the relevant platforms can be found here, if anyone want's to check it out)