I must be doing something(s) wrong

[David Ross <david netwebconsultants com>]

I am new to Dia and would like to use it for software/system/schema
modeling. I have had problems with stability (it crashes during extended
sessions) and using or understanding how to use basic features,
including:

      * zoom - 100% magnification is about half of actual size.
      * grid - Have not found a combination of settings that are easy to
        work with for object sizing and layout. Stable granularity at
        different zoom levels.
      * Connection points - are not visible most of the time, have not
        been able to easily connect, add or delete. visibility is part
        of the problem, but positioning the pointer directly on then
        hasn't worked.
      * garbled views - view images seem unstable. Objects change for no
        apparent reason (size, text). Refresh usually clears it up. This
        can indicate that a crash is immenient.

So far I have mainly worked with shape sets included in the
distribution. The collection has a lot of good stuff. The models I am
trying to develop are large and complex. Graphical layout, format, etc.
is essential for an effective presentation. The inability to adjust
format options is frustrating.

I have successfully used Visio in the past. This may be preventing me
from seeing what should be obvious.

The package installed dia-0.94-1.0.rh9.dag.i386.rpm. I have had similar
problems on a Windows 2000 sytem (binary package from SourceForge). The
is a Redhat 9 system. I have read every document/web page/pdf I can find
including the pages at Wiki.

Any pointers to documents I missed or other advice would be appreciated.
I will provide complete configuration/library version information if
needed.

Thanks for taking the time to read this long tale of woe and for any
help.

________________________________________________________________________
david

email:    david netwebconsultants com
p