Re: [Gimp-user] Why I went back from GIMP 2.8 to 2.6.x

[Johannes <anonforum gmx org>]

Am 30.06.2012 16:45, schrieb Richard Gitschlag:
> The problem with 2.6 was when people were working on multi-layer
> compositions and they save a copy in a standard file format (and I am
> not going to argue semantics of the word "save" here) ... if you used
> "Save a Copy" then everything was fine, but I guess a lot of people just
> used "Save As..." with a different file extension, result being that
> GIMP does not ask to save changes back to their XCF file (since after a
> 2.6 Save As, the open document is not guaranteed to be associated with
> an XCF file on disk) when they shut GIMP down, resulting in some very
> real loss of time and effort.

This is interesting, as it puts a light on the root cause for this
usability change.

I have following remarks to your theory:

* As you already stated, in GIMP 2.6.x, there is a operation named "Save
a Copy" (which does not change the file format of the current image) and
a different operation named "Save as..." (which changes the file format
of the current image).

* If users are too dumb (sorry) to use the right operation and lose time
and effort by choosing the "Save as..." operation instead of the "Save a
Copy" operation for their XCF files, then it's the "Save as..."
operation which should be

  :* made less accessible or
  :* optionally hidden or
  :* enriched by warnings if the chosen file type is less powerful than
the current

or whatever.

- Making all the smart users ;-) suffer from the incompetence of a few
other users who are not able to use the right operation (although it is
there!) is like fighting fire with gasoline (or "Es ist, wie den Teufel
mit dem Beelzebub auszutreiben." in German).


IMHO, this usability change remains questionable.

-- 
Johannes