Re: [Gimp-user] 2.8.22 is wacky

[Steve Kinney <admin pilobilus net>]

On 05/29/2017 10:32 AM, Carol Spears wrote:

[ ... ]

> > It just seemed to me to be un-intuitive, that a user would be using one
> tool, and suddenly to
> > be switched to another tool without his intending to select it.
> The "intuitive" side of this is that when you purposely grab a guide from
> the ruler, the move tool
> is automatically engaged for refining the guide's position.

It seems to me that people often call what they are used to doing from
long habit "intuitive."  For instance, when a long time user of one
photo editor tries out another one, nothing is "intuitive" and
everything about the unfamiliar one just seems wrong.

> I am unsure if this was something that gimp-1.0.2 did, but certainly
> gimp-1.2 had this enabled.
> And all gimp versions since for +15 years.

Not sure if it's a bug, a feature, or an oversight taken for granted as
"normal" by users and developers just because that's the way it always
worked and they're used to it.

> Perhaps as gimp's nefarious and wrong-thinking users (the numbers which are
> many) are
> also aging and cannot keep the mouse pointer on the canvas, this and other
> features will just
> need to go away. :)

When using Inkscape, I take it for granted that guides "just work" and
placing one doesn't turn off the tool I wanted to "guide" with a guide.
I don't mind that at all, in fact I rather like it now that I have been
prompted to ask myself whether or not.  If asked, I would say "Don't be
switching on the Move tool whenever someone adds a guide, that's silly."

In Inkscape, guides turn red (after a momentary delay) when the cursor
is placed more or less exactly over them - unless the cursor is dragging
a selected object or node, drawing a line, or etc. at the time.  When
red, the guide can be removed by pressing the Delete key, or clicked and
dragged to a new position (or off the canvas).  I like that behavior.  I
have also found Inkscape's diagonal guides (45 degrees) very handy; they
are created by clicking the ruler and dragging diagonally.

I am usually very skeptical of UI changes in the GIMP, but more
Inkscape-like behavior for guides would be a Good Thing IMO.  This is
not a huge issue for me - I have taken the "old" behavior for granted
for nearly 20 years.  It's "intuitive" because it's familiar - along
with all the other annoyances inherent in editing photos and such.

:o)