2009/2/20 hOSHI :

Mirai Warren wrote:

How do tabs work with the idea of docked dialogue windows?

Hi,
i think (and would really love Gimp to look) like this:

http://www.nabble.com/file/p22117088/gimp-wannabe02.jpeg ...

what about this?
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wmx3OgdATU0/RzAo7-Kcm4I/AAAAAAAAAXc/a1GlaE7tXWE/s1600-h/Gimp-brainstorms-3.jpg

Dockable windows should be dock-able on the sides too and the image windows should behave like dock-able windows. That way, you can almost build the UI the way you want.

... Hmmm.. the list doesn't set a reply-to? Here's the answer again anyway.

I'd be rather careful with this approach. It'll appeal to some, especially power users will probably embrace it, but all the flexibility could also become a nuisance. Please have a look at the choices Blender has made, if you're a long term Blender user (like me) then please think back at the time when you began using it. Eventually, you get used to it and start to like it, but it's quite a hurdle out of the box.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just be careful with the idea of letting the user 'build the UI he wants', it could easily get out of hand.

Greetings, Fredrik.

On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 16:22, Laxminarayan Kamath wrote:

2009/2/20 hOSHI :

Mirai Warren wrote:

How do tabs work with the idea of docked dialogue windows?

Hi,
i think (and would really love Gimp to look) like this:

http://www.nabble.com/file/p22117088/gimp-wannabe02.jpeg ...

what about this?
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wmx3OgdATU0/RzAo7-Kcm4I/AAAAAAAAAXc/a1GlaE7tXWE/s1600-h/Gimp-brainstorms-3.jpg

Dockable windows should be dock-able on the sides too and the image windows should behave like dock-able windows. That way, you can almost build the UI the way you want.

-- Laxminarayan Kamath Ammembal
http://lankerisms.blogspot.com
(+91) 9945036093

Fredrik Alströmer wrote:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just be careful with the idea of letting the user 'build the UI he wants', it could easily get out of hand.

now that this discussion fires up and that it has been casually road-mapped for 2.10...

I also see that this can easily can get out of hand, but I am committed no to not let it. That means that I will be aiming for a system with a low number of settings that naturally follows users' actions and keeps layouts together.

side-by-side comparison: we'll see if that can be done without confusion about what the active image is.

a mix of multiple windows with multiple tabs: we'll see if that can be done without confusion about how the next (new) image opens (tab or window?).

I do not intent to introduce more than 2 new menu items in the menubar, so that really puts the brakes on how out of hand this is going to get.

--ps

founder + principal interaction architect man + machine interface works

http://mmiworks.net/blog : on interaction architecture

I've been following this thread with interest (as a user). One extremely common action I perform is to grab one layer from another image (in the layer palette) and drag it into a different image. How would that action be performed with this proposed tabbed image interface?

-Rob A>

Hi,
i think (and would really love Gimp to look) like this:

http://www.nabble.com/file/p22117088/gimp-wannabe02.jpeg

On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 10:15 PM, Rob Antonishen wrote:

I've been following this thread with interest (as a user). One extremely common action I perform is to grab one layer from another image (in the layer palette) and drag it into a different image. How would that action be performed with this proposed tabbed image interface?

Drag to tab's caption to open that image, drop. Works just fine in gazillion of other tabbed apps :)

Alexandre

Heh, I almost forgot that I made that comment.

What I was trying to say was that tabs were a different topic than docking dialogues. Besides, if it were up to me, every image could have a customised set-up for its tools and information windows to fit the need for of the task at hand, although I can already see a few logistical issues with that.

But concerning tabbed image windows, be sure to evaluate the usage of other tabbed apps before considering that the gimp should have them. In your browser windows and text editors the majority of manipulation is part of the nature of the media; that is, your tools are in your work itself. With images, you work with a number of different tools that are commonly accessed by ways outside of the image (in menu bars, tool box buttons, palette selectors, and various other dialogues) and putting those access points in different places would seriously cut down on ease of use (a big problem with multiple windows with multiple menu bars). 3D modelling and CADD programs (such as blender and autocad) can definitely provide a lot of guidance here due to their similar paradigms. Note their success--like heavy reliance on keyboard short-cuts and (partially) homogeneous modes of interaction--but also their failings--steep learning curves and technical barriers to repetitive tasks.

Sorry if this was a bit long-winded and tangential, but I hope I clarified my original point

--MW

I think it's not about customization or not. Is about avoiding a cluttered prefs menu with gazillions of options and provide smart ways to customize instead.

Look at this for instance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5IjbClO8Sk (the upcoming Blender 2.5)
There you have an example of a highly customizable environment without the need of marking checkboxes in the preferences section.

Gez

Guillermo Espertino wrote:

I think it's not about customization or not. Is about avoiding a cluttered prefs menu with gazillions of options and provide smart ways to customize instead.

Look at this for instance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5IjbClO8Sk (the upcoming Blender 2.5)
There you have an example of a highly customizable environment without the need of marking checkboxes in the preferences section.

that is an example of "just put it as you like it as you go along." although the pop-up menu to set the content of the areas is weird...

--ps

founder + principal interaction architect man + machine interface works

http://mmiworks.net/blog : on interaction architecture