On Tue, May 26, 2009 at 9:00 AM, Sue wrote:

Hi GIMP Developers,

I am a longtime GIMP fan, and I am highly disappointed with the Version 6.6 UI.  One thing I have always enjoyed about this program is the fact it was not like Photoshop, because I could multitask with other programs (I could be searching for other pictures in the background in the Windoze file explorer), minimize what I wanted, detach windows whenever I wanted (veery nice), and resize the brush in the Brush Editor on will, and minimize it when I needed.

Now I can't do those things, and it looks like Photoshop.  I find it irritating now that I've got keep the Brush Editor open all the time and it

If you just use the Brush editor to resize the brush, I suggest you begin using the Brush Scale slider in the tool options instead; It's probably faster.

resets its size whenever I re-open it.  I find the new Navigator tool disorienting to use, and I can't be as precise either when I need to go to the exact pixel on the corner because the thing moves.  I also don't like not having control over my windows anymore.

Not having control over your windows is not caused by GIMP. I certainly have all the control over GIMP windows I need, and individual dockable windows keep their size and position as you seem to desire.
Of course, if you close a dockable, you are saying 'throw away all information about this dockable', so in that case, naturally when you open a dockable of the same kind, it is simply put in a default position and size.
However, with the various systems (which have been there before 2.0 even), like TAB and F11, you should usually not ever need to close a dockable. Especially if you dock them together to form a joined window or a set of tabs.

Also, you might be thinking of the change of a default preference, which effects whether dockables are shown on top of all other windows. This change occurred somewhere after 2.4, I think. Anyway it does not impede you -- just change the preference back.

GIMP 2.6 is also not single-window. It's a minimum of two windows (image window + toolbox), and can be much more according to how many images you open at once or dockables you open. There are plans to allow a full single-window interface, however this behaviour is
a) not implemented yet... at all, really b) intended to be completely optional, allowing you to use either a single or multi-window setup according to your preference. c) not ever going to be Window-inside-Window as some people claim to want. Some people even perceive 2.6 to be Window-inside-Window, but it's not (as demonstrated eg. when you move the toolbox)

David

I disagree with "of course" and "naturally". When I close [child/sub] windows[/tabs] in most applications, then reopen the [functionally] same window, I expect it to come back in the same state it was in when I closed it. I regularly open and close the dockable windows, and add/remove things to them, and the amnesiac nature of all apsects of this process is very annoying.

On Mon, May 25, 2009 at 8:06 PM, David Gowers wrote:

Of course, if you close a dockable, you are saying 'throw away all information about this dockable', so in that case, naturally when you open a dockable of the same kind, it is simply put in a default position and size.

On Tue, May 26, 2009 at 9:41 AM, Sparr wrote:

I disagree with "of course" and "naturally".  When I close [child/sub] windows[/tabs] in most applications, then reopen the [functionally] same window, I expect it to come back in the same state it was in when I closed it.  I regularly open and close the dockable windows, and add/remove things to them, and the amnesiac nature of all apsects of this process is very annoying.

This issue was actually discussed before -- IIRC it was decided that implementing this behaviour would cause even more confusion (essentially because the 'functionally' same dockable is not actually the same dockable. The other technical problem is that there can be more than one instance of some dockables instantiated, in which case there is no clear way to decide which 'old' positioning and parameters to use.. this would certainly be very confusing.)

Sue wrote:

I am a longtime GIMP fan, and I am highly disappointed with the Version 6.6 UI.

Hi!

To make GIMP 2.6 behave as GIMP 2.4 as far as window management goes which as far as I can tell would address many of your complaints, go to 'Edit -> Preferences -> Window Management' and change the hints for both 'Hint for toolbox' and 'Hint for other docks' to 'Normal window' and then restart GIMP.

I would also like to point out that your assumption that we want to be as different from Photoshop as possible is wrong. What Photoshop does and how is mostly irrelevant to us, we simply want to make GIMP as good as possible, and we can't make GIMP better if we don't allow ourselves to make changes. I suggest you stop with your Photoshop-based argumentation and instead focuses on GIMP itself.

/ Martin