New GIMP Release Has Working Single-Window Mode

[drag]

People say this, but I haven't seen the window manager that makes it easier to use GIMP in native mode on a small single screen. Honestly, I don't see the advantage of separate windows without multiple monitors.

I'll have dialogs I don't use very much on the next desktop.

Most WM do the same things, take the same hints.

Some are broken. Kwin had issues with Gimp's hint last time I looked (for example). Windows would get mixed up with other windows from other applications. I don't know if they fixed it not since then. It was a while ago.

As for Windows, XP had a damn good WM 10 years ago. It let you group windows in the window list, offset stacking, tiling (horizontal/vertical and fit, IIRC). That's not too bad, IMHO.

In practice it was pretty miserable. Each to their own, though.

[prokoudine]

do the GIMP UI developers even know what a tear-off menu is?

Dear Steve,

We invented it.

Sincerely yours,
GIMP team

[devius]

ua=42: Window changing size without permission, window leaving fullscreen without permision, etc.

Yep, this almost feels like they broke single-window mode on purpose, almost like "Hey, you want single-window mode?? Here you go, you annoying pricks! Now try to use it even though we made it constantly change it's own size on every single file open/close operation! Bwahahahahaha". Multi-window mode is actually a whole lot better than single window mode in its current state. And what about the huge ass icons/tiles that adorn the open file tabs? Version 2.7 so far feels like a regression to me.

PS: Steve K is right for the most part. Right now, apart from UI issues, GIMP only needs a handful of features to become very competitive in the photo editing business.

[prokoudine]

Yep, this almost feels like they broke single-window mode on purpose, almost like "Hey, you want single-window mode?? Here you go, you annoying pricks! Now try to use it even though we made it constantly change it's own size on every single file open/close operation! Bwahahahahaha".

Ah, I take it as fixing a related issue should offend you even more.

[devius]

Ah, I take it as fixing a related issue should offend you even more.

Well, it's good that issue is already fixed! However the UI really needs a ton of work. Somehow, even not counting those maximize/unmaximize issues, single-window mode doesn't feel right. Just taking the existing docks and stapling them to the main window doesn't work very well. A few classic toolbars would probably be a better approach. I was hoping the single-window mode would be an awesome new feature, but instead I ended up going back to multi-window mode.

PS: Haven't tried the newer 2.7.3 version. This is my opinion on how things were with 2.7.2

[prokoudine]

Well, it's good that issue is already fixed! However the UI really needs a ton of work. Somehow, even not counting those maximize/unmaximize issues, single-window mode doesn't feel right. Just taking the existing docks and stapling them to the main window doesn't work very well. A few classic toolbars would probably be a better approach. I was hoping the single-window mode would be an awesome new feature, but instead I ended up going back to multi-window mode.

All new things require polish. It was ever so There was a plan to add even more features to further justify the optional single-window mode, but the functional spec wasn't ready in time for 2.8 development cycle, that's all.

As for classic toolbars, the UI folks make vertical space a priority due to dominance of 16:9 and 16:10 displays.

Finally, it's not just "taking the existing docks and stapling them to the main window". Quite a few things have changed in the docking infrastructure. Most visibly, you can now docks stuff sideways, not just top and bottom. Also, there are some changes in widgets with intention to make things more compact and useful.

[liam]

I'll have dialogs I don't use very much on the next desktop.



Some are broken. Kwin had issues with Gimp's hint last time I looked (for example). Windows would get mixed up with other windows from other applications. I don't know if they fixed it not since then. It was a while ago.



In practice it was pretty miserable. Each to their own, though.

You should be able to close windows/menus you don't use.
Certainly WM hints are not equally implemented everywhere. Good point. If you don't mind me asking, what WM do you use?
As for WXP WM, it seemed pretty full featured for a WM which nearly every *nixer dismissed as crap. I won't argue as to the ability/lack-there-of to assign keystrokes which would make it less usable, however.

Best/Liam

[liam]

All new things require polish. It was ever so There was a plan to add even more features to further justify the optional single-window mode, but the functional spec wasn't ready in time for 2.8 development cycle, that's all.

As for classic toolbars, the UI folks make vertical space a priority due to dominance of 16:9 and 16:10 displays.

Finally, it's not just "taking the existing docks and stapling them to the main window". Quite a few things have changed in the docking infrastructure. Most visibly, you can now docks stuff sideways, not just top and bottom. Also, there are some changes in widgets with intention to make things more compact and useful.

You sound like you follow the development pretty closely. Do you know what the plan is for gtk3?

Best/Liam

[drag]

You should be able to close windows/menus you don't use.
Certainly WM hints are not equally implemented everywhere.

When they are implemented, but don't work.. That is a problem.

Good point. If you don't mind me asking, what WM do you use?

Metacity before, Gnome-shell now.

As for WXP WM, it seemed pretty full featured for a WM which nearly every *nixer dismissed as crap.

Features don't matter much to me. It's what works. Simpler the better.

Like I pointed out Photoshop in OS X uses nothing but multiple windows and nobody has a issue with it at all. It works without people realizing it works. Zero effort. But in Windows you can't get away with that sort of thing.

Linux desktop suffers heavily from too much comparability and to much complexity. It just ends up buggy with no uniformity.

[prokoudine]

Do you know what the plan is for gtk3?

There is a gtk3 branch that got a lot of activity earlier this year. A lot of things already work, and painting without display filters enabled is faster by order of magnitude in comparison to gtk2 version (think 500px large brush not having a lag). Most activity has switched to finalizing 2.8, hence not much is happening in gtk3 branch lately.

The plan now is to have 2.8 released, then 2.10 will follow with Google Summer of Code 2011 projects (two new GEGL based tools, and a new widget for size entry) and some API changes, then 3.0 will have gtk3 based UI and high bit depth IO and processing.

It's kinda possible to have gtk3 version finalized even earlier, but personally I wouldn't bet on it. The team is still too small.