Quoting Alexandre Prokoudine <alexandre.prokoud...@gmail.com>:

> On 7/25/10, Olivier wrote:
>
>> I cannot count how many times I have been happy to be able to reach almost
>> everything from a simple right-click.  If other image manipulation
>> applications cannot offer this possibility, too bad for them.
>
> Don't use 2.7 and above then, 'cause Text tool now has its own
> right-click menu and its *useful*.

However, the Text tool's contextual menu is only presented when the  
right-click occurs within the text frame; right-clicking outside of  
the frame still provides access to main menu.

> GIMP has three ways to access menu currently: menu bar, top-left
> button where ruler's origin is and right-click menu. This is bloat.

The first two methods are not always available.

> Besides, as already mentioned, some tools can make a much better use
> of right-click menu then simply duplicating contents of the whole
> app's menu. Consistence in UI is a number one priority.

While not a sufficient reason for rejection, it should be noted that  
such a change (so that tools could have their own right- and/or  
middle-click functions) would require modifying the code of all the  
tools (currently all mouse click events are treated by tools as  
left-clicks since right- and middle-clicks would have already been  
intercepted).

"Consistence in UI" would seem to me an argument FOR the current  
behavior, especially if one considers that other types of input  
devices (pads, pens, touchscreens, etc) commonly share only a single  
type of triggering "click". Imposing a "left-click"-only constraint on  
tools is certainly limiting, but it simplifies the task of learning  
the interface (not to mention coding to it, maintaining it, and  
documenting it).

>> interesting, new capabilities, but not try to remove somewhat which has
>> existed from the first version of GIMP, simply because you don't use it.
>
> Dear Olivier, the "because we always did so" kind of argumentation is
> an utter nonsense. Please never use it. It's wrong and causes holy
> wars, cancer, premature bald spots and heart attacks. Also, god kills
> a kitten every time you say that.

Far from being "utter nonsense", consistency over time is a valid  
engineering consideration in any assessment of trade-offs of proposed  
product changes. This is especially true of user interface changes  
which have significant downstream impact upon other developers,  
document teams, and language translators (edit: I almost forgot, and  
users).

> The history of GIMP has proved that some things that were understood
> as right turned out to be completely wrong.

Undoubtedly true. Nonetheless, the vast majority of the approaches  
taken by GIMP in the past were the result of sober appraisal and sound  
reasoning at the time. Certainly circumstances may change and  
opportunities arise to improve things; but decisions made previously  
by GIMP developers should not be dismissed lightly, and especially not  
without reasonable consideration of the original reasons behind them.

I have no real objection to modifying the image window context menu  
behavior. I will say that I often use windows which have neither  
rulers nor menubar displayed and it is absolutely critical that a way  
of accessing the menu be available. I'd have no objection to an  
ALT+right-click option or somesuch; however, I should not be surprised  
if, after due consideration, the costs of allowing tools to respond to  
middle- or right-button mouse events are deemed not to outweigh the  
benefits.

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