No image open specification

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Revision as of 20:09, 3 February 2008 by Guiguru (talk)
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intro

This is the specification for the state of GIMP when no image is open. It is still based on a multiple document interface model.

the OS-X exception

On OS-X, with its fixed menubar at the top of the screen, there is no need to have windows open to keep the application instance alive. Therefore the OS-X version of GIMP shall not perform all the stunts spec'ed below and run happily with no window open.

overall goals

  1. get the menubar out of the toolbox;
  2. keep the application instance alive by always having a window with menubar open, even when no image is open;
  3. with no image open, GIMP is ready for whatever users want to do next (new image, generate new image, open image, open oodles of images, not use GIMP for the next 12 hours), in whatever way possible (from within GIMP, or from other application than GIMP);
  4. the 'no image' window shall be the digital equivalent of a no-nonsense clean tabletop in the atelier: ready to accept the next canvas for further graphics creation.

no gimmicks

The following gimmicks shall explicitly not be part of the 'no image' window:

  • a 'welcome to GIMP' text, in any font size;
  • any splash-screen-like graphics, or GIMP contributor credits;
  • any 'what would you like to do today' type of interaction, including 'recently open images';
  • an empty canvas;
  • anything that looks like an empty page or piece of paper;
  • anything that is based on assumptions of 'what users usually want to do next…';
  • anything distracting.