[TriLUG] better than xfig?

[Pete Soper]

> On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:27:07 -0400, Pete Soper said:
>> There may never be a better straight line on this list (for those who
>> have used xfig).
>>
>> I'm looking for an alternative to xfig for Linux. OmniGraffle would
>> be my virtual benchmark.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Pete
> Inkscape?
Thanks for the suggestion. I just tried Inkscape for a few minutes.

It wouldn't be a step forward from xfig. The truth is it would be a 
great subject for any new edition of an Alan Cooper book on UI design 
(i.e. as an anti-design). After puzzling about the preexisting rectangle 
in the drawing area and deciding to ignore it I selected the rectangle 
icon from the left-side menu and drew one. I got a rectangle with 
rounded corners and a bright blue solid fill. I messed around trying to 
see a way to get a rectangle, but couldn't get one right way. I thought 
OK, this is a distraction from the functionality I'm really after, which 
is about the maniuplating of a just-drawn object,  so I tried to "grab" 
the top of the rounded-rectangle to pull the rectangle to a new height 
and only managed to create a new rectangle up out of the middle of the 
first one. But darn if this tool isn't so smart that the new rectangle 
had a rounded top. I chose to interpret this as "read the xfig docs 
more, then read the freaking source code like we had to do before 
Usenet/Arpanet/Internet!!
-Pete






So this tool has given me the finger and as I know the msg limit is 
small on this list, I've copied what I saw here:

Again, I'm looking for something lik

Maybe a different question. In the old days xfig had a "select" mode in 
which one could click on an object and stretch it's dimensions, etc. I 
went for a while without using xfig and now there are only 
"creation/modification modes" and having created a rectangle I earnestly 
just want to change it's size, but without opening a (***) edit dialog 
box asking me how I want to change it's current .574 inch width. I've 
been through the docs but haven't sequentally read the whole set in the 
hopes of getting the clue. What I need to be able to do is (e.g.) tweak 
a rectangle by grabbing and pulling a corner or side. I can cope with 
menu selections for all the other primitive operations.


-Pete

-Pete

> SteveT
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