On Sat, 21 Jan 2006, Martin Owens wrote:
Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 20:01:15 +0000 From: Martin Owens <doctormo@...1114...> To: inkscape inkscape-devel@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: [Inkscape-devel] Linked vs Embeded
We've been having a discussion in #inkscape about the feedback (almost complaints) about the way inkscape links to images by default instead of embedding them as a document creator would expect.
Interesting. User expectations can be very interesting, and I suppose we are too used to SVG (and to a lesser extent HTML) to really be too surprised by the linking (not embedding) behaviour.
I wonder if more could be done to quantify those expectations and see how much comes from using other drawing applications are coming from other influences. Better understanding of our biases can really help designing balanced solutions.
Embedding seems like the more straighforward default for ordinary users but then there are questions of making the entire file format self contained and embedding Fonts, Videos, and all kinds of other information resulting in very large files. If images are embedded what else should be embedded? The inkjar files are working towards providing the kind of complete file format these users might want, perhaps it should be the default file format?
My own experience: I teach someone to make (very simple) drawings and import images in Inscape, instead of using paint, word, or photoshop.He says "Wow, seems easy". <Two weeks later> I found the person using paint, word or photoshop.¿Did you left Inkscape?-I ask -I don't like this program, is broken, he says. I see the files he had made: All with a big cross saying "Broken Image", he moved the files, but not the pictures, and expected the program to be "file system location independent" as paint, word or photoshop. Another user lost.
Jose Hevia