Idea: how about always showing that adjustement handle or showing it some other way? Why hide it until you turn on Node edit, I cannot help thinking of programs like Microsoft Powerpoint that have these nodes visible just after you first draw a shape?

That is true, and it applies to other shapes as well (rect, spiral, star). They could be editable by their respective tools, not by node editor. Please file a RFE on that (or maybe we already have such an RFE, please check first).

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