First, thanks for the answers.
If you explicitly set snapping off it should stay that way, so please file a detailed bug on this. But why do you need guides if not for snapping to them?
Well, sometimes I use guides just as that, as an aid to draw things, but I don't ever want snapping. Like if I have a rectangle and want t align something with the _inner_ limit of the outline. guides don't work in this case.
see http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/FAQ#Can_I_use_different_settings_for...
Nice. really nice. thanks
Also known bug, the dialog must remember the status of the relative-to dropdown. Selection however is the most intuitive anyway and works for most people - making anything depend on the order of selection is a sure way to get complaints about mysteriously changing behavior.
Actually the dialog remembers the status (as long as I don't close it), but I was asking in a more general way, like in the last question about changing default behaviour.
Carlos