Modern Software Updates: Change for sake of change

Blender 2.8+

Today I was watching too much YouTube (a practice I really need to quell) and stumbled on a video from Blender, a 3D graphics creation software. It was a presentation by a well known (in Blender circles) YouTuber Andrew Price, who does a lot of great tutorials and tips on Blender and CG art in general. In the presentation he explains that there are gripes with Blender’s UI/UX and possible ways of fixing it. Even though I have not touched Blender in a long time the video intrigued me, because, as Andrew said in the video itself, he already made a presentation with the exact same premise some years ago.

Now I have no gripes with his views or ideas, but it did remind me of the Blender’s previous UI overhaul. You see a big reason I barely touch Blender these days is because I simply need to relearn it again. The interface was totally changed in version 2.8 IIRC. Features merged or broken out, everything is rearranged and reclassified. Now why would they do it? Well, Blender had a bit of reputation among people that it was very “weird” and “clumsy”, “unintuitive” and “archaic”.

As you might’ve guessed, given the quotation marks around everything, I don’t fully agree. But even if so, the biggest gripe I have is that I was just starting getting comfortable in Blender, after years of playing with it (I am no artist, I just used it for props in my hobby of game development, or to just play around and “sketch” models for fun.) The new update totally broke my workflows. I can’t imagine a world where I am the only one that feels this way, but I have not seen anyone else really talk about it. (Not that I looked too much.)

At first I was really frustrated, but frustration turned into indifference and that turned into not using Blender. That coupled with my gamedev hobby being kind of on ice meant that I had no reason to learn the new UI/UX so every time I wanted to just sketch a model for fun because I was hit by some sort of inspiration ended up in half-asssed attempts if any at all. Creating something is a challenge enough, especially if you’re not skilled in whatever medium you’re creating, but when your tools get in your way it’s a recipe for disaster.

Before moving on to a broader idea that I want to convey in this blog post, I want explain myself and my views on the Blender changes.

A lot of tools have archaic and unintuitive controls for variety of reasons:
- The subject matter they deal with require break from “standard” UX;
- The lineage of the software comes from a different time and UI/UX standard;
- A designer of the tool wanted to challenge the established norms;
- etc.
Just because it’s unintuitive to a new user, doesn’t mean it’s not intuitive within the context of the tool:
- Think of vi/vim they are very unintuitive to a novice, but anyone who knows just a bit of vim knows it has a language: motions + operations, it’s very intuitive once you grasp that.
A tool/software that existed for a long period accretes a certain style to its UI/UX and trains its users to expect it. Thus changing it all is like pulling the carpet from under the existing user’s feet. It’s painful, you essentially have to relearn how to use the tool.

Change is the only constant

So why do software developers make such drastic changes? In Blender case it was because they wanted to grow their userbase, and new users didn’t like Blender’s UI. So, to hell with old users. Sadly (or Thankfully, depending on your side), Blender did have an uptick of users with the release of new UI, but I cannot confirm that it was just because of UI/UX changes, as I do not have any scientific analysis on this.

So changes to attract new users is one reason. Another is for sake of change. Trends and fashion are volatile and change all the time. Developers want to hop an new trends, and this also circles back to attracting new users, since they will probably be in on whatever is the latest fashion. You know, changing UI is a sure way to keep looking “fresh”.

I also think, that change for the sake of change is a strategy (especially in proprietary software) to be distinctive. Following trends is not enough, you have to set them to make your competitors look out of date. “This new phone is available in colors not available in last year’s models! Do buy!” or “Our competitors don’t have this new button on their phone, we’re so ahead!”

The even more cynical part of me wants to say that UI/UX changes are pushed by UI designers wanting to prove/show that they are useful members of their team. “Look we’re contributing!” I only entertain this view because I am not fan of modern UI, and UX is stagnant since 90s. (To a degree even since 70s, if you look at what Xerox had going in PARC.)

These changes for change sake seem to be everywhere in software, and really all products, but it’s easier to make change in software. Microsoft Windows changes it’s UI almost every release since Windows XP. So does Microsoft Office. Almost all major web platforms, be it Google (search and YouTube), Twitter/X, Facebook/Instagram, Reddit change their UI often and often without caring about what their existing users think, only thinking about that sweet sweet uncaptured, potential user. But it baffles me that so many smaller vendors, like Blender, small open-source tools like pavucontrol, Gajim, as well as, bigger open-source players like Mozilla with Firefox just keep making changes, often changes no one asked for, often breaking something in process. And in worst cases breaking people’s workflows.

Am I a Luddite?

Am I against change? No, not if it’s constructive. Like adding new modes or things, without interfering with existing functionality. Fixing actual issues, but in a way that people who relied on unexpected behaviour can still get the same result.

Am I against superficial changes, like new themes or colorschemes? No, not as long me, as user can still use the previous theme. (Looking at you Gnome/GTK4 people).

I could create a whole new blog documenting all the changes in YouTube, Windows, KDE and Gnome that while changed how things look or how you interact with them gave you absolutely no new functionality in return, or worse took it away (i.e. YouTube and dislikes). At least Blender is getting new features with its UI/UX changes.

As I was writing this, two things came to my mind:

Linus Torvalds’ attitude towards the Linux kernel, aka “WE DO NOT BREAK THE USERSPACE” even in face of obvious mistakes. If userspace started to use an unintended behaviour in kernel, kernel developers can’t just fix it without providing a way for existing users/programs to keep working;
A bunch of graybeards that keep network-less Windows XP machines running their favorite CAD software that they are used to and know how to work efficiently in it.

As a user of a tool it’s important to be able to master it, but if the tool is polymorphic that is impossible. Not only can’t you master it, but it constantly gets in your way, you have to fight the tool, it adds frustration. Turning a creative, maybe even passionate endeavor into a slog.

Version 0.1.2alpha

The culture of forever change also has another aspect - nothing ever is done. Because of the ever moving goalpost, it’s impossible to have a finished product. For a proprietary, commercial software this might be a strategy to always be able to promise new things, to keep things new, to show progress to the shareholders. “Would somebody think of the shareholders?!” But I cannot understand why Free and Open-Source projects started falling into the same traps? Nothing is ever done! There are always new updates, and not just CVE fixes. This reminds me of a little write up by Jamie Zawinski - The CADT Model. I implore you to read it it too, it’s way shorter than my rant.

BTW, I used to use Arch

It’s funny really, I used to use Arch Linux for a few years. I loved to be on bleeding edge because I would get fixes, and I was looking forward for new features in my software. But I started to dread updates, and no, not because Arch broke and I needed to tell mom to cancel my meetings, but because I noticed that despite all the new updates I rarely felt that things improved, on the contrary, sometimes things regressed.

In the words of my friend: “I just want things to work”. I am getting too old to care about the new hotness, I’ve found my workflows in most software I use. Developers can you please stop pulling the rug from under me?