It’s usefull as a temporary pivot. It’s also usefull for setting new origins for objects… But if object origins would be easily moved, the cursor wouldn’t be needed here… Anything else?
don’t cry: it’s just the panels under different, more sane layouts and a sexier GUI. It still features pretty much all of 2.49 functionality plus much more, optimized features.
The 3D Cursor allows for several tasks besides aligning. It is of big help for specific transform and animation operations. Not to mention it is the spot where all objects are added to. It is also a very good way to keep a changeable reference point of your set.
funny to see how blender 2.5x turns out to be just like windows vista for some people 
That is a good way to put it!
I suppose that many visitors here use multiple applications for modeling but no other one has such an annoying way to split and join windows.
Sometimes I wonder if there is a plot to keep blender in the “hard to use” corner?
If I developed software that after 10+ years has not caught on, I’d research why that is.
The net is full of posts stating that blender is too hard to use.
I will always remember blender because it enabled me to start my 3D adventures but a finishing application it might never be.
Time will tell …
what if some dumbass came in and told you that your 40+ year old software should use some random 20+ year old standard hotkey instead of the one it’s been using ever since?
I’m talking about vi and it’s quite logical U for undo, of course…
What is “vi”?
It does not matter how old the software is. It should always aim to be user friendly.
So if there’s a new standard hotkey, that every other software use, the old software should adapt imo.
Thanks God and thanks Ton to 2.5 GUI.
I think 2.49 is better but 2.5 is very very very good too.
I use Blender and not only talking.
Just thank Ton.
Except when Ton = God…
I don’t believe you believe that!
Wish you’d only use blender & didn’t talk at all…
Feels a bit like what Microsoft did when they went from XP to Vista.
Just use 2.5 for a while, & you’ll take those words back (I’m still using XP in the office, but went straight for 2.5…)
…Hmm! With inversed efficacy and much better taste, yet! :eyebrowlift: :evilgrin:
:eyebrowlift: There must have been some of the many gods around this planet who created vista… I would not be so surprised… :no:
Don’t you just love those new corner functions in each window type of 2.5x? That is, for instance, one huge improvement in comparison to 2.4x, much faster and better then before 
I always thought Vista came about because Microsoft was pulling out all the stops to please everyone at the same time, including idiot CEOs who don’t know a shredder from a copier, systems people who were freaking out over security, and users who wanted to pay extra for fancy transparent Aero windows.
It does not matter how old the software is. It should always aim to be user friendly.
So if there’s a new standard hotkey, that every other software use, the old software should adapt imo.
so that the 40+ year old users get pissed at you?
Blender 2.5 already is drastic enough a change to warrant old professional Blender users some hate, like endi’s. Imagine then if he was using it for 40 years and some bozo came in and said he should just drop his usual workflow and use Apple’s latest Godsend set of HIG’s to do his turf…
user friendliness is all about being used to a software… n00b friendliness is all about being used to RTFM…
There is a certain number of users that used the software for 40 years.
And countless number of future software users. + the ones that are ok with the change.
One of my best writer friend was feeling absolutely upset and scared when i told her she woudn’t find any “modern” computer with yet only orange lines of text and commands. She though she would be unable to use any of these “icons stuff” on a colorfull wallpaper screen! 