You can also use the plus and minus keys on the numeric keypad.
As for the topic at hand, I’ve been using Blender since 1.8, and aside from some minor annoyances, I find that the Blender 2.5 interface is so much better.
To be honest: the fact that an interface is usable, don’t mean that is well written.
Obiouvsly, everyone will go to Blender 2.5, as I do to use Freestyle integration, but don’t come and tell me that the new interface represents itself an example of good space management, because it’s simply untrue.
Unfortunately, Blender is going in the same direction of some “modern” operating systems: if you have a computer with more CPU speed, more RAM, VRAM etc, you stop optimizing every single bit of your project, since the hardware can sustain the impact, the screen is large enough and so on.
Take Apple for example: Tiger (10.4.11) was an optimized OS, coming from six or seven years of work and had everything to make the work well done. Snow Leopard, the present one, is slower and less intuitive BUT has more glitters 
In my opinion this is the way to waste time, energy, space, I think it’s counterproductive.
As an example in Blender: if I could use horizontal layout in a 16:9, I would keep UV and 3D view side by side, with plenty of space to work…
I really would have liked a simple, fast, clean update of the old interface: no gradients, no antialiased text, no giant buttons… you name it.
It seems that developers focus was more towards beginners (and there is nothing bad in this) at the cost of forcing “old” users to (in some case) spend more time to do the same things they did (and this is bad 
Anyway, if this is what Blender has to offer nowadays, that’s ok, I will continue using it waiting for improvements (and doing myself the ones I can).
And please forgive my bad english.
You know, if your computer has problems running blender 2.5, you have a really lousy computer. Time to upgrade.
As for the nonsense about optimization, at least in sculpting and rendering, 2.5 is way faster than 2.49.
And, if you have a machine that’s less than 6 years old, you might benefit from an optimized build from graphicall.org.
2.5 is essentially a reboot; you can’t just go on adding features to a 10 year old program. Eventually you have to refactor.
Unfortunately, the BI render engine still needs some more rebooting.
I have a new machine, with a widescreen monitor, plenty of RAM… but I can tell if a software is snappy or slow (about Apple OS). Anyway, the optimization problem is on the UI…
It seems to me, respectfully speaking, that you think that Blender problems are only a matter of some lazy or uncompetent user…
robi, +1
The new interterface looks good, but working (i mean working, not playing) with it is painfull.
Poor worflow, eyes strain caused by the AA font, and the vertical layout tyranny … arrg…
I would like to have the opinion of the Durian Team about that (do they need glasses now ?)
Personaly I think 2.5 is better than 2.49
it is faster (I heard)
prettier (I see)
but
some of function arent back yet (dont know if they will ever back) for example Skin Face /Edge loops
Vertical properties sucks up too much place, even my 19" monitor is too small, with blender 2.49 it was ok
I like the color, it’s more darker, it’s better for the eyes actually. the brighter color, the more straining it is for your eyes. medically. now the AA font is no problem for me, I’m used to it from Linux and OSX. I think for Win people that’s annoying.
The vertical placement I used in 2.4X , you can still set it up to be horizontal although that’s quite outdate layout. Blender now resembles more XSI which I just love.
For me every single update has been for the better. everything , period. 
And I think it’s better for new user to enter a 3d IDE that’s more like the competitors and up-to-date with modern GUI thinking.
than something old, obsolete, but yet familiar to oldschool users.
oldskoolers can always just rearrange and sort it to their likening, newbs needs to learn in a generic enviroment until they are so familiar with the functions they too can rearrange, (if they want to ;D I count myself to the newb crew that likes vertical button windows)
the A key to collapse and expand button sections, still rocks! totally in love w/ that update. when did it come? or was it always there?
I just want to add here that horizontal layout are actually not really usable on blender 2.5 because the UI python scripts are designed/optimized for vertical layout. However it would be easy (but time consuming) to provide an alternative set of UI scripts that is optimized for vertical layout.
Basically it would just require checking the orientation of the property window in the poll function of the existing panels that have too much height and write your custom panel that fit well. And if the poll function of existing panels are “over-writable” then all this can be done as an add-on and wont’require any patching.
I worked with 2.5 for a few weeks before going back to 2.49 (I need the bevelling) and while I eventually got used to the interface I wasn’t too fond of it because:
Properties windows takes up too much space. It seems like there were plenty of functions that could be condensed and buttons that could be made smaller. e.g. in the render panel. The resolution buttons could be made much smaller. I worked around the space issue by either making the properties window a separate window or by working in full screen mode and switching when needed.
Minor annoyances:
Adding multiple background images adds a new menu element each time, but it adds it to the bottom of the stack which requries more scrolling. Why not just add it to the top of the stack? Or better yet, used a tabbed element.
Materials panel would be much less annoying to use if you could pin individual elements in place. e.g. Stick the preview element in place but allow scrolling to reach other elements. I don’t like having to scroll around each time I made a small change to the material so I can see the changes. Zooming out’s not that useful since I can’t see what’s going on.
The F6 panel is nifty but could be confgurable to open by default (maybe on a per-object basis). I almost always need this when adding objects. The menu element isn’t overly noticeable at the bottom of the tools panel (and why tools not properties?) and F6 isn’t exactly an obvious key to press when adding objects.
the A button is cool :evilgrin:
are there any similar button to make the whole properties editor goes left and right ? (expand & collapse), it would be great ^^
There is a patch that permit collapsing all panels at one:
https://projects.blender.org/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=22233&group_id=9&atid=127
But still waiting for revision before getting into trunk.
I had some feedback, maybe it’s fixable without an update.
I got my properties page at the bottom and it was hell figuring out how to “close” (merge) windows and put it back on the right side. But now that I’ve figured that out, the properties page is still laid out left-to-right instead of up-and-down. So all the fonts are squashed and I must scroll forever to the right instead of having each item stacked in a nice vertical layout (like the default layout).
Eventually I just had to reload default and load my render with “load UI” unchecked.
Is there a key or trick to getting the subsections of the properties page to stack vertically instead of horizontally?
You mean like right clicking and choosing ‘Vertical’?