P: Free Transform - ability to set Maintain Aspect Ratio as default

I was Ok staying with Photoshop and paying the subscription but with changes like this I will be considering my options.

Me too!

Argggh! It's the same mess with the Skew tool. I use skew and Transform A LOT. Please revert to standard constrain (SHIFT to constrain, Option to 'counter constrain' etc)

ABSOLUTELY Patrick.
Please listen ADOBE!

Please please give the user the ability to turn this on or off in preferences. The change to default on is totally against what I want. The standard in graphics used to be shift for contain otherwise it is free from constraint. Please follow well established conventions. The way it has been reset is counter intuitive for experienced professionals.

The <> (period, comma) keys made the brush larger/smaller, and the [] keys moved ahead and back in the group of brushes, according to the designers who were hopping mad. I didn't start using PS until PS5—so very much a Jill come lately. Back then, I only used brushes for masking and cloning, was still too new to have a need to memorize that many kbsc, so I didn't find the change a problem. <g> Boy did I get an earful about Adobe getting too big for its britches, though.

So what <> keys were doing originally in early Ps releases, maybe in/decreasing size of Brushes that users got mad at decision of Adobe to change it to current behaviour?

"invisible boundries" - that is the problem. Normally I like working on something without thinking how I use avialable tools for, as all I do is coded deeply in my mind, but with current changes I have to be aware not only on project's concept but also to not spoil something by using that improperly.

TransformProportionalScale 0 is working great for me.  It's returned Photosthop to the old behavior, and more importantly, eliminated the memory problem (or whatever it was that caused transform to work improperly if Photoshop had been open too long). 

It would be nice if it was a setting in preferences, rather than having make a config file, but I can live with this. 

Most of the time they try to balance the old with the new through legacy settings. This time, for whatever reason, they didn't. And I'm this close to re-learning, except for the change being so inconsistent with everything else.  

I can remember a time ages ago when they switched places between kbsc for moving from one brush to another in the brushes panel, and making the brush larger or smaller.  I remember because every designer and retoucher I knew was screaming murder about it. How many people actually are still thrown off by what's going to happen when they hit the bracket keys with an active brush tool?  In fact, how many even know that you can still use the <> keys to step through a set of brushes without clicking on them in the Brushes panel because they only changed this the one time? That change goes back to PS 6, maybe 7?

That's the kind of history they go by. That people do relearn, do forget some changes they've made in the long history of PS. But back then, there was no way to make the change and let people choose a legacy option or to rewire their kbsc.  Now there is, so other than just not wanting to support the legacy options, I have no clue why something this fundamental didn't come with any option, apart from asking—is every change going to have to come with a legacy option?

The click to commit text and transform didn't come with an option, either.  I think I can relearn how to transform proportionally or not—once (if?) they make it consistent through PS AND the other Adobe apps, but I'm not sure I am ever going to like having to pay close attention to the invisible boundaries for click almost anywhere to commit or wait for a render, then undo, then redo something with several transform steps in it. I try to use SOs to help, but that does balloon file size and can slow people down a lot with other issues. However. . . not my call.

But since they've decided to change the use of Shift with transform, I suspect it will remain changed. I keep reminding myself that humans are nothing if not adaptable. Yes, I'm trying to cheer me on while I struggle. Reminding myself we've been here before and survived. LOL

And I'm pretty familiar with my options outside of Adobe. For the near-term, anyway, I'm spending most of my time here so I don't get just as upset by finding I can't do this, can't adjust to that, in the other apps. I'll use an earlier version of PS when something flat out is broken, or was never updated to work in the latest version. But I'm probably not doing myself any favors to not start relearning Shift with Transform now, not if I mean to keep using newer versions of PS, and for now, I'm staying with the app that does mostly do the things I want to do.

I agree with you, but it's their program and they don't have to listen to us about anything. You may stop paying for this product and find other one, because while you purchasing it you're accepting the terms of subscription, so any changes they don't ask us whether we like or directly inform of before another release.

They know what they want us to use, so our suggestions with their model of business are pointless.