why, just why, is there a seperate change pen size by () and
set pen size to ()block? why isnt it combined with the big one? I mean, the pen getter contains the pen size too...
I wondered that too, but my guess is that it's because the default values are so very different.
My guess is that it was inherited from scratch,
Oh yeah huh. Scratch doesn't have the PEN SIZE reporter? I so much take that for granted, since it's in Logo.
No, that was added in snap. In fact, scratch doesn't even allow you to get any info about the current pen or a color from the stage (although that did inspire griffpatch to create a crazy project to detect any color on the stage, https://youtu.be/aBTh756kCZw https://youtu.be/3lz1nylUHiY).
Gosh do we only know colors to within a multiple of 16 per primary too?
No, snap uses the exact color on screen (or at least for getting the color, idk about the touching color block).
Edit: after inspecting the source code, it is indeed an exact match.
Yay us!!! ;~P
Edit: Although on second thought maybe it'd be better for TOUCHING COLOR to be a little less precise.
Of course the current scratch 3 behavior may not have been the same behavior in scratch 1.4/2, plus, I'm not sure how much jens actually looked at the source code of scratch to replicate the same behaviors.
last time I looked at the Scratch source code was when it was still written (by us) in Squeak Smalltalk 
You can still install and run Scratch 1.4 on modern systems. Scratch 1.4 on Linux was the first version of Scratch I used.
even better: you can run the original Squeak based Scratch in your browser using the awesome Vanessa Freudenberg's SqueakJS engine! And then you can shift-click on the "R" in the Scratch logo to enter dev mode and go right into the Smalltalk source.
what reason does this possibly have to bother you
whats even wrong with it
If you download it from the old Snap! site, you can even run BYOB 3.1 on SqueakJS!
and you don't actually even need to download it first because https://archive.glitch.pizza exists
There's also change size by () when set size to ()% exists, but I don't see anybody complaining about that?
i think they are asking about why change pen size by () and set pen size to () are separate from change pen [hue V] by () and set pen [hue V] to (), not why change pen size by () is separate from set pen size to ()
Yes
Those are for changing the size of the sprite, not the pen.