Chris - here is a quote from the review of NX2 - they seem to have altered the way it's presented

"The Adjust Section

The Adjust Section of the Edit List is where the "Edit Steps" are placed when you make adjustments to your image. Edit Steps can be added to NEF images and also RGB images like TIFFs and JPEGs. There are two significant changes to the way Edit Steps behave in the Edit List.

First, in NX2, tool palettes and dialogs are completely contained within the Edit List itself; no more annoying pop-up windows to fuss with. Second, the Edit Steps gain additional selection tools and the control/display of selections in significantly enhanced. Users can now use a "overlay mask" view to help them make selections-- the image is still shown behind the mask. A new "Base Mask" option allows you to apply a overall fill effect and vary its opacity when creating selections. New tools in the Edit Steps allow you to quickly revert to previous settings or delete the selection effects."

Thank you Andy - I was a good child and did read the reviews you so kindly linked for us..or I wouldn't have got desperate enough to dust off the PC to get at NX2.

The trouble is that one man's 'annoying pop-up windows' are my 'floating tool-boxes', easily placed, not too small and optimum shape. I think you can see from Stephen's reaction and mine that we use the beast in totally different ways and its obviously ease of use for professionals going to press that is winning out on this upgrade. I had another play on the PC and find that more of the tools will float, but they can't be resized as flexibly as in 1.3.

Yes, the masks seem to be the real big additional feature.