I'd like to install 2.7.1 but I'm not sure how to do it. I've downloaded the file (gimp-2.7.1.tar.bz2) and unzipped it but from there I'm stumped. Can someone point me in the right direction?

i don't remember what OS you use

But why on the earth you want install 2.7.1 ? What the sense to install a obsolete instable version ?

for updated 2.7 version you should get the code from git ,or from here http://gimptest.flamingtext.com:8080/ not from sourceforge.

and you must get not only the gimp code but also babl and gegl and

1 compile babl
2 compile gegl
3 last gimp

Yes if you are using linux that's the way you should go.GEGL just released another version 0.1.7 so you should use git if possible.
if windows just download the executable setup file and if you want to keep 2.6.11 with it - rename your program files gimp-2.0 to something dif or 2.7 will overwrite it.
Also remember any settings you have in your user docs gimp-2.6 file and sub folders 2.7.1 will copy it to a 2.7 folder and sub folders.
Just a heads up if you're keeping 2.6.11 with the install (which i recommend)..

Is not the 2.7 branch just a testing branch leading up to the 2.8 release? My question, really, would you install 2.7.2 with the intent to use it on a production machine?

2.7.1 is actually quite stable.For a test release
Layer Groups work, Python as well as brush dynamics.Single window mode is included.
Tabbed image window is awesome too.
There are some very few bugs like saving window positions on exit only for single window mode.
I use Gimp 2.7.1 for production with no problems.
I do recommend using 2.6.11 for any production work though because it is considered a stable release.
I trust 2.7.1

2.7.2 however is a whole other animal.I do not have it installed and therefore have no idea how it runs or what if any bugs it has currently.

Just rebuilt it from the GIT repository... requires a newer BABL and may be a new GEGL (refreshed both anyway).

And well... it starts and my latest script works.

I use mint, PC, and I guess i worded that wrong. I don't specifically need 2.7.1, I just wanted to use the latest version but I apparently can't get it on Windows. I'm really interested in the single window feature, having to resize the main window all the time is aggravating. One of the main reasons I have Linux is so I can try software that I can't get in Windows. I remember finding a version that did go onto Windows that had the single window feature but it continually crashed. That was several months back and i hadn't given it much thought But watching Meet the Gimp's videos every month I started thinking about it again because Rolf uses Linux and single window mode. Also a major snag for me is trying to install software without using the software manager so I need to learn how to do that.

You can get it for windows here
http://gimpusers.com/downloads/8-gimp-2 ... -32-64-bit

But as i said before if you want to keep 2.6.11 you will need to rename the 2.0 program directory until after you install 2.7.1 - then change the name back.You will then have both installed side by side.

when i wrote about outdated and unstable version i was mainly referring to the windows installers for 2.7.1
As far i remember in that Win 2.7.1 versions the single windows mode may works but just attempt to open the text tool may crash everything,... and that is only the most visible bug

And as you know try to compile gimp on windows is quite a task (and there are not updated how to )

Quite different for Linux , you may easy install latest version , they change almost daily so you may get more or less lucky for stability, but anyway are usually much better of what offered for Win

about your OS ,Mint ...much much easiear ,you may use same instrution then for Ubuntu,,basically you may limit your effort to copy and paste a few line in the terminal (but is always bettter understand what you are doing...understand, copy and paste in the console ,is much better then just copy and paste in the cosole)

I did i remember RobA pointed me to a step a step how for Ubuntu (there was a couple of details to change but nothing hard to solve )..only now i can't remember if this was discussed here on ginptak or in the gimp users group on flickr

Anyway just search for " compile gimp from git ubuntu" will give you the main picture, then i may help for the details (but basically the how to works only were missed a couple of libraries, i suppose because who wrote the tut had in its OS but believed were part of ubuntu by default
BUT luckily a message advice of what missed and how to fix )

I don't have a problem with the text tool in 2.7.1, just that it gets in the way.You do have the option of shutting it off and using the old style text tool. The new text tool hasn't crashed my gimp-2.7.1 yet though.
The main bug is saving windows position on exit.The tabbed image window is excellent too.

I didn't have trouble with the text tool in 2.7.1 either, if i remember right it crashed when I tried to use single window mode. It's been a long time so I can't exactly remember what happened. It doesn't really matter I guess, I've been trying to use my Linux computer as much as possible so I learn and only turning my Windows computer on when there is something I have to do and can't figure out how to do it in Linux yet. I don't really need 2.7, I'm just trying software that I've heard about for Linux. So far it's been fun except for installing things that aren't in the software manager and I'm finding that the reason it's not included is because they're not compatible. Until recently I thought all versions of Linux ran all the Linux applications. I understand now what a mistake that was. Live and learn.

"So far it's been fun except for installing things that aren't in the software manager and I'm finding that the reason it's not included is because they're not compatible"

Not really or at least that is usually easy to solve when compiling just installing the sw under a different...oopss what is the right word ?...let say just install in "opt" if you fear conflict.

that anyway is usually taken in account in the guides you may found to install gimp 2.7 in ubuntu or in general in debian, so the new gimp will not interfere with the stable version or with other sw

more there is a cool sw "checkinstall" that allow to manage the new compiled sw as was installed by synaptic

use it is simple as to change when compiling the 3 standard steps,
configure, make, make install,
in
configure,make, checkinstall
...and you got as a result a packadge that ,in theory you may even share with any other user of your distro or even others (in theory, in pratice it doesn't always work on other one computers because checkinstall doesn't check too well for dependecies
,also for that official packadge are created with more complex sw...anyway even if for sharing with others users of with distro checkinstall doesn't always work it does very often .. )

That's what makes it so awesome because it shares the same libraries for all its programs.That's what makes it so easy to compile.All the libraries and header files are present already, or they are automatically updated. I wish windows could get that in their head.

At first no Win users believe that install isso much easier on Linux

it doesn't seem so easy, which backs up what PC just posted right above my post, he's right.

I believe that's because of intimidation with the command window.All windows users are used to clear cut open program close program-install with a setup file or MSI.
None are used to playing with a terminal.

Once you get into playing with Gimps code it gets pretty evident you need another platform

I'm not qualified to mess with Gimp's code, yet. Yes, I think you're right, windows has clear cut procedures regarding installations but Linux seems to have different procedures from distro to distro which seems chaotic to me.

Only because you want install the last dev release,that on windows will be almost impossible (the 2.7 win installer are quite old, i can''t consider them as from a last dev release ) on linux is possible but ewquire fiddling

But for stable version is much easyer

with Mint you may also add this repo to your softare sources to wider the list of updated programs available...or you may just browse to search for new sw
http://www.getdeb.net/updates/ubuntu/10.04/

Not sure if your M version is based on ubuntu 10.04 or 10.10 ,that link was for the 1°, this for the last http://www.getdeb.net/updates/Ubuntu/10.10