SEVERAL days ago we wrote about the decision to put F-Spot in Fedora (GNOME) and also to remove GIMP from Ubuntu under the presumption that F-Spot can replace it for most uses. Putting Photoshop apologists aside, GIMP is a valuable program that should stay for the following reasons, as Ravi puts them:
- One of the ways of introducing people to alternative software is to include it in the default installation of Linux and have it readily accessible to the users from the menu. Removing GIMP would mean encouraging people to think that Linux is "not ready for serious users."
- If saving space on the disk is the major issue, why not replace OpenOffice.org with equivalent software such as Abiword and Gnumeric ? After all, how many general users of Linux (or Windows for that matter) use a word processor or spread sheet program? And OpenOffice.org occupies far more space than GIMP.
- GIMP's user interface may be out of the ordinary. But to those who have gotten used to this interface, Photoshop's interface is out of the ordinary. (Believe me, I use GIMP for touching up and preparing all the images you see on this blog. And I find GIMP a lot more intutive than Photoshop). Bottom line is, it is a matter of getting used to.
- Agreed, you can always install GIMP using a simple apt-get install. But what about those users who do not have ready access to Internet (and there are lots of them out there who own a computer but rely on Cybercafes for reading their email and web browsing). There will be no easy recourse for these set of Ubuntu users who wish to install and use GIMP.
On the whole you could replace f-spot with gthumb and most users simply wouldn't notice, f-spot does organising no better or worse now, it's only 2 big advantages I see are uploading to online galleries and timeline view.
Comments
NotZed
2009-11-24 07:12:22
dyfet
2009-11-24 05:09:35
your_friend
2009-11-24 06:26:55
BN has been attacked repeatedly but Roy has never done more than present facts, quote the principles and draw obvious conclusions from it all. Notice that half of the facts above were assembled by referencing older articles. For pointing out the obvious, he's been threatened with lawsuits, insulted in the vilest ways and had his career threatened. This is what happens when you cross a company as rich and craven as Microsoft is.