I dislike how the author just implies that something is wrong with the GIMP interface but doesn't say exactly what it is. I agree that it *used* to be quite difficult and unmanageable, but with the new version 2 and especially 2.2, the GIMP is already making great strides in usability. I think it's already at the stage where it is equally usable to new users -- the only ones that are highly confused are the ones that are used to using Photoshop and demand that GIMP will look and behave exactly the same way.
The problem is that GIMP and Photoshop both are complex tools to deal with complex tasks. Neither of them are easy to use without a lot of experience and usually require a newcomer to read a lot of documentation. I do agree with much of what the author has to say though -- a more basic tool targeted at a limited use audience such as a "Web Graphic Designer" might be useful. Hopefully the GIMP codebase is modular enough to support sharing code if someone were to start that type of project -- I suspect that it already is so.
Learn about Linux
Download Linux
Get Linux help
What is wrong with the GIMP interface?
Posted by: theantix on February 26, 2005 03:22 AMThe problem is that GIMP and Photoshop both are complex tools to deal with complex tasks. Neither of them are easy to use without a lot of experience and usually require a newcomer to read a lot of documentation. I do agree with much of what the author has to say though -- a more basic tool targeted at a limited use audience such as a "Web Graphic Designer" might be useful. Hopefully the GIMP codebase is modular enough to support sharing code if someone were to start that type of project -- I suspect that it already is so.
#