Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on October 06, 2005 03:18 AM
Sorry but in 2005 Gimp still isn't where Photoshop was back in the mid 90's.
Its a neat, albeit cumbersome and slow, tool suitable for graphic artists and amateur photographers who are willing to take the time to learn it and live with its many shortcomings. But its a poor substitute for Photoshop and its evolved at a snails pace. It's also poorly designed(not that Photoshop is great btw) and they have turned a deaf ear towards end users who rightly or wrongly "want their free photoshop".
I for one do NOT envy trying to copy photoshop, that's got to be hard as heck. But that's what Gimp devs decided to do so they can't complain when users try and it out and then complain about it's shortcomings compared to Photoshop.
The bottom line is Gimp simply isn't where it should be by now. If we are very luckly in 5 years it will be equal to Photoshop 5.0, but don't hold your breath. Among OSS tools as they compare to their commercial couterparts GIMP comes up lame(to use a bad pun). Compare Firefox, OO.org, Thunderbird, Evolution, Gaim, etc. Look at how fast they evolved into useable drop-in replacements in the 3 to 5 years. Now look at Gimp. See something wrong here? Talk about stuffing new features into product without fixing what's wrong.
Gimps need either A) a corporation to adopt and fund it or B) rethink what it wants to be.
I'd love to see an offshoot of the project into a modern version of Photoshop Deluxe/Picasa. Make a nice image management module and make a dozen simply adjustments instead of 4,000 different looking tools which all look and act differently. Barring that, clean house and start over. The path Gimp is on isn't leading anywhere good.
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Gimp is 10 years old
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on October 06, 2005 03:18 AMIts a neat, albeit cumbersome and slow, tool suitable for graphic artists and amateur photographers who are willing to take the time to learn it and live with its many shortcomings. But its a poor substitute for Photoshop and its evolved at a snails pace. It's also poorly designed(not that Photoshop is great btw) and they have turned a deaf ear towards end users who rightly or wrongly "want their free photoshop".
I for one do NOT envy trying to copy photoshop, that's got to be hard as heck. But that's what Gimp devs decided to do so they can't complain when users try and it out and then complain about it's shortcomings compared to Photoshop.
The bottom line is Gimp simply isn't where it should be by now. If we are very luckly in 5 years it will be equal to Photoshop 5.0, but don't hold your breath. Among OSS tools as they compare to their commercial couterparts GIMP comes up lame(to use a bad pun). Compare Firefox, OO.org, Thunderbird, Evolution, Gaim, etc. Look at how fast they evolved into useable drop-in replacements in the 3 to 5 years. Now look at Gimp. See something wrong here? Talk about stuffing new features into product without fixing what's wrong.
Gimps need either A) a corporation to adopt and fund it or B) rethink what it wants to be.
I'd love to see an offshoot of the project into a modern version of Photoshop Deluxe/Picasa. Make a nice image management module and make a dozen simply adjustments instead of 4,000 different looking tools which all look and act differently.
Barring that, clean house and start over. The path Gimp is on isn't leading anywhere good.
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