This could be an outstanding news by its significance. The next version of Ubuntu (Lucid Lynx or Ubuntu 10.04) won’t include GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) by default due to its user interface that is too complex… What a #@^*?
Actually complex UI is not the only decision why GIMP should be vanished from Ubuntu so here is the full list:
- the general user doesn’t use it
- its user-interface is too complex
- it’s an application for professionals
- desktop users just want to edit photos and they can do that in F-Spot
- it’s a photoshop replacement and photoshop isn’t included by default in Windows…
- it takes up room on the disc
(taken from here)
Still sounds like fresh nonsense? What about F-Spot as a replacement? Well, an average user most probably claim that above mentioned reasons are true. Maybe that’s why GIMP already dropped from latest Fedora 12. But what should do people who use GIMP every day and loves Ubuntu???
Just execute ‘sudo aptitude install gimp‘ 
The only thing I can do with F-spot editing wise is rotate it left or right, there are no other options for editing. When I rotated it left it permanently altered my original photo.
sumoman got farther than I ever could in F-Spot. Sometimes I can’t find the editing controls. I wish eog had basic editing features like Preview on the Mac.
Okay, now I know members of the Firefox 3 dev team is on the Ubuntu dev team. This has got to be one of the worst explained reasons for changing something since the Fx3 team responded to complaints about [insert your favorite built-in-Firefox-behavior-since-like-forever] when they said “New users have been asking for it. All you need is for someone to write an [addon|RemoveOn] to get the behavior back.
Maybe it’s time to look at another distro. Maybe a non-GNOME one since the move to Epiphany/Webkit (which is nowhere NEAR ready for prinme time IMO) isn’t doing much to build more GNOME love in this user.
The decision is pretty stupid. Linux should not include software based on what is by default on windows. It makes it look like it’s just trying to copy windows and never succeeds. It would try to be a lot better by default.
Something is not clear here…. Will it be removed from default installation or from the basic repositories. If the later is the case, that is the stupidest thing they could ever think of. Though I believe the first is the case, GIMP won’t be installed with the basic system and we will have to do it manually via synaptic or whatever other installing tool. So what? There are so many people that doesn’t use GIMP, or any other raster editing app. Why making default installation heavier than necessatry?
What bothers me is the explanation that “interface is to complex”. Well it’s not if you consider the job it’s supposed to do. Some tasks can’t be done with three buttons and expecting that every app should be clear on the first look is vote for idiocracy.
Other reason, that one with Photoshop and Windows is just stupid. First, GIMP is not replacement for anything. It’s an application for editing bitmap images. And Linux and Ubuntu are not replacements for Windows. And then, who cares what comes with Windows and what doesn’t. If I thought that Windows are OK, I would be using them.
Ubuntu: Linux for Windows people
It doesn’t matter to me if its in the default install. As a matter of fact, I wish that I could install an Ubuntu-like distro that had only the administration tools, like the software store, restricted driver manager, etc, and perhaps a web browser. Then, I could fetch whatever I wanted, like Gimp!
“But what should do people who use GIMP every day and loves Ubuntu???”
They install it via Synaptic. Couldn’t be easier. Windows also doesn’t come with GIMP or any similar tool. And anyway, you have to install a lot of tools after a fresh Ubuntu installation. I don’t see the problem…
Most people opposing removing the Gimp, mainly do so because they want to make sure people who *would* use it will still find it quickly.
One solution to this, which would also help people find all the other awesome software we have to offer, is going beyond just having recommended options in the package manager, but introducing people to them when they first open the desktop. I did these working html mockups in the Web Browser Widget on Kubuntu, but the same idea would apply equally to Ubuntu. This is almost completely implemented already just in the mockup and could just use apt-url. It also introduces people to more excellent software based on their interests, which we need to do anyway, and lets us free space on the disk at the same time. Win-win-win.
Mockups:
What categories are available?
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/5836/suggestcategories.png
After clicking on one category:
http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/6502/suggestresults.png
This is wonderful! I’m so entertained I just want to read it over and over again. Thank you for making my day a little bit brighter.