- Site menu:
- Latest Discussions
- Latest Newswire
- Archives
- Submit Story
- Story HOWTO
- Syndicate
- E-mail Alerts
Giving up the GIMP is a sign of Ubuntu's mainstream maturity
|
|
|
Comments (12)
if 'maturity' = senility
...then I agree.
Where are those "recommend" boxes when you need them?
It's not so much the not including the GIMP by default that I have a real issue with, it's the making fSpot the default image editor, surely there is a better choice out there.
One of the problems a couple of my people have had with fSpot, is that if you remove, or move a folder(s) that contain images that are registered with fSpot, the images remain available in fSpot thus defeating the purpose of moving or removing the folders.
DigiKam simply automatically resycs itself with the file system, so a moved or removed folder/files are gone, I'm pretty sure it simply uses the filesystem as the storage. fSpot seems to store a copy of the files/folders elsewhere, like in the database, probably in binary fields.
I dislike this behaviour, and the people I've alluded to keep asking me for something better, as they put it.
The problem I have is that fSpot seems to be the only image database system that works automagically on Ubuntu. While DigiKam is the only one that works automagically on KUbuntu.
I suppose I could spend time making something else work automagically on Ubuntu, only to have my work blown away on the next upgrade.
One of the problems a couple of my people have had with fSpot, is that if you remove, or move a folder(s) that contain images that are registered with fSpot, the images remain available in fSpot thus defeating the purpose of moving or removing the folders.
DigiKam simply automatically resycs itself with the file system, so a moved or removed folder/files are gone, I'm pretty sure it simply uses the filesystem as the storage. fSpot seems to store a copy of the files/folders elsewhere, like in the database, probably in binary fields.
I dislike this behaviour, and the people I've alluded to keep asking me for something better, as they put it.
The problem I have is that fSpot seems to be the only image database system that works automagically on Ubuntu. While DigiKam is the only one that works automagically on KUbuntu.
I suppose I could spend time making something else work automagically on Ubuntu, only to have my work blown away on the next upgrade.
F-spot is horrible for photo management, Well actually, any photo application that tries to keep it's own database is. My dad's photo collection is in ruins thanks to f-spot with a ton of duplicate photos, missing photos, dead references and what-not.
Sander, you are correct. It's the database and the way the application creates a (hornet's) nest of directories that leads users down the path of lock-in and, worse, breakage.
I think the reason F-Spot is held in whatever esteem it is, is that it attempts to be much like iPhoto in the Mac OS X world.
That's another application that keeps its own database and system of nested folders. And when trouble strikes, you can lose a lot of "organization," to say nothing of the images within that organizational framework.
Embedded captions and other metadata along with traditional directory organization - that's the way I'm leaning with this.
Having an application lock you in, be it with images or audio and video, is a bad thing, indeed.
I just spent $20 on a non-iPod audio player. And, miraculously I can actually use it with more than one computer and with applications that are not iTunes. And I can pull files off of it and do ... whatever I like with them.
What we really don't need is the same kind of lock-in for images that we have for audio in the proprietary world.
I seem to remember digiKam creating the same kind of nested directories that F-Spot does now. But my current digiKam app works with the directory structure I've created for it.
However, I'm still leaning toward gThumb, which doesn't mess with databases but actually does allow for quite a bit of basic photo editing, which F-Spot handles poorly.
I think the reason F-Spot is held in whatever esteem it is, is that it attempts to be much like iPhoto in the Mac OS X world.
That's another application that keeps its own database and system of nested folders. And when trouble strikes, you can lose a lot of "organization," to say nothing of the images within that organizational framework.
Embedded captions and other metadata along with traditional directory organization - that's the way I'm leaning with this.
Having an application lock you in, be it with images or audio and video, is a bad thing, indeed.
I just spent $20 on a non-iPod audio player. And, miraculously I can actually use it with more than one computer and with applications that are not iTunes. And I can pull files off of it and do ... whatever I like with them.
What we really don't need is the same kind of lock-in for images that we have for audio in the proprietary world.
I seem to remember digiKam creating the same kind of nested directories that F-Spot does now. But my current digiKam app works with the directory structure I've created for it.
However, I'm still leaning toward gThumb, which doesn't mess with databases but actually does allow for quite a bit of basic photo editing, which F-Spot handles poorly.
Yes. Somehow copying a bad idea (iPhoto) makes f-Spot a good idea. Go figure.
Quoting:Yes. Somehow copying a bad idea (iPhoto) makes f-Spot a good idea. Go figure.
Are you implying that Apple does not always have the best ideas and implementations of them? How dare you! Just look at the perfection that is the iPod, and the iPhone, and the iMac and..uh..
*loses it and starts laughing* :P
iCant.
The fact that I find so refreshing an MP3 player whose storage area can be treated like a regular plug-in USB drive and which will accept audio files from any computer system and needs no specialized application to do so: It speaks to the hold that Apple has over the hardware we're paying for. "Don't use it in Linux ... don't use it on any PC but the one it's connected to right now ... " Lovely.
What a quandary we are getting into
I think we are headed to the point where the best in class software suggested by upstream developers of gnome and kde, and the individual distributions are outgrowing the minimum live cd install. To keep the download size to a minimum while providing the best applications, hardware and language support some distributions like Fedora's live cd removed large applications like openoffice.
Since I like to show off live cds to people that have Windows problems, demonstrating the capabilities of a default Linux install as a viable Windows replacement becomes difficult with removal of killer default apps. Ultimately I would prefer to have practical applications that the average user can use, and that can be used in real life situations. Let me explain what I mean:
- I like mature light weight applications but then reduce duplication of apps: qiv or gqview for images, and xpdf or ggv for pdfs, because less is more. Most users prefer empowerment through the gui of multipurpose apps which presents the quandary Ubuntu is experiencing.
- While I totally support the default download choices of desktop and server I think to solve this problem Ubuntu will have to market alternative spins more vigorously. The best choice will be to include minimum system install, with system tools and editors, that retrieves application sets from the net. This way users choose their apps based on what they need, or based on recommendations of users and professionals. This of course means that the software store will feature more prominently on the desktop. I beleive there is a feature that allows you to install software based on supported mime types.
Well, show off live DVD's then! :)
nm wrong thread
Post a comment
A free account is needed to post. Write your comment here first: your text is kept in this browser while you sign up or log in, and is waiting for you when you come back.
Your message:Markdown: **bold**, *italic*, [text](https://link), - lists, > quotes, $x^2$ for math. Formatting help
Sign up and post (it is free) or Log in and post