GIMP development
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- toastie0
IMHO the GIMP needs an interface rewrite, but it IS a VERY powerful program.
- upDog0
mitsu, I know exactly what you mean. But I like to keep an optimistic attitude designers and programmers can work together. We're both working towards the same goal, or at least a very similiar one. If the developers want to create a program that will become widespread, they need to listen to usability issues, I think it will take some work, but they can be convinced of that.
- sparker0
gimps ui need to change. it would be nice to move it toward an open-standard backend like xml.
much like macromedia did with the mx series and mozilla does with its browser (xul).
- sparker0
excuse the type-o, 'gimp' not 'gimps'
- toastie0
the problem with the GIMP is that it's based on years upon years of code that's very hard to change at this point.
- sparker0
then it needs to be reworked. there are great ui technologies out there, php/gtk, gtk alone, xul, etc....
and, to second the sentiment in this thread....they need input from real designers.
it could very easily compete with commercial software...but i needs some tender love and care in the ui and graphics departments.
- upDog0
thats right, it is based on years and years of code. But its getting to the point, or soon will, where the code needs a serious overhall and some tlc to ensure its growth and ability to compete with commercial apps. It will be an extremely difficult task, but its definately worth the effort.
- toastie0
i've always wanted to get a group of people and start a fork to rework the UI, but I don't really like forks and i'm a bit on the lazy side.
- tileeater0
so what have we done here to contact the GIMP group and establish a relationship where something can mature from this topic into actual collaboration?
step 1. growing up is a good idea, let's change the name. to anal wort or farts or something
step 2. let's make it so that we can install it without wasting too too much company time.
step 3. a sleek GUI would be nice.
- tileeater0
here's a crazy idea...
open up photoshop (or shit man, open gimp), redesign the widgets and give it a complete UI overhaul, we'll vote on the best candidate then send it to the geeks.
that's not even that tough.
- toastie0
what you might not understand is even if it's an open source project, there's still a committee of people working on it who are in control of the project, and while you might have some good ideas about what it should look like, they might not agree with you (and they probably won't). Open Source doesn't mean that if you disagree with the developers of a project, you can just send them your ideas and expect them to be in the next release. There are many people putting in alot of free time into this project and many more contributing to it. Your ideas, brilliant as they might be, will probably be ignored or gently refused, unless you're willing to commit as much time and effort to it as the people who're maintaining it.
- sparker0
i'm not a big fan of forks. they can get out of hand pretty quickly.
go take a browse through sourceforge sometime and see how man of the exact same projects exist.
it is uncanny how many times programmers will re-invent the wheel.
taking GIMP source, reworking it and massaging it into a better product sounds like a good idea, but you end up having two GIMPs. what purpose does that serve?
this is one of the biggest problems in Linux right now when looking at it as a viable desktop solution. what WM do you choose? do you go with GNOME or KDE and get that overall "windows/aqua" feeling? do you go more simplistic, yet hardcore and use Blackbox/Fluxbox/WM/enlightenmen... etc...??
as an open-source developer and advocate, i can safely say...sometimes choice is a bad thing.
:)
- toastie0
the problem is also with disagreement of the parties involved. I, for one, prefer Gnome, but Gtk doesn't have support for MDI interfaces which i quite enjoy. Every nerd that says that GIMP is perfect as it is, hates MDI interfaces. Of course, OSX MDI is much better than Windows MDI, which is what most people have the problem with, but the OSX MDI is tightly integrated with the system, and in linux there's no coherent system to speak of. Anyway, we'll see what happens with the GIMP. *plug* in the meantime, i'm working on an opensource flash editor, which im going to release pretty soon *plug*
- upDog0
wow I didn't know we had such serious developers here. I would love to check out your open-source flash editor. Thats really exciting.
- toastie0
we're taking over the interweb. and um, i'll show you some screenshots when i get home, but i dont plan to release it until I work up some self-esteem in regards to the quiality of my code :P
- tileeater0
toastie,
lets see these screenshots
- sparker0
see, i'm more of the blackbox type.
i prefer to surround myself with a minimal environment when working. takes away distraction while writing code.
now, i like well designed, iconic ui's. i just don't need my desktop to look like a graphic design cluster fuck.
:)
i would like to develop a modular ui which uses a database for settings and components.
i'm a big fan of databases.
store all your functions for a tool in a database instead of in runtime or compiled files.
you could do this using languages like xml/xul.
the pen tool exists as a record in a database instead of a convoluded file.
we did something like that for an in-house estimating application. we used xml to create our own scripting language. routines were stored in a database and pulled out when needed...
power-users were able to write custom tools for inclusion in the program or modify existing utilities and functions of the program.
kind of like autocad lsp.
- sparker0
same concept behind microsoft's new file system.
everything based on a database backend.
you could write more usable web applications that way.
not too mention, more portable programs. it would be easier to install internal dummy programs that way...all program function, tools and shit would be housed on a central server and the client software would just pull what each config required.
sounds kind of like SAP. but, i dislike SAP development.
- rocha0
Regarding the GIMP on Mac, doesn't it run on OSX because of it's Unix architecture?
- sparker0
partially, yes. but the unix in osx is heavily modified bsd. porting had to take place in GIMP.
GIMP runs on windows, linux, unix and mac...each of those required porting.
each one is different.