Ubuntu Live to lose GIMP - Will it matter?

What's it all about? Apparently, Ryan Paul from the arstechnica website was one of the OSS developers present at the Ubuntu Developer Summit last week in Dallas where it was decided to remove GIMP from the default install. He logically, and in human speak, explained the thinking that led to that decision by the numerous experts from various projects that go in to the distribution. By way of contrast, Carla Schroder managing editor of Linux Today put up a robust argument showing that the decision to remove GIMP from a Live CD or default install is a bad one. Who's closest to the truth? Does it matter?

When I'd read the arstechnica page, I could see the sense in it and immediately agreed with it, but later when I read the Linux Today page I could see what she was getting at and agreed with that too. Then I realised how easily led my clapped-out little brain must be. One person says "black" and the other says "white". I'm drawn to both although not simultaneously! Again it's time to start weighing up facts and not to just believe whatever's in front of me. What are those "facts"?

To start with, Ryan at arstechnica (do you realise just how hard it is to type arstechnica?) gave an overview of what the Ubuntu Developer Summit does, then gave a summary of reasons for removing GIMP. These include the fact that GIMP is a very high-end tool suited to professionals, and as such is intimidating to inexperienced users. Ubuntu want to include in the default installation software that's lightweight and simple to use for basic editing tasks. I think that is what the vast majority of end users want and need, so I'm convinced so far. All high-end graphic editing tools choc full of rich features use a lot of disk space and the Live CD has a finite limit. Again, I'm convinced. Paul quotes a GIMP developer, Sven Neumann, who says that their product vision is a high-end professional package not necessarily for casual photo editing.

Carla's opinion seemed to be that GIMP isn't intimidating for those who are unfamiliar with GIMP. I'm not convinced, but maybe that's because I'm thick. I use GIMP for cropping, red-eye, brightness & contrast adjustment of bad wedding pics, and not much else, but I had to put in more than the usual effort when I started using GIMP. (Lack of cash made me look at GIMP for Windows when I was still using XP.) To state with any certainty or accuracy that Joe Public is or isn't capable of a particular thing would surely call for some sort of survey. Most of the actual research I've read seems to show that Joe Public wants a simpler interface. Even if they start off with something simple and basic, they can obviously move up to the professional functionality of GIMP as they become more au-fait with what they're trying to do. Carla states that Live CD's are ambassadors for FOSS as they're often the first contact people have with it. That's a very subjective statement, in my opinion. Do Ubuntu want to make a Live CD as an advertisment for FOSS as a whole, or do they want to make an entire operating system and commonly useful software available for people to try? No doubt Carla's right when she says that GIMP is one of FOSS's major achievements. We all agree with that. Does it really need to be on a newbie's Live CD?

Ryan at ars (can't be bothered typing the rest) later said that GIMP will of course always be available through the Ubuntu repositories. He also said something that I found to be thought-provoking: GIMP will likely stay in the Ubuntu Studio default install where it will be more visible to the type of users who are likely to benefit most from its range of capabilities since Ubuntu Studio is a multimedia-oriented distribution.

So what is it all about? Are people carping on about this decision by Ubuntu dev's for no real reason other than they like to moan? Or will it be detrimental to GIMP or even the FOSS community to not have GIMP on an Ubuntu Live CD? Is GIMP on any other Live CD's? How do you use GIMP? Straighten squint scans? Remove uncle Bobby's red-eye from the brewery-based wedding reception photos? Crop the end off holiday snaps because someone's kid ran into shot? Do you have customers who use GIMP? What do they do with it?

Tell us.

FPDW