quote:
Originally posted by Refalm:
Let me remind you that some people don't have a credit card, and won't pay for some "look-I-can-run-Windoze-programs-in-Linux" program...
And let me remind you that some people will come to Linux already owning a copy of Photoshop, and if they can run it in Linux, why not just continue to use it?
Don't get me wrong, GIMP will serve most users' needs, and it's my first recommendation to anyone that asks. Some people might use picture editing programs sparingly (like MS Paint or even Photoshop), and would have no problem adjusting to using GIMP instead. Others, for whatever reason, think Photoshop is the only program they can use to do what they do (whether that is really the case or not is always up for debate. I can't really comment on it because I've never used Photoshop, and I don't use GIMP very often).
The argument has been made that if someone wants to continue using Windows programs, they should just keep using Windows. I, however, tend to think that even if Windows programs are run in Linux, the fact is, they are running in an operating system far less likely to crash or freeze than any version of Windows, and they are less likely to lose their work.
I've made a bit of a speech about it before on the Mandrake Users' board. I know I hold the minority opinion in this case, but that's just my two cents on the issue. Especially in the case of Photoshop, just from this board, that seems to be the one thing that keeps people from trying Linux. Don't get me wrong, Linux natives should be used if they exist (and 99.9% of the time, they do exist), but some people are too lazy to change, and if they are willing to at least lose the Microsoft OS part of their computing world, that's a huge step in the right direction.
Okay, I'll shut up now.