[sf-lug] javacat flyer app?

[Rick Moen]

Quoting jim stockford (jim at well.com):

> That is a terrific, easy-to-read, demystifying article:
> > http://www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT6362808891.html

Vaughan-Nichols is an excellent writer, but this particular article of
his would have been better if he'd gotten into the P-word: patents.

The GIMP perennially lacks colour-matching, ICC profile colour management
(CMYK, RGB, LAB), Pantone integration, and a monitor calibration tool.
Those are absolutely _crucial_ for a credible presence in prepress
software.

Is this because The GIMP's authors don't know how to code those
functions?  No, absolutely not.  The problem is that all of those areas
are heavily patent-encumbered, and in general prepress / professional
graphics work is a patent minefield (as is the case for digital A/V,
too).  Probably, all of those functions have been coded for The GIMP a
thousand times over -- behind closed doors.  Do it in the open, and
you'll automatically owe a big pile of royalties.  

A GIMP superset with proprietary modules to do patent-encumbered things
if physically possible, but distribution of same is precluded by The
GIMP's GPL licensing.

> As to photoshop being a platform, the meaning for users seems to be
> "more plug-ins".

FYI:  The GIMP on MS-Windows can use Photoshop plugins:
http://members.home.nl/m.weisbeek/gimp/#ps 

-- 
Cheers,             
Rick Moen                 "Anger makes dull men witty, but it keeps them poor."
rick at linuxmafia.com                                   -- Elizabeth Tudor