Edward Snowden’s recent tweet praised what free and open-source software can achieve.
In the tweet, he highlights that every time he uses Blender (an open-source 3D software suite), it reminds him of the advantages of FOSS and the growth of the ecosystem.
He did not just limit to that, in a follow-up reply to the same thread, he also tagged GIMP and added, “I’m really hoping for a major UI overhaul. You guys could be eating Adobe’s lunch.“
Does GIMP Require a Major UI Overhaul?
GIMP is one of the most effective free and open-source image manipulation tools available.
It is actively used by professionals and all kinds of individuals to get a variety of things done.
You can even make a GIF in GIMP. Hence, it is tailored for simple and advanced tasks.
While it offers a learning curve to get used to its UI, it is good enough functionality-wise.
Does it require a UI overhaul?
Yes, as per the trends, all kinds of designing/editing tools are working to improve the user-friendliness factor, GIMP may have missed out on this front.
Of course, a sudden UI change may affect the workflow for a lot of veteran users. But, it does require a UI overhaul to beat its competitors like Adobe’s tools.
Also, with an easy-to-use interface, it will attract more users, potentially helping it grow and monetize the project even further.
And, it is also clear that Snowden thinks the same way, which is why he is hoping for a major UI overhaul while expecting GIMP to challenge Adobe tools in a big way.
Why is GIMP Not Working on a Major User Experience Overhaul Yet?
Unfortunately, GIMP does not have regular UX contributors or developers to work on a major overhaul.
They mentioned it as a reply to one of the tweets in Snowden’s tweet thread:
“We worked with a UX architect between 2005 and 2012. Good things came out of it. We make small UX improvements in almost every update now that point releases (e.g. 2.10.24) are allowed to have new stuff. But we don’t have a regular UX contributor or devs for a huge overhaul”
Well, this is definitely a sad thing for such a popular project that gets immense love from thousands of users.
And, I hope, after Snowden’s tweet, the GIMP project gets more traction and we see regular contributors to help evolve GIMP with the love it deserves.
If you want to help, you can explore GIMP’s contribution page to learn more about helping the project.
Feel free to let me know your thoughts on GIMP and if you find it useful. Do you think that it needs a major UI overhaul, comments section is all yours!
Image Credits (Snowden’s image): TheGuardian
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