GIMP going to get the boot in Ubuntu Lucid

It is heard that GIMP is going to be left out of the default selection of packages bundled with the next version of Ubuntu aka Ubuntu Lucid. There is an interesting write up about this at omgubuntu.co.uk.

The following are the reasons provided against inclusion of GIMP in the default installation of Ubuntu Lucid.

• The general user doesn’t use it.
• User interface doesn’t inspire confidence.
• GIMP is usually used by professionals
• There are simpler and easier alternatives to GIMP for basic photo manipulation.
• Takes up space in the disk (CD,DVD,…).
• Photoshop is not bundled by default in Windows, hence GIMP shouldn’t be in Ubuntu either.

Now the pro-GIMP users (which includes me) have this to say supporting the retention of GIMP in the next version of Ubuntu.

1. One of the ways of introducing people to alternative software is to include it in the default installation of Linux and have it readily accessible to the users from the menu. Removing GIMP would mean encouraging people to think that Linux is “not ready for serious users.”
2. If saving space on the disk is the major issue, why not replace OpenOffice.org with equivalent software such as Abiword and Gnumeric ? After all, how many general users of Linux (or Windows for that matter) use a word processor or spread sheet program? And OpenOffice.org occupies far more space than GIMP.
3. GIMP’s user interface may be out of the ordinary. But to those who have gotten used to this interface, Photoshop’s interface is out of the ordinary. (Believe me, I use GIMP for touching up and preparing all the images you see on this blog. And I find GIMP a lot more intutive than Photoshop). Bottom line is, it is a matter of getting used to.
4. Agreed, you can always install GIMP using a simple apt-get install. But what about those users who do not have ready access to Internet (and there are lots of them out there who own a computer but rely on Cybercafes for reading their email and web browsing). There will be no easy recourse for these set of Ubuntu users who wish to install and use GIMP.

For the above mentioned reasons, I vote strongly in favour of GIMP being included in the default set of packages bundled with the next version of Ubuntu aka Ubuntu Lucid. Let me go one step further, every Linux distribution out there, whether it is the best Linux distribution, big or small, should include GIMP in their default installation. Value added software like GIMP is what makes using Linux truly fascinating.