Contributor Ell - Ubuntu brainstorm

Ubuntu QA:

Blog

Brainstorm

Package status

GIMP Image Editor

Idea sandbox

Popular ideas

Ideas in development

Implemented ideas

Contributor Ell on GIMP Image Editor

Give Gimp, Inkscape and Scribus a unified look and feel

Written by ubby the 26 Jun 09 at 10:14. New

Adobe has a Creative Suite with a unified look and feel that is very easy to work with for people who daily work with the Adobe Creative Suite programs.

Information about Adobe Creative Suite:
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/

Information about Gimp, Inkscape and Scribus:
http://www.gimp.org
http://www.inkscape.org
http://www.scribus.net

635
votes

Solution #1: Give Gimp, Inkscape and Scribus a unified look and feel

Written by ubby the 26 Jun 09 at 10:14.

This will make Gimp, Inkscape and Scribus better to compete with the Adobe Creative Suite.
Because of a unified look and feel it will be easier to work with the programs.

To accomplish this the developers of the programs need to work together.
Maybe the developers can get help from universities who are working with graphic software.

-166
votes

422
votes

Solution #3: Develop a "recommended" UI plan for gnome projects.

Written by Darwin Survivor the 26 Jun 09 at 20:09.

I'm not sure if one already exists, so bear with me.

One of the problems I believe is keeping programs from unifying is the lack of a recommended UI design. People start making projects and just throw buttons at it whenever they need a new feature. Over time the layout becomes caotic and a huge mess, so the project enters a "fix-it" stage where the UI is redone and made more functional.

The problem is that each project is doing this individually and only taking small hints from other projects. If there were a simple, elegant and extendable layout and scheme for gnome, or linux for that matter, it would help the projects in the "fix-it" stage to evolve into having similarly designed UIs.

What we need is that simple, elegant yet extensible layout design and a group of people (or projects) to start pushing it.

157
votes

Solution #4: Ensure that all creative applications work properly with Gnome-Globalmenu

Written by ethana2 the 28 Jun 09 at 23:35.

When you have a large screen with a scribus or inkscape window maximized, a menu bar that's not on the top screen edge becomes inconvenient. While ubuntu isn't likely to default to a global menu for a variety of reasons, it's a crucial part of the professional workflow --ask any graphic designer who uses a Mac Pro with a Cinema display.

117
votes

-39
votes

72
votes

See the 27 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 12 Apr 12 at 07:52) >>

GIMP is out from Lucid Lynx.

Written by hellmet the 20 Nov 09 at 18:49. Won't implement

GIMP is being taken off the default install due to "CD space" problems. However, it should remain easily accessible/installable.

-450
votes

-45
votes

146
votes

409
votes

550
votes

Solution #5: give a simple paint app

Written by yzarc the 21 Nov 09 at 14:37.

Very often I just wanna draw an arrow over a map and write "the party is here!". Or just crop a picture.

And it's a pain to do it in gimp. It's like operate war tank to kill an ant. Please give us a simple image editor, no layers, no vectors, no Filters, etc. Try to remember the first time you opened the gimp. What do I do with all these windows and tools?

341
votes

Solution #6: Add an applications section to the installer

Written by tehalynn the 21 Nov 09 at 23:31.

When someone installs Ubuntu, they are shown an applications page with the following options:

1. Install all default applications. Some will need to be downloaded.
2. Install only default applications that do not need to be downloaded.
3. Select which applications to install.

Option 1 will install applications that are not on the CD, such as GIMP, by downloading and installing them when an internet connection is made.

Option 2 will install only applications on the CD. It should tell the user how to get them later if they change their mind.

Option 3 shows a page listing applications that will be installed. The user can exclude applications they do not want, and include ones they do. Here's a mockup of the general idea:

Only major applications need to be mentioned here. This is not a replacement for Ubuntu Software Center/Synaptic.

-165
votes

-117
votes

Solution #8: first run

Written by nloewen the 23 Nov 09 at 05:02.

At the first boot of the system after install, a dialog box could pop up asking if the user would like some help setting up there system. It could go through users and what not as well as ask what the user would like to use there computer for. if they select something like photo editing or replacement for photo-shop, the program would select GIMP for install with a button to let them select a different program from the repository.

-49
votes

-123
votes

Solution #10: Offer Multiple ISO downloads

Written by fix98-win the 24 Nov 09 at 09:58.

CD-Rs come in packs more often than not.

Offer for download in ISO format a two disc system with just Ubuntu on the first disc and extra applications on the second disc. This would possibly be in addition to the standard one disc system.

This way, users can save both discs for when they need to reinstall software that came with the system, but are offline.

Besides, using two discs frees up space for more software to be included with ubuntu by default.

ps: Don't forget to give users a choice of which applications to install from the second disc.

176
votes

242
votes

-285
votes

-197
votes

Solution #14: Remove every internet related application.

Written by Vladimir Hidalgo the 26 Nov 09 at 01:46.

This is a mix of previous solutions, but what I propose is to remove basically everything on "Internet" menu but Firefox.

Why?, because people that need those internet related apps do *have* internet to use them, therefore they can download & install them in an easy one-click install process like described in #1.

That is, to remove by default:

-Transmission
-Pidgin/Empathy/Ekiga
-Terminal Server Client
-Evolution
-Ubuntu One

I mean, common, those are needed only if you have Internet, so they can be pulled & installed on first use.

429
votes

Solution #15: Software Center should have a "recommended Software" section

Written by Umang the 26 Nov 09 at 12:59.

The software center should have a "Recommended Software" section where programs such as Thunderbird and GIMP are offered for downloading.

New users are flooded with too many packages to actually get a taste of the best FOSS can provide them. This section should be some sort of an exclusive section and only stable and very popular software should be included.

153
votes

-72
votes

Solution #18: Include KolourPaint instead of GIMP

Written by 8bit the 27 Nov 09 at 07:34.

The thing missing from Ubuntu is a simple, MS Paint-like program. These are nice in that they are easy to learn, run smoothly on low end system, lack clutter, have small install footprints, and open up seemingly instantly. KolourPaint is all of these:

Pros:

-The design is good. It doesn't feel cramped, it feels uniform and inviting, and most of the button icons are self-explainable. It basically looks like a prettier, shinier pre-Windows 7 MS Paint.
-It functions almost identically to MS Paint. A casual Windows user likely wouldn't be able to notice the difference, and the time it would take to transition would be minimal
-Start up time is fast
-All features that are in KolourPaint and not in MS Paint are pretty useful, and in no way get in the way of the MS Paint-like features.
-The undo history is huge. Where as MS Paint only allows 2 undos, I've gone back hundreds of actions and still haven't hit a wall
-Anything that's been changed from MS Paint has been changed for the better. Zoom is more powerful, the eraser has more brush sizes, the shape tools let you choose line thickness from within their tool box, and don't require you to switch to the line tool to choose line thickness.
-It's pretty stable. I had a weird hangup when using the zoom tool once, but I haven't been able to reproduce it since, and gPaint, on the other hand, crashes whenever I click on the 'fill' tool.

[...]

-As I mentioned, there are a couple of original tools- The connected lines tool, the color eraser tool, the freeform selection tool, but the most interesting addition is the Color Similarity tool which allows a user to set selection threshold for the fill tool. (and other tools, presumably) What this means is that you can have two, very similar colors, set this setting to something high, and then use the fill tool on one, and it will fill two. This is very useful, and is somewhat analogous to the magic wand tool/color select.
-Supports saving in a multitude of files.
-Supports editing in a multitude of files. (including XCF)
-Sort of has support for transparency (THIS IS AWESOME!)
-Only just over 2MB in size, as compared to GIMP's 14MB
-Everything is in one window. I quite like this.
-Free and open source. Uses the BSD license.
-It's being actively developed.

Cons:

-No layering support
-Very limited transparency support. While transparency itself is supported, translucency isn't, so you can't have an image with parts that are sort of transparent. It's either completely transparency, or completely opaque.
-No transparency for the tools. This seems obvious considering the above. You can't set transparency levels for, say, the paintbrush, for example.
-There's an uneven number of tools, meaning that there is a space where an icon could go which is empty. (Not a big deal at all.)
-The 'fill' tool isn't a paint bucket, so it may be confusing for a half a second, but the icon makes sense, and is more elegant than a paint bucket.
-The color picker icon looks like a safety pin to me, which was confusing at first.
-When you pull on the edge of the canvas to enlarge it, it doesn't resize in real time. Instead, it shows you a selection box sort of thing. (MS Paint does this in real time.) This is incredibly knit-picky. 99% of people wouldn't even notice this, I don't really care, some might even prefer it.
-Does not support saving in XCF format.
-It ate up my processor once, forcing me to restart my whole system, once. I've tried pretty hard, though, and I haven't been able to show the issue again. It's entirely possible it was another piece of software I was running. Other than that, it runs completely smooth.
-On a live CD 2MB can still be substantial, but it's definitely an improvement over 14.
-The color swatches bar takes up a little bit too much vertical space in my opinion. Why can't the color profile be on the right side, rather than above? There's all that extra horizontal space, afterall.

In conclusion, the cons are either extremely knit-picky, or exist in similar programs, such as gPaint and MS Paint, anyway. KolourPaint seems perfect for the live CD as a lightweight, Paint-like program. I highly recommend it.

GIMP, on the other hand, is just too large for Live CDs, too unweildly for casual users, and really easy to get for anyone who actually needs it.

Pros:

-The design is good. It doesn't feel cramped, it feels uniform and inviting, and most of the button icons are self-explainable. It basically looks like a prettier, shinier pre-Windows 7 MS Paint.
-It functions almost identically to MS Paint. A casual Windows user likely wouldn't be able to notice the difference, and the time it would take to transition would be minimal
-Start up time is fast
-All features that are in KolourPaint and not in MS Paint are pretty useful, and in no way get in the way of the MS Paint-like features.
-The undo history is huge. Where as MS Paint only allows 2 undos, I've gone back hundreds of actions and still haven't hit a wall
-Anything that's been changed from MS Paint has been changed for the better. Zoom is more powerful, the eraser has more brush sizes, the shape tools let you choose line thickness from within their tool box, and don't require you to switch to the line tool to choose line thickness.
-It's pretty stable. I had a weird hangup when using the zoom tool once, but I haven't been able to reproduce it since, and gPaint, on the other hand, crashes whenever I click on the 'fill' tool.
-As I mentioned, there are a couple of original tools- The connected lines tool, the color eraser tool, the freeform selection tool, but the most interesting addition is the Color Similarity tool which allows a user to set selection threshold for the fill tool. (and other tools, presumably) What this means is that you can have two, very similar colors, set this setting to something high, and then use the fill tool on one, and it will fill two. This is very useful, and is somewhat analogous to the magic wand tool/color select.
-Supports saving in a multitude of files.
-Supports editing in a multitude of files. (including XCF)
-Sort of has support for transparency (THIS IS AWESOME!)
-Only just over 2MB in size, as compared to GIMP's 14MB
-Everything is in one window. I quite like this.
-Free and open source. Uses the BSD license.
-It's being actively developed.

Cons:

-No layering support
-Very limited transparency support. While transparency itself is supported, translucency isn't, so you can't have an image with parts that are sort of transparent. It's either completely transparency, or completely opaque.
-No transparency for the tools. This seems obvious considering the above. You can't set transparency levels for, say, the paintbrush, for example.
-There's an uneven number of tools, meaning that there is a space where an icon could go which is empty. (Not a big deal at all.)
-The 'fill' tool isn't a paint bucket, so it may be confusing for a half a second, but the icon makes sense, and is more elegant than a paint bucket.
-The color picker icon looks like a safety pin to me, which was confusing at first.
-When you pull on the edge of the canvas to enlarge it, it doesn't resize in real time. Instead, it shows you a selection box sort of thing. (MS Paint does this in real time.) This is incredibly knit-picky. 99% of people wouldn't even notice this, I don't really care, some might even prefer it.
-Does not support saving in XCF format.
-It ate up my processor once, forcing me to restart my whole system, once. I've tried pretty hard, though, and I haven't been able to show the issue again. It's entirely possible it was another piece of software I was running. Other than that, it runs completely smooth.
-On a live CD 2MB can still be substantial, but it's definitely an improvement over 14.
-The color swatches bar takes up a little bit too much vertical space in my opinion. Why can't the color profile be on the right side, rather than above? There's all that extra horizontal space, afterall.

In conclusion, the cons are either extremely knit-picky, or exist in similar programs, such as gPaint and MS Paint, anyway. KolourPaint seems perfect for the live CD as a lightweight, Paint-like program. I highly recommend it.

GIMP, on the other hand, is just too large for Live CDs, too unweildly for casual users, and really easy to get for anyone who actually needs it.

127
votes

Solution #19: Ubuntu App Collections

Written by 8bit the 27 Nov 09 at 07:41.

Mozilla has a section of their Firefox add-ons site dedicated to Add-on Collections. These are collections of add-ons handpicked by developers for different uses, (Web developer, family, etc..) which can be downloaded and installed with a single click. Implement a similar section for full applications in the AppCenter. Have one for artists, one for web developers, one for gamers, etc...

-36
votes

Solution #20: Solution #10 Revised.

Written by fix98-win the 29 Nov 09 at 09:39.

I think it might have been the double ISO thing that ruined it. Lemme try again.

Offer Ubuntu for download one one disk. This will save download time, and installation time.

Forget the second disk. I was trying to imply the second disk would be optional, or even nonexistent.

Why would anybody want to backup their software anyway? (sarcasm)

24
votes

16
votes

Solution #22: Like Solution #19, but have it where any user can suggest applications

Written by aubre the 30 Nov 09 at 18:12.

Allow users to submit lists of applications that they like to have on their machines, have them assigned a "collection name" and then give users the option of either browsing the lists or searching for the list name (perhaps they already know the list they want to install).

An example is perhaps an academic lab manager has certain applications they install on each machine. They make a list, submit it to Ubuntu, and then as they install new machines they can simply input the name and all the packages they need will be pre-selected for them. Even better, an academic lab manager on the other side of the world can browse the list, find this pre-built list, and either use it unchanged or adapt it as a starting point of their own list.

There are text/CLI ways to do these things but it would be nice if it could be incorporated into the graphical install interface.

26
votes

-26
votes

-151
votes

53
votes

Solution #26: Gimp Light (a easy and not so messy Version of Gimp)

Written by account the 5 Dec 09 at 13:54.

The newest Gimp is a single-window-Application. The source is open. So I propose to take that source, delete all what is not really necessary and create by this way a simpler Version of Gimp. I call it Gimp-Light and I think it's a great idea. So peoples can accustoms the feel of Gimp, but without the messy feel of the normal Version of Gimp. If they needs more, they can install the regular Gimp. The Gimp-Light shouldn't have many functions - only basic ones for painting etc. This will reduce the weight of this application and can be shipped also in the CD-Version of Ubuntu without problems. A paint-application can stay also in the whole amount of the packages! What you think about my idea!?

-47
votes

-11
votes

Solution #28: Remove extra stuffs or compress less used with paq

Written by DrG the 7 Dec 09 at 08:36.

Remove some of the

Games totalling > 3.0 MB
Backgrounds 9.5 MB ( replace high detailed ones with less detailed ( ie. more compressible to the sqashfs ) ,but eye candy ones.
Themes 1.4 MB - ( remove some ugly ones )
Sounds 3.1 MB - these can be replaced by symbolic format sound ( which takes very little space )
Screen Savers

And such similar items
( choose only a few of these items by voting )
------
or
compress the less used one with paq8px
Example - in karmic , when Shoes.jpg was compressed with paq806 -6 the size was reduced to 802.3 kb from 1016 kb.
( lzma , which is used in the Karmic CD squashfs is not able to reduce the size )

For more informations on compression
http://www.maximumcompression.com/data/summary_sf.php

[...]

----

To make space for GIMP or GIMPShop

19
votes

38
votes

-6
votes

-27
votes

Solution #32: Develop www.phofiltre-lx.org an include in in Lucid Lynx

Written by walo the 12 Dec 09 at 16:56.

¿Haven't you used photofiltre fow windows?

This is one of the best free and useful image tools i have ever used.
Photo filtre LX (http://www.photofiltre-lx.org/) was created to have this simple but really useful aplication under GNU/Linux. I think this develop needs to be released as soon as posible in order to replace GIMP or to have other SIMPLE image manipulation program.

It's going to ve developed using C++ and imagemagic library

42
votes

-10
votes

9
votes

Solution #35: Use a more efficient compression algorithm

Written by dant1612 the 18 Dec 09 at 02:50.

use the xz utils package to compress the files instead, the author claims that it produces archives up to 30% smaller than gzip (although decompression speed would probably be sacrificed)

http://tukaani.org/xz/

(Its still in beta, but I've noticed quite a few GNU programs have started providing source packages in the .xz format)

5
votes

4
votes

Solution #37: Let the user compose their own CD from selectable components

Written by 10110111 the 7 Mar 10 at 13:08.

Make a program which would let the user select the needed packages (or use defaults like official Ubuntu compilation, Kubuntu, etc.), which then would be fetched from the repos and packed into a bootable CD/DVD image.
And leave the official CD as its maintainers want (including removal of some packages like GIMP).

Edit: hmm... it's sorta dup of #30...

See the 30 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 13 Dec 11 at 07:11) >>

Submit your idea