ha ha.. this thread proves that when people get angry they honstly tell what they're thinking :D
Well, getting back on the thread's topic "Introduction to Inkscape - Graphic Design and publishing with Free / Open Source Software", and considering that Pradeepto, who posted this thread, is a prominent developer.. i request you to consider this argument.. I am a graphic designer and work on both 2D and 3D domains. Most of my prospective employers (read, the 2d/3d production studios) use the Windows platform at least for the front-end work.. That means all their employees (designers, modelers, riggers, animators) have to be thorough with the Windows platform [:(]. Consequently to secure myself a job I have to work on Windows and i have to practice and master using software like Maya and 3D Studio Max!! Well, i chose FOSS software as my first priority at home; not just because it is free, but because "it gives me freedom"! The freedom to choose, freedom to add/modify/distribute what i have with me and more!! Believe me, it gives me the feeling of freedom, above all! Now my point here is that looking at it from the USER's perspective (my perspective, here); and not from the developer's perspective, i have alternatives like Inkscape and Blender (and working on both platforms only widened my insight!), that are although really good value software considering the freedom they provide, but still cannot do for me what my employer would demand!! Moreover, if you have spent some time and mastered working on any one of the 3d softwares like Maya, Max or Blender (or Photoshop, GIMP, Inkscape or such in 2d), you definitely know what it takes to master them. Forget development, these softwares have such wide and varied applications that just mastering to use them would take months or even years!! Most of the people working in the 3D industry work on Maya or 3DS Max (the production houses that employ them use those!) They've mastered their art using these tools, and _many_ of them don't care to write a single line (or even a single word) of code to extend the software's usability/applicability/features because there are separate departments to develop and deploy code, plugins, etc. So why would they shift to Linux and when they *cannot* shift to it, it has no value for them in terms of usability!! Because you write so many nice applications on the Linux platform, you probably want _people_ to use them (not just developers, many more people, please correct me if i am wrong). So how would you convince a user to use the FOSS applications if they're asked to leave the FOSS world altogether when they complain? Moreover, in the production environment in any graphics development organisation or a production studio, what counts is the speed of execution, and if you compare all the above mentioned applications, the workflow is the fasest in some of the CSS and paid software and not on the OSS alternatives (i wish it was the other way round)!! For example, in 3D, if you work on 3DS Max, Maya and Blender for three months (any time less than that would not qualify you to reach conclusions about workflow speeds!), you'll notice for yourself that nothing matches the speed of workflow that Maya offers! Not even 3DS Max or any other closed 3d application; precisely the reason for its efficacy in the industry, and not just becasue it is costly! In a previous mail you've said that high cost of software does not imply good quality! True, but if its one of the most costly softwares (the latest version costs around US$8000 for a single license!) in the category and still the most widely used, then?? (if a production house can bear the costs, they'll definitely have it!) Of course, if they wanted they could have developed Blender to that extent with that kind of investment and used that! But what if they don't want to get their hands down and dirty with development, what if they only want to use and not develop? Moreover, consider the cost of shifting now, once they're established, and have already invested so much on proprietary software. Consider the cost of training their workforce, *from scratch*!! All said, the bottomline is, I cannot afford Maya at home and they don't have a free PLE (Personal Learning Edition) for Linux platform, as they do for the Windows platform! And I love to work on Maya as long as you don't have an application with the comparable workflow! And I, the user, will decide whether an application's workflow is comparable, inferior or superior to another application (of course, i'll give you valuable feedback because I *want* and *love* to use FOSS apps more than Closed ones!) Do you have a solution for me?? -- "LUCK i$ the RE$iDUE of GooD De$iGn" kamaleshwar morjal (कमलेश्वर मोरजाल) http://www.eficacy.com/
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