Linux users have a wide variety of nice image editing apps to choose from. For those who need something robust and powerful, there’s the GIMP, or even GIMPshop for those who are more comfortable with Photoshop’s menu structure. Command-line junkies can manipulate Image Magick to their heart’s delight. KDE fans have Krita as part of KOffice or even DigiKam for quick, simple edits of photos. GNOME partisans can open gThumb for simple work, or work on photos with F-spot. And there are plenty of others where those came from, with vast differences in features, complexity, usability, and target audiences.
There is one thing that all these programs have in common, however: they’re all tied to the desktop. As computing moves out into the cloud, and as users increasingly turn to the Web for their programs, desktop apps must either migrate or get left behind. It might be a small blip now compared to the obscene revenues Microsoft enjoys with its Office suite, but Google Docs points the way to the future.
Most kids in their teens and twenties have no idea what an email client is; instead, they use Web-based email programs like Gmail or Yahoo! Mail or even (shudder) Hotmail. Increasingly, image editing programs are moving off the Linux (and Windows and Mac OS X) desktop and onto the Web. And one of the best choices available today for Linux users - if not the best - is Picnik.
Picnik is a Web app, so there’s absolutely nothing…
Please log in to view this content.
Not Yet a Member?
Register with LinuxMagazine.com and get free access to the entire archive, including:
