[ubuntu-art] Re: A Request

[Michiel Sikma]

Mark Shuttleworth wrote:
> Michiel, thank you for your contributions so far, and I want to  
> urge you
> to continue to contribute, using whatever tools work best for you  
> right
> now. As others have written, the use of an open format like SVG or PNG
> makes collaboration easier and results in content that does not force
> other artists to make the same choices that you did. But I see that  
> you
> understand that.

Thanks. I'm aware of the nature of this project and agree that it's  
useless to contribute art that can't be used without free software. I  
try to keep everything I make in an open format. Thankfully, PNG is  
fully supported, but it's too bad that SVG isn't (in Adobe's  
products). I've looked at the source of SVG files made with  
Illustrator, and it turns out that they look like a complete mess  
sometimes. I don't know how usable such files are.

Here's an example of an SVG saved with Illustrator: http:// 
thingmajig.org/tmp/blocks.svg

I won't use software that cripples the ability for other people to  
continue or make derivatives of my work. It's just too bad that  
proprietary software comes with such limitations. To me, that means I  
won't be contributing in the field of icons, for example, with  
Illustrator. I'll have to try and learn Inkscape for its ability to  
export SVGs.

> It would also be great if you could, for example, once a year evaluate
> the best free software art tools, and blog about the features you  
> think
> they need before someone like yourself will switch to them. That helps
> guide the development of free software and would be another valuable
> contribution.

It's true that people like me have difficulties switching to other  
programs. It's a combination of things, I believe.

For one thing, free software does not always adhere to industry  
compatibility (Adobe products are greatly compatible with each other,  
which saves effort and money for companies that need to work on  
multiple types of work, such as illustration and desktop publishing,  
and Adobe products are legally able to contain print color guides  
such as PANTONE). Free software also doesn't market itself the way  
Adobe does, which means that designers might not feel like such free  
software is "for them". Lastly, there's the platform difference: lots  
of designers use Apple computers and are not willing to do a full  
operating system switch just so they can use free software;  
thankfully, lots of applications have been ported so they can be run  
natively on other operating systems by now, although they not always  
fully integrate with such other systems.

The main reason would be my reason: I think that since I can use  
proprietary tools to contribute in an open format, I don't  
necessarily need to take a detour to get to that same goal. People  
like me are usually so used to their toolset that switching is like  
losing your right arm and being forced to relearn everything with  
your left (or vice versa).

As I've mentioned earlier on IRC, I do feel that I at least owe the  
free software developers a try to "tame the beast". I'll definitely  
see how the applications work and whether their different frameworks  
can help me improve my workflow. And if not, I'll be sure to let it  
be known, since I assume that opinions of people who are having a  
hard time switching are appreciated by the developers.

> Our goal is to ensure that there exists a complete free software stack
> for any professional purpose. To do that, we need to draw on expertise
> which might not yet be ready to live in a free software-only world.

I agree with this. There are people who don't live in a free software- 
only world and don't usually share the same ideology as people who do  
but still have a lot of field experience. Those are the people who  
can be very useful to a project such as this because of that  
experience, which we should encourage them to share without further  
obligations. I'm sure that people will become interested once it  
becomes attractive to them to switch. There are, afterall, plenty of  
frustrating in professional design industry world, and not always the  
incentive of companies to get rid of this frustration.

Anyway, this mail has turned out rather long. If you skimmed through  
it before reading this: there's not really any need to read all of  
it, since Mark has pretty much summed it up already. I'm glad that  
you all have responded so positively, regarding my request. Thanks!

Michiel

PS: I've switched e-mail addresses. omega at avalanchestudios.net will  
still be usable for a while, but I intend to abandon it later.