Shulou(Shulou.com)06/01 Report--

In this issue, the editor will bring you what is the reason for choosing Linux to do art design. The article is rich in content and analyzes and narrates it from a professional point of view. I hope you can get something after reading this article.

In 2021, people have more reason to fall in love with Linux than ever before. In this series, I will share 21 reasons for choosing Linux. Today, let me explain why Linux is an excellent choice for art and design.

Linux has received a lot of praise in terms of servers and cloud computing. To the surprise of many people, Linux also has a series of great creative design tools, and these tools are comparable to those popular creative design tools in terms of user experience and quality. The first time I used open source design tools, it was not because I had no other tools to choose from. On the contrary, I only started using open source design tools after I came into contact with a large number of proprietary design tools provided by these leading companies. I finally chose open source design tools because open source makes more sense, and I can get better output. These are all general statements, so please allow me to explain.

High availability means high productivity

"Productivity" means different things to different people this time. When I think about productivity, that is, when you sit down to do things and are able to accomplish all the tasks you have set for yourself, there is a sense of accomplishment. But when you are constantly interrupted by things you can't control, your productivity drops.

Computers seem unpredictable, and it is true that there are many things that can go wrong. Computers are made up of a lot of hardware, and any one of them can go wrong at any time. The software will have bug, there will be updates to fix these bug, and the update will bring a new bug. If you don't know anything about computers, it may be like a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode. With so many potential problems in the digital world, it seems irrational for me to accept software that doesn't work when certain conditions are not met (such as licenses or subscription fees).

Inkscape applications open source creative design applications do not require subscription fees or licenses. They are all available when you need them, and are usually cross-platform. This means that when you sit in front of the computer at work, you can be sure that you can use the necessary software. If you are busy one day, only to find that the computer in front of you is not working, the solution is to find someone who can work, install your creative design software, and then get to work.

For example, finding a computer that can't run Inkscape is much harder than finding a computer that can run those proprietary software. This is called high availability. This is the game changer. I've never had to wait because the software doesn't work, wasting my hours.

Open access is better for diversity

When I was working in the design industry, I was surprised that many of my colleagues learned art and technology through self-study. Some learn by using the latest expensive "professional" software, but there is always a large group of people who use free and open source software to improve their digital professional skills. Because, for children, or college students who have no money, this is what they can afford, and it is easy to get.

It's a different kind of high availability, but it's important to me and a lot of other users, who wouldn't be in the creative industry if it wasn't for open source. Even open source projects that offer paid subscriptions, such as Ardour, ensure that their users can use the software without paying any fees.

Ardour Interface when you don't restrict others from using your software, you actually have more potential users. If you do, you open a window to receive a variety of creative voices. Art loves influence, and the more experiences and ideas you can learn from, the better. This is the possibility of open source design software.

File format supports more inclusiveness

We all know the value of inclusiveness in almost all industries. In every sense, inviting more people to the party can create a more spectacular scene. Knowing this, it pains me to see that some projects or innovative companies only invite certain people to cooperate and accept only certain file formats. It looks old, like a relic of elitism in ancient times, and this is the real problem that is happening even today.

Surprisingly and unfortunately, this is not because of technical limitations. Proprietary software can access open source file formats because they are open source and can be freely integrated into a variety of applications. Integrating these formats does not require any return. By contrast, proprietary file formats are shrouded in secrecy and are limited to a few people who are willing to pay. This is bad, and often, you can't open files to get your data without these proprietary software. Surprisingly, open source design software does its best to support more proprietary file formats. Here are some incredible samples of lists supported by Inkscape:

Available Inkscape file formats, most of which are developed without the support of these proprietary format vendors.

Supporting open file formats can be more inclusive and better for everyone.

There are no restrictions on new ideas

One of the reasons I fell in love with open source is that there is complete diversity when it comes to solving a given task. When you are around proprietary software, the world you see is based on what you can get. For example, if you plan to deal with some photos, you usually limit your intentions to the possibilities you know. You pick 3 out of 4 or 10 apps on your shelf, because they are the only options you can get at the moment.

In the open source world, you usually have several "obvious" must-have solutions, but at the same time you have a dozen competitors hanging around the edge for you to choose from. These options are sometimes semi-finished, or they are super focused on a task, or they are a bit challenging to learn, but above all, they are unique and innovative. Sometimes, they are developed by people who do not follow the "routine", so they are handled in a very different way from the products available on the market. At other times, they are developed by people who are familiar with the "right" way of doing things, but are still trying different strategies. It's like a huge, dynamic brainstorm full of possibilities.

This type of day-to-day innovation can lead to flashing inspiration, glorious moments, or versatile improvements that have a wide range of effects. For example, the famous GIMP filter, which removes items from images and automatically replaces backgrounds, was so popular that it was later "borrowed" by proprietary image editing software vendors. This is a successful step, but for an artist, personal influence is the most important. I often marvel at the creativity of new Linux users, and I just show them a simple audio, or video filter, or graphics application at a technology show. Without any guidance or application scenarios, ideas for new tools that erupt from simple interactions are exciting and enlightening, with some simple tools in the experiment. a whole new art series can easily emerge.

As long as the appropriate toolset is available, there are many ways to work more effectively. While proprietary software is generally not opposed to the idea of smarter work habits, focusing on automating tasks makes it easier for users to work, and there is no direct benefit to them. Linux and open source software are largely built for automation and orchestration, not just servers. Tools like ImageMagick and GIMP scripts have changed the way I deal with images, both in batch processing and purely experimental.

You never know what you can create if you have a tool that you never imagined would exist.

The above is the reason why the editor shares the choice of Linux to do art design. If you happen to have similar doubts, you might as well refer to the above analysis to understand. If you want to know more about it, you are welcome to follow the industry information channel.

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