The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a open source program for image editing that rivalls Adobe Photoshop in features. If you are thinking of getting Photoshop®, I suggest that you try the GIMP first, as it's totally free (and you can get the source code if you want to help develop it). If you want to run the GIMP under OS X, you will have to install Apple's X11 (if not already installed). You can do this from the system disk that came with your Mac. (or PC if you hackintoshed ;D). Download page is here.
The other Adobe program that there is a very popular open source alternative for is Adobe Illustrator. The alternative is Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org/), which I have found to be in a way better than Illustrator (the version that I use is CS3), as when I opened an image that was 4707x4000 px in Illustrator it just wouldn't open, whereas in Inkscape the same image would work just fine on my PowerMac G5 2.5GB SDRAM. Both the GIMP and Inkscape are multiplatform (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux), and other UNIXes such as FreeBSD, and of course the source code tarball is available.
Sunday 27 January 2008
The GIMP
Tuesday 15 January 2008
Free commercial software
Found this in my computer magazine today:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/
Probably some neat stuff available.
Sunday 13 January 2008
Open source always has the original ideas
Apple is so, so totally ripping off open source stuff. For instance, compare the new features of Safari 3 with Firefox 2: 1) Rip off tabs. Firefox has had them for a while. 2) Web inspector: Firefox has a very popular extension called Firebug, and the new Safari web inspector is so totally ripped off straight from Firebug, with a nice iTunesy GUI. 3) Restore previous session. I believe Firefox 1 had this, and Firefox 2+ definitely has it. So totally ripped off. In fact I think apple is very into open source, as you can see: 1) The Mac OS X kernel, Darwin, is open source. You can get the source code straight from apple. 2) Mac OS X uses OpenGL graphics software, which is self-explanatarily open source. 3) The apple developing software, XCode, uses GCC C compiler for compiling (which I believe is developed by GNU and is open source). 4) Mac OS X's shell is GNU Bash, and alot of other GNU tools come with OS X, such as: nano; emacs; and a few others. So to a certain extent, Apple is incorporating open source into their own software, and also incorporate features into their proprietary software that were originally in open source projects a long time ago. See what I mean? Open source always has the original ideas. But when you take microsoft into the argument, apple suddenly seem like the open source people. Microsoft, undoubtedly, rips off apple and that doesn't even need any examples, work them out yourself. So you can think of it as a kind of chain: first open source projects such as firefox develop the original ideas; then apple rips them off; then M$ rip off apple. Now that's what I call third rate, literally. Hooray for open source!!! And fuck M$.
Wednesday 9 January 2008
Tuesday 8 January 2008
Swear words.
I have NEVER, NEVER EVER seen why the word 'f*ck' isn't as bad as 'fuck', and get very annoyed when people use it on forums to avoid 'swearing'.
Monday 7 January 2008
Portal anomalies
Here are some weird and/or interesting things I've found in Portal:
Chamber 19:
1. The energy ball that blocks your way to the fire-pit. It's green.
2. The large fans you have to portal behind after the fire-pit. Pick up a barrel and throw it in. The fan breaks.
3. A load of things glow that probably shouldn't - look at the Aperture logo on the GLaDOS speakers. It glows.
All chambers:
1. noclip into some of the observation rooms. Blue doors.
2. Objects can get carried to the next level. Noclip into the elevator room at the end of chamber 17, portal placement never fail, and shoot the wall next to the emancipation grid. then go to the start where the companion cube is, and fire the opposite colour portal. put the WCC through and go in yourself. Proceed to level 18 with the cube!!
This post was vandalized on 07 January. Changes were revoked same day. Vandalism will get you denoted.
Friday 4 January 2008
Hard flash game
The only way I can make any progress in this game (click the tux to play) is to use my graphics tablet, it's too hard even with my 1000dpi Logitech LX7!
Thursday 3 January 2008
Cool animation
I made this animation using my Pico iMage webcam; a tripod; Photo booth; Final Cut Pro; my PowerMacG5; and a few toys. Hope you like it!
