GIMP 10th Anniversary Splash Contest Winner Announced

ghost_crab writes "Following up on this story, the winner for the 10th Anniversary GIMP Splash Contest has been announced. Concurrently, a birthday edition has been released to the mirrors. Many happy returns, Wilbur!"

Comments

Uhhh... what is it?

[Anonymous Coward]

It looks like some kind of rusty dial off the Titanic... only it's measuring.. years... which maxes out at.... 30.

Umm...

What?

0-4 ?

[TheRealDamion]

Why does it start at 0, get to 4 but mark it at 5? This also makes 15 not quite centred* at the top. (*I'm british)

For their next contest...

[bgfay]

Rename the GIMP so that people who aren't already devoted to it might have a clue as to what it does.

There was another article a while ago about program names that made sense to me. If the Open Source programs had more recognizable names, they would have more traction. As it is, in my school, it is very difficult to get people to use things like the GIMP instead of Photoshop but much easier to convince them that OpenOffice is a good choice over MS Office.

Re:For their next contest...

[bgfay]

I know what it stands for. You know why? Because I read things like /. and keep up with some of the Open Source news. But here's the thing: only one of my friends is a geek and keeps up with this the way I do. Almost all of the others have digital cameras and use image software of one kind or another, but have no idea what a GIMP is other than a derogatory term for someone who can't walk well. Thus, they don't use it.

As for the idea that GNU Image Minipulation Program is more specific than Photoshop, who cares? The name Photoshop (and I have to say here that I have never used Photoshop) makes it sound like a workshop in which someone can alter photos. Simple. It's a one-degree operation. GIMP is at least three degrees: GIMP = GNU Image Manipulation Program = a program for altering images (maybe even photos). I'm saying that the name is not a great way to "sell" the product.

Why would the product need to be "sold"? It's that thing about the more users something has, the more likely it is to get better faster. Firefox (another program with a non-descriptive name) comes to mind as an example of this.

Finally, as a representative of the "retards like you" club, thanks for the kind words. It's elitist nonsense like this that leads all but one of my friends to think that most computer geeks are introverts or childern who can't function in real society and so retreat into virtual societies on the web where they can tell people to "Get over it or suck cock you whining losers." Beyond the inanity of your comment, it doesn't help move anything forward.

Here's laughing at you kid.

Pretty, but...

[Oscar_Wilde]

The new splash screen image looks very nice but I wish it wasn't there at all. Am I the only person who finds splash screens irritating?
 
At least it is less annoying with a program like the GIMP. It's almost unbearable when programs that are convenient to have automatically started upon login flash their pointless splash screens around right when I want to start working on other stuff (Skype, I'm looking at you).

This bodes ill...

[DwarfGoanna]

I think its become painfully clear that very few graphic designers (not to mention graphic design students, who would normally jump on a contest like this) use the GIMP. This would get killed in a freshmen level critique, and rejected by all but the least design conscious clients........and it won the fucking GIMP contest.

I'm not trolling, I love Free Software and have a soft spot for the GIMP especially, but this says a lot about the user base.

Re:Don't like it

[Chazmati]

I think it's the lettering on the dial ("The Gimp") that ruins it. That lettering looks way too sharp and dark to fit in with the rest of the picture. The lettering at the top isn't pleasant, but it sort of fits in contrast/color/intensity.

This is what happens when...

[iBod]

GIMP is what happens when...

A bunch of geeks think they know something about graphic design and decide to make a program that will fullfill graphics designers' needs.

It's butt ugly, non-functional, un-intuative, mega-slow, feature-poor and generally crappy.

Flame away slash(b|d)otters, but I mean it, really.

GIMP is teh sucks!

Names matter

[Voix des Airs]

I know that this has been said over and over, but names mater - and GIMP puts people off. Strongly. I don't know why geeks don't get this. I have worked on products where the marketing teem has spent, literally, millions of dollars in market research and consulting fees to come up with a product name. This happens all the time. Product names evoke images/moods/whatever in potential users. A bad name can tarnish a product, even an excellent product... sometimes fatally. The name is actually attached to the product in users' minds just like th UI. It really matters.

Contrary to the previous Slashdot stroy, the name need not be descriptive to be effective (e.g. Firefox is a good name), but it doesn't hurt (Photoshop). The name should make people feel good about the product, and feel good about using the product - if it makes them feel uncomfortable, or worse, creepy, they aren't going to use it. They just aren't. They will actually avoid it. Clever, geeky, inside joke names rarely work. You and I may know what GIMP stands for (but is GNU Image Manipulation Program really much better?) but the rest of the world doesn't... and they probably do have some sense about "gimp" - and it's bad.

Geeks: please, please, think more about product names. If you want to move beyond just other geeks (in the case of GIMP photographers and graphic designers) you have to come up with names (and logos/splash screens) that appeal to more than just other geeks. You simply have to accept the fact that what geeks think is cool is not necessarily what the rest of the (potential) user community does. And these people are not "lusers" for not "getting it."