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Google Releases Picasa for Linux
chrisd writes "Hi, everyone. Today I'm pleased to announce that we're making Picasa, our photo management application, available for Linux. This is a pre-beta labs release and since we're still learning on how to best make software for Linux, we're asking that you submit your bugs as you find them. Picasa for Linux uses Wine internally; this shows a bit in the interface, but it works even better than we had hoped. Download it and check it out! A list of supported distributions can be found in the FAQ. We hope our patches to Wine will help make it easier for everyone to run Windows apps on Linux and other Unix-like systems. Thanks to our pals at CodeWeavers who did much of the heavy lifting, and to Marcus Meissner, whose libgphoto support patch was a welcome surprise."
This is the kind of quality software that linux desperately lacks. It is interesting how wine was used here. I wonder if this will lead to the porting of other google apps like google earth.
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No source code.
I don't get it. Why announce a fairly standard application on /.? Surely Freshmeat would be a better forum? And the other stuff about reporting bugs and submitting updates to other FOSS projects is hardly new, either.
Don't get me wrong - I'm always happy to see new contributions to the cause, but this makes me a bit uneasy, somehow.
Huh?
What versions of Linux does Picasa support? Will Picasa run on a 64-bit version of Linux? Will Picasa run with XFCE, Blackbox, or another Window Manager? What are the Picasa for Linux system requirements?
Maybe you are having intarweb problems? Contact your IT group immediately.
It's not a "fairly standard application" that we all take for granted. It's Google, a big corporation, openly and freely providing one of their major software applications for Linux (albeit using Wine). This does NOT happen very often, and we should bow down and praise those (Google) who do it! It's NOT just a "regular" software release.
ttuttle is a rankmaniac
Maybe because it's a pre-beta software ? I don't know but I downloaded the coral cached link instead of bitching ;)
Should read Google releases Picasa that runs under wine.
Picasa for linux would be a great thing, but it seems that a native version is either not in the interest of Google or out of their reach.
I like Picasa but I really hate the half assed ness of releasing an app for "linux" when it's simply rewritten windows code so that it runs under Wine.
Google, you want to gain the everlasting love of the linux people? Release a native picasa that does not use wine in any way, shape or form.
Everyone remembers how well Corel Draw ran after they slightly rewrote it so it ran better under wine and then statically linked it to wine and released a "linux version".
No thanks.
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Wine is not emulation. Its an API. Its no different then any other linux app. No different then chosing QT over GTK or any thing else. Whats wrong with coding to a cross platform library?
Have you heard of a little app called iPhoto?
In this fashion it is absolutely no different than if the app linked to GTK or QT to release a "native" version. It is native. It is compiled for and runs under Linux without any API emulators or ABI interfaces required. That is the definition of a native application.
All this aside, have you even downloaded the thing? From your comments I would venture you have not. It is extremely well-polished and as stable as the Windows version.
As someone who has worked with WineLib, I can tell you this is no easy task. They have obviously spent a good deal of time on this. Then people like you go and rant on them some more? And you wonder why hardly any companies even go to the trouble of releasing Linux versions of software.
Do you have any idea how many hundreds of thousands of dollars in man-hours and effort it would cost them to re-write every single portion of Picassa using Glib/GTK or QT?
Go back to sleep.
Thank you Google and CodeWeavers.
I know there are 100 fair reasons to mod this post down, but it just seemed important to say.
I often get depressed about changes to copyright law, patents, etc. which favor media companies at the expense of most citizens. This code contribution goes the other way. Thanks to everyone who worked on it.
Google funded 225 WINE patches. How many people who won't even use Picasa will benefit from that? IMHO, that's more important than Google releasing a package that lets Picasa run on Linux.
Why is the Linux version restricted to the US only?
US Export restrictions.
Land of the Free, except when you try to get stuff out.
May the Maths Be with you!
Why?
If this installs and runs easily on Linux, why does it matter whether it's a 'native port' or some other hoops and tricks method? If it installs and runs, the that counts as released for linux.
One of the biggest prospects for Linux's wide-scale adoption will be the ability to run programs designed for Windows. If the end result of Wine's development is that programs only need written once and then can either use a customised Wine to run under Linux, or slot into a supported, pre-installed and easy to use version of Wine (like Crossover Office or Cadega), then that counts as a better conclusion in terms of getting all vital software running on Linux than requiring a complete re-write of every app we want which, let's face it, will never happen.
I've used Linux for over 2 years as my primary operating system. 2 months ago, I installed Microsoft Office via Crossover Office. It works as well as under Windows, installed as easily as under Windows thanks to Crossover's fine work, and has given me no problems. Although I still use Openoffice for most things, I have software in Access that I am currently porting to an Apache/PHP/MySQL system to which I need access from Linux. Plus, compared to 'Impress', Powerpoint is a breath of fresh air in terms of usability.
Wine provides the promise to be able to run any software on Linux. Where's the problem when companies like Google take advantage of that to release software they wouldn't otherwise have the time or manpower to re-write?
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This announcement has very little to do with Picassa.
Read between the lines (or even one particular line, explicitly): OUR patches to wine.
Google, which has a proven track-record of success when they start off in some strange new direction, has taken on the task of making Wine work better.
Think about that for a minute, and you'll get the "big" news here.
Nice... if google gets an interest in Wine, it might really help migration. Some people I know would move to Linux if it wasn't for those one or two applications that they have come to depend on. It's a catch 22. Many software companies won't use portable tools to program their applications because they don't feel there is a market yet. I don't believe that it is a proper strategy for them. I'd rather use only portable tools... tools like gcc and associated libraries that exist for different platforms. Even if currently Windows dominates the market, things could change in the future. From a purely self-interested perspective, if there is a growing market for another OS, I'd rather be among the leaders who can take advantage of it first rather than one of the stragglers that has to try to catch up. It just doesn't make long term business sense to hamper my own potential future growth because of short-term considerations. Writing portable code means that I can still satisfy the current Windows market, but that I keep the ability to adapt to a more varied market in the future.
Google have no obligations to the Linux/OSS communities, period. The fact that they've invested so much time, money and effort into not only their own Linux app, but also back to the Wine community should be applauded. Nobody is forcing you to use this. Don't like the way they've done it? Don't use it.
Seriously, give them a break. They're making baby steps in the right direction. They've released what, a pre-beta via their labs? And so many people on Slashdot are expecting it to be a polished product... that's just wrong. Their forte is definitely not Linux desktop apps, but from the sounds of things, they certainly want to improve. Oh shock! They're not there on day 1. Or day 2. Well, Linux wasn't written in a day, nor were the plethora of other desktop apps for Linux.
Let's not forget the human factor. Those programmers that worked on getting Picasa running on Google I'm sure would love some positive feedback to encourage them to continue working hard on it. I know I would. They're probably also unhappy that this pre-beta version isn't 'up to par' with the Windows version, but they're working on improving that. Reading their FAQ endeared the team that did this to me.
As for Wine usage. Big deal. It's not like they're charging you $69 for the app. It works, and they aim to improve it. Sounds to me like they had a hard time trying to get it to work on so many different distros, instead of just say.. Red Hat. This project was only announced 4-5 months ago. Let's hope to see Google Earth before Christmas!
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