What do you usually do with Ubuntu?

[PryGuy]

Hello everyone! Ubuntu is a great OS. I track it since the 5.04 release. It's nice, stable, it's good looking, yet I really imporoved my *nix skills and that's very important I think. So I installed it, configured it (I even wrote a script that configures Ubuntu automatically) and got that question: What's next?

I think you will agree that every OS needs software. Ubuntu has a great set of great applications such as Open Office, Firefox, Gimp (I don't use it though, have to use ******* Photoshop) etc. Are there any professional appliances to the Ubuntu Desktop other than the web surfing/document typing. Is there anybody that would use Gimp as a professional tool? What do you do with Ubuntu in everyday life apart from configuring it?:D

[mrgnash]

Hello everyone! Ubuntu is a great OS. I track it since the 5.04 release. It's nice, stable, it's good looking, yet I really imporoved my *nix skills and that's very important I think. So I installed it, configured it (I even wrote a script that configures Ubuntu automatically) and got that question: What's next?

I think you will agree that every OS needs software. Ubuntu has a great set of great applications such as Open Office, Firefox, Gimp (I don't use it though, have to use ******* Photoshop) etc. Are there any professional appliances to the Ubuntu Desktop other than the web surfing/document typing. Is there anybody that would use Gimp as a professional tool? What do you do with Ubuntu in everyday life apart from configuring it?:D

Yes, I currently use the Gimp as a professional tool, along with Inkscape, Blender, and Scribus.

While it's true that the Gimp is not as powerful as Photoshop in some ways, it's not so far behind that anyone who is prepared to do things a little differently, and perhaps execute some additional steps for certain operations, can't produce professional-grade work. Personally I use it for web layouts and photo retouches/manipulation.

[PryGuy]

How could I forget! Blender is probably the most impressive open source application I've ever seen. I do not argue, Gimp is cool, but it's different yet not fully compatible...

[RavenOfOdin]

I put old Breezy CD's in the microwave, label side down, and treat myself to a light show. :p

[PryGuy]

I put old Breezy CD's in the microwave, label side down, and treat myself to a light show. :pDo they pay you money for that? LOL

[nalmeth]

I put old Breezy CD's in the microwave, label side down, and treat myself to a light show. :razz:
I do that sometimes with old discs aswell :)
I always thought it couldn't be good for the microwave, but hey, nothings rubbed off on me :|

To OP, I would love to get to gnow the gimp well enough for professional work. I've heard a lot about people using it..

Didn't pixar use open source at the beginning? Or were they just using linux underneath their software?

I've never actually gone far thru this site, but it might have some interesting things for you: http://mtechit.com/linux-biz/

[peabody]

I mostly use it for Por--err, Promotions! I'm in marketing you see...heh...

[mrgnash]

I do that sometimes with old discs aswell :)
I always thought it couldn't be good for the microwave, but hey, nothings rubbed off on me :|

To OP, I would love to get to gnow the gimp well enough for professional work. I've heard a lot about people using it..

Didn't pixar use open source at the beginning? Or were they just using linux underneath their software?

I've never actually gone far thru this site, but it might have some interesting things for you: http://mtechit.com/linux-biz/

Pixar run (hacked) Red Hat machines to run a proprietary platform called MenVee. For productions like Shrek, Stuart Little, and Harry Potter, Cinepaint was used, which is a fork of Gimp.

Interesting site, by the way :)

[Yossarian]

I usually log in for a few minutes each day.

I check my email, read these boards and make a few posts, do a little IM, surf a little.

[moeFinley]

I'm a Multimedia Producer and I really like Photoshop. GIMP is great but I've spent years in Photoshop and know it inside and out.

Still when the marketing guys at work needed a graphics app just for cropping and resizing images our IT department was going to buy some copies of Paint Shop Pro for £40 each. They were very happy when I told them you could have a similar app for free! :)

It surprises me that an IT manager wouldn't have heard of GIMP before?

[nikosft]

I am using it to make networking things, as well as to develop web services for java application server.

[djsroknrol]

I do all my E-mail, web surfing and file work with it now..I do have a couple of Educational programs as well as flight sims and odd games...mostly in OO with the work that I do between home and the office.

[neilp85]

I've been using Linux in general for about a year now. Started out because my school programming projects had to be *nix compatible. I very quickly got sick of using a combination of putty/winscp3 to write, compile and test my projects.

I started out experimenting with Gentoo because a couple of my friends used that. It was fun for a while but it got old always having to configure things and ask my friends for help. I tried out a couple other more user friendly distros before coming to Ubuntu.

Lets just say I've been hooked on it ever since. Almost immediately it took over as my desktop of choice. I use it for everything these days. The only reason I still have Windows is for using Visual Studio .NET at work sometimes and to test compatibility of my chess game. Check the sig.

/shameless plug

[Bezmotivnik]

GIMP is great but I've spent years in Photoshop and know it inside and out.

Have you looked at GimpShop?

Just curious about how PhotoShop users regard it.

[Cyraxzz]

Mostly for programming, learning, web browsing, gaming and video files.

[insane_alien]

everything bar gaming. i use it especially for opening mystery email attachments when my curiosity overwhelms me.

[Donnut]

I always use Dapper Drake because it just works, pure and simple.

I can reboot my comp after an evening of gaming in *******, and play my music, read my e-mail, and do it without all the popups, crashes, and without any undo stressing about the shape of my comp, can leave it on all night, without worrying if a proccess will go nuts, and overheat my cpu, or a virus or spyware unleashing upon my unsuspecting system...

Basically, I turn the comp on every day, and it works! Simplifies my life already!

[Dinerty]

Hello everyone! Ubuntu is a great OS. I track it since the 5.04 release. It's nice, stable, it's good looking, yet I really imporoved my *nix skills and that's very important I think. So I installed it, configured it (I even wrote a script that configures Ubuntu automatically) and got that question: What's next?

I think you will agree that every OS needs software. Ubuntu has a great set of great applications such as Open Office, Firefox, Gimp (I don't use it though, have to use ******* Photoshop) etc. Are there any professional appliances to the Ubuntu Desktop other than the web surfing/document typing. Is there anybody that would use Gimp as a professional tool? What do you do with Ubuntu in everyday life apart from configuring it?:D

I have 2 machines running ubuntu in my network, one a laptop and one a server. I use my laptop for cutting edge stuff like xgl/compiz and running all new software just to see how it functions.

But the laptop is just used commonly for webcamming, text chat and voicing, along with alot of gui manipilation.

Nothing to major I'm afraid lol

[LKRaider]

I use my pc mostly for hacki... err, programming, university work and entertainment. I have dropped the use of Windows completely (except when my people call me to fix their pc's... :\ )

The main apps I use include Inkscape, Gimp, OOo suite (and Abiword/Gnumeric on my Xubuntu box), and the general internet apps (Gaim, XChat, FF and Thunderbird).

Also Gedit, Bluefish, Lazarus and SPE for programming. ( PHP, Freepascal (for uni) and Python ).

I play Enemy Territory and Medal of Honor online on Ubuntu aswell.

Oh, and I have Dapper installed on 3 machines. On one desktop I use it with XGL+Compiz, the other is a plain Dapper install and on the notebook I use Xubuntu.

[RaZoR1394]

I usually log in for a few minutes each day.

I check my email, read these boards and make a few posts, do a little IM, surf a little.

Same here. Now with my nVidia card I will try to make Ubuntu my primary OS. I use Windows for too many things like games, Photoshop etc. Windows just makes me sick and I may try to go back and use Cedega etc like I did before.

[moeFinley]

Have you looked at GimpShop?

Just curious about how PhotoShop users regard it.

Strange you should ask, I just looked at that today.

I'm a bit concerned that I wouldn't be able to use any on the ordinary GIMP tutorials and also it's not in any of the Ubuntu repositories?

[Bloch]

I use OPenOffice for my German-English translations. Sometimes I make use of the Polish keyboard for writing POlish.

I also use opera with several tabs open for my favourite onl;ine dictionaries (Leo and Pro.Z)

The other main use is Amarok for my music collection.

[PryGuy]

Forgot to say, my dad prefers Ubuntu to Windows. He uses OpenOffice mostly, he translates a lot too. We also think that his AudioTrak Prodigy sound card sounds better in Ubuntu. He misses iTunes though. In general Ubuntu is fine as a Desktop is you don't care about new games/applications.

[ShadowVlican]

Forgot to say, my dad prefers Ubuntu to Windows. He uses OpenOffice mostly, he translates a lot too. We also think that his AudioTrak Prodigy sound card sounds better in Ubuntu. He misses iTunes though. In general Ubuntu is fine as a Desktop is you don't care about new games/applications.
lol.. so much for ubuntu then eh? ](*,)

ok for real... i bumped this thread because i was searching for AudioTrak Prodigy compliance

does your father have the AudioTrak Prodigy 7.1 found here?
http://www.audiotrak.net/prodigy71.htm

if so, that's great! how did you get it to work in ubuntu?

[dbbolton]

Hello everyone! Ubuntu is a great OS. I track it since the 5.04 release. It's nice, stable, it's good looking, yet I really imporoved my *nix skills and that's very important I think. So I installed it, configured it (I even wrote a script that configures Ubuntu automatically) and got that question: What's next?

I think you will agree that every OS needs software. Ubuntu has a great set of great applications such as Open Office, Firefox, Gimp (I don't use it though, have to use ******* Photoshop) etc. Are there any professional appliances to the Ubuntu Desktop other than the web surfing/document typing. Is there anybody that would use Gimp as a professional tool? What do you do with Ubuntu in everyday life apart from configuring it?:D
that's an excellent proposition. although i dearly love ubuntu, it seems like i resort to windows for the "professional" type applications, such as flash.

the biggest obstacle i've had with dapper is audacity. i read a few forums dealing specifically with the problems i had, but eventually gave up on it.

when it comes to video editing, i had a few hindrances as well. i got cinelerra up and running, but i guess i'm too unfamiliar to operate it.

on windows, i do 99% of my image editing with fireworks (if you can believe it, i prefer that to photoshop). recently, i've been utilizing the gtk runtime environment for windows and the gimp, mostly for touching up levels and colours in photos, etc. frankly, i feel that with a little practice, the gimp could be a viable tool for professionals.

so, i think that if there were a way that i could have a means of audio/video (and maybe flash content) production, i would probably delete my windows partition.

[PryGuy]

lol.. so much for ubuntu then eh? ](*,)

ok for real... i bumped this thread because i was searching for AudioTrak Prodigy compliance

does your father have the AudioTrak Prodigy 7.1 found here?
http://www.audiotrak.net/prodigy71.htm

if so, that's great! how did you get it to work in ubuntu?
Well, it works right out of the box to my surprise...

[chaosgeisterchen]

I usally

surf the internet
try to learn new things about Linux
try out progamming (and mostly fail)

and I chat hours and hours, check the mail and listen to music.

[derjames]

The basic stuff: Read email, browse the web, etc...
listen to music, watch utube videos
Some CFD work using OpenFOAM
and playing my old DOS games: Doom my favorite.

[Frazer]

Everything really, I have a 10 GB windows install on my 100 GB hard drive for one program ( I need for uni and it wont run in wine ) I still have EVE Online installed on the windows too but after I finish uni I dont think its worth keeping windows for the sake of one game.

Ubuntu has everything for me other than that.

I just found the game Nexiuz, how fun is it !! and im thinking of digging up my old Neverwinter Nights cds.

[randomnumber]

Everything I did in windows - commercial games + alot;

I used for programming. I am a CS major. I usually use Java but this semester is a mostly C programing semester. gcc is great.

I use
google earth for fun.
evolution for email
eclipse for Java programing
gcc for C programing
ssh to get access to my and the schools computer
ssh server to allow access for me to my computer
DIA for UML diagrams.(documents for programing)
OpenOffice ...
NVU for webpage design. I admit I am a beginner
Amarok for music

I am sure I am missing many important programs but this is a start.

[JAPrufrock]

I do everything in Ubuntu. I use Windows just to test hardware to make sure it works before I install it in Ubuntu.

[thomasaaron]

I use Ubuntu to make my living.
I'm a freelance writer, so I use Abiword for first drafts and open office for formatting and fine-tuning.
I use GIMP for creating graphics concepts for some projects (But Graphics people use photoshop to convert my ideas into something usable.)
I use Scribus occasionally for document design.
I use NVU for maintaining my website and occasionally creating sites for others.

Truth be told, I'm not doing anything on Ubuntu that I couldn't do on ******* -- except I am having a lot more fun with it.

Best,
Tom