What can you _not_ do with GPL'd software?

[glotz]

I think you can do pretty much it all. Or is there something still missing?

[HermanAB]

You can't eat it and it leaks when it rains.

[osxcapades]

In the most basic sense, the one thing you can not do with GPL'd software is change it to something that is not GPL'd.

[glotz]

Now let's get some serious answers too!

[IYY]

There are many areas where GPLed alternatives exist, they are not nearly as robust as the proprietary ones. Sometimes it's just a matter of the interface not being as easy to use, and sometimes it's an actual lack of features.

The most common cases are for media professionals: print, graphic, video, 3D, and audio.

For example, it's not that you can't design a pamphlet or a book in Scribus, but the result would not be as professional as what you get with proprietary software. If designing books or newspapers is your job, you will not get any contracts with designs made on Scribus (not to mention the importance of compatibility with particular formats in the industry).

It's the same with graphics. I am an amateur designer and photographer, and for me The Gimp is as good as photoshop. However, I have once tried working on a particularly large lossless file (an archive quality photograph scan) and the slowness made it impossible to do make even the most trivial operations. Not to mention that certain features of software like photoshop are simply missing.

In audio it's a bit better, but still not quite there. Audio professionals often rely on specialized hardware that uses proprietary software and drivers. You can make an indie recording with GNU tools (although it will be more difficult than something like GarageBand), but if you want to make professional music, you need something else.

With 3D, it's not the lack of features but the interface that is flawed. Blender is a decent program, and you can get fairly good results with it, but it takes a very long time to learn and is horribly different from any other 3D program. I've figured out 3D Studio Max when I was 10 years old, without a manual or help from anyone. I am yet to understand how to build nontrivial objects in Blender.

So basically... When it comes to media, GNU software is good enough for the amateur, but if media is your career, forget about it.

[-grubby]

not credit the original authors of the software if you change it.

[glotz]

I thought it's the professionals who know their tools inside out and the amateurs who didn't. :-k

[IYY]

I thought it's the professionals who know their tools inside out and the amateurs who didn't. :-k

That's true, but the tools on Linux are simply not of professional quality, so it's useless to learn them.

Besides, it's the fact that the professionals are already so familiar with their tools that makes them dislike changing to new tools.

[Druke]

He is referring to licensing issues guys, I've been wondering the same thing. For instance if I use a GPL'd opensource 3D engine, can I make a game and then sale it without giving out my source?

[Druke]

That's true, but the tools on Linux are simply not of professional quality, so it's useless to learn them.

Besides, it's the fact that the professionals are already so familiar with their tools that makes them dislike changing to new tools.

doesn't professional quality depend on what the person produces. You've always used photoshop and maya etc. but for someone who has always used gimp or blender they may be equaled?

Also I think your judgment of blender was a bit unfair up there. It's interface is not -that- hard it evencome with a quick guide now. If your having that much trouble with it I recommend "The Essential Blender" it is by far the greatest tutorial for it ever.

[IYY]

He is referring to licensing issues guys, I've been wondering the same thing. For instance if I use a GPL'd opensource 3D engine, can I make a game and then sale it without giving out my source?

Oh sorry, I didn't get that. Basically the answer to that is: any changes that you make to the code itself, you have to release. So, if you modify the engine code, you would have to release those changes. However, you can have a GPL engine and proprietary data files (Quake 3 is an example of this).



doesn't professional quality depend on what the person produces. You've always used photoshop and maya etc. but for someone who has always used gimp or blender they may be equaled?

That's not true, I am a big proponent of Free software for philosophical and ethical reasons, so I am actually far better at The Gimp than Photoshop, and spent far more time with it. However, I know that The Gimp has its limitations and I can never create certain things with it that can be easily made in Photoshop.

I often read photoshop advice threads in graphic design forums, and try to reproduce the results in The Gimp. Often it works, sometimes it's possible but using a clumsier approach, and sometimes it is just not possible. Now, as an amateur, I am willing to accept those limitations, but if it was my job to do graphic design, it would not be acceptable.
__________________

[juxtaposed]

What can you _not_ do with GPL'd software?

UnGPL it.

[Dimitriid]

The most common cases are for media professionals: print, graphic, video, 3D, and audio.


I hate to derail further but this statement is completely bogus, a "professional" that depends on specific tools is only a professional IN THAT TOOL, which is rather useless.

Graphic designers seem to be the only guys who try to get away with these excuse: Doctors do not become amateur anatomy enthusiasts if they don't have specific brand tools and instruments, Engineers do not become amateur industrial processes enthusiasts if they happen if they do not have access to one specific device made from one specific company ( quite the opposite ). Teachers do not become volunteer social workers if they do not have access to specific books done by specific authors.

Bottom line is that tools have nothing to do with the ability to be creative, or the ability to understand things, or the ability to invent. Being a professional designer ( or writer or publisher ) has nothing to do with specific tools. The problem is that you designers let some jackass who doesn't knows anything about creativity control your work cause of some stupid ******** management excuses he creates to keep his job, which more often that not is not really needed.

[ThinkBuntu]

Graphics: You can't get your work done in a reasonable time (referring to vector and bitmap, not 3D for which Blender is great). I tried very hard to make GIMP work for my design shop with no success. Easy to add, actually useful layer styles are very important for one. Any image I create in Photoshop could in fact be created with GIMP, but I firmly believe that an amateur in PS would get it done faster than a GIMP amateur, and the same goes for experts.

Oh, and CMYK. And don't tell me Krita does that, because Krita is nowhere near as capable as GIMP or PS for image creation and editing.

Beyond that, free software can do it all from my point of view. But I wouldn't call it GPL'd software, because a ton of useful software that's free is under the BSD, MIT, Eclipse, or other license.

[ThinkBuntu]

I hate to derail further but this statement is completely bogus, a "professional" that depends on specific tools is only a professional IN THAT TOOL, which is rather useless.

Graphic designers seem to be the only guys who try to get away with these excuse: Doctors do not become amateur anatomy enthusiasts if they don't have specific brand tools and instruments, Engineers do not become amateur industrial processes enthusiasts if they happen if they do not have access to one specific device made from one specific company ( quite the opposite ). Teachers do not become volunteer social workers if they do not have access to specific books done by specific authors.

Bottom line is that tools have nothing to do with the ability to be creative, or the ability to understand things, or the ability to invent. Being a professional designer ( or writer or publisher ) has nothing to do with specific tools. The problem is that you designers let some jackass who doesn't knows anything about creativity control your work cause of some stupid ******** management excuses he creates to keep his job, which more often that not is not really needed.
Are you a designer? Have you tried to create design comps in GIMP or Inkscape and send them to a client for a major project? Don't tell me how I work, because I know that the right tools for the job are of incredible importance when making web graphics or otherwise. I used Linux entirely for nearly a year before I went back to Macs because my business depends on it.

[ThinkBuntu]

However, I have once tried working on a particularly large lossless file (an archive quality photograph scan) and the slowness made it impossible to do make even the most trivial operations.
Increase your cache available. The software's default (128MB) is way too low. Put it to 75% or more of your RAM, and it will only grab it if it needs to anyway.