|
|
This topic comprises 6 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
|
|
Author
|
Topic: Share your great software here...
|
|
|
|
|
Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
|
posted 11-13-2010 06:03 PM
After some of the crap I had to deal with at work this week regarding customer supplied "logos," I'd like to mention this free, open source application:
Inkscape
I'm sure at least some FT members have heard of Inkscape. Maybe a few may even be using it. It is a vector-based graphics program with functions similar to Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW. Inkscape's native file format is SVG, but it can open and save artwork in a variety of vector art formats (PDF, EPS, DXF, HPGL-PLT and more).
Lots of people stupidly design a "logo" for their company or someone else using raster/pixel-based programs like Photoshop (or open source alternatives like The Gimp). I can't underscore just how stupid that habit is, particularly for all the costly, time consuming problems it causes later when the "logo" has to be reproduced at a large or much larger size. Some people who pull this crap have an Adobe Creative Suite (which includes Illustrator), but they just keep using Photoshop because they complain of not being able to get used to using Illustrator. Idiots. Vector graphics can be scaled to very large sizes without any loss of quality.
If necessary, vector graphics can also be easily imported into programs like Photoshop for adding lots of cheesy looking effects. It's a LOT easier to go from vector to raster than the other way around. When coming up with a home grown logo, please use a vector-based application like Inkscape to do the job. People who deal with customer provided graphics on a frequent basis will appreciate it.
Inkscape isn't as good as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW, but it is a lot better than nothing.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
|
posted 08-19-2011 11:50 AM
If you like to use multiple operating systems on one computer, then GPartEd is a simple and effective way to partition your hard drive the way you want it before installing the individual operating systems, and Easy BCD is a wonderful, simple and pain-free way to configure the Windows bootloader to enable you to boot into multiple operating system partitions on your hard drives(s) at startup. Clonezilla is also a great image backup program, albeit with a very basic front end. Still, if you can deal with that, it's every bit as good as Acronis or Norton Ghost, and free.
quote: Bobby Henderson
It's too bad Adobe doesn't have any native Linux builds of its most popular programs.
That's basically the reason I got into dual booting in the first place. I use Ubuntu 99.9% of the time, but need Windows for Outlook Web Access to use my workplace's system (only works with Internet Explorer - I gather there is a way to make IE work on Ubuntu, but I've never managed to get my head round it), Acrobat Pro and Premiere. So I keep a Windows partition just for that, and have set up dual booting with the help of the above freeware.
Incidentally, Adobe do have a native Linux build of the Acrobat reader, but not any of the full versions of Acrobat. I wonder how much it's their own business decision not to release their main revenue-earning packages in Linux builds (at least, for the two or three most popular Linux distributions), or if they're being leant on by Microsoft and/or Apple.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
|
posted 08-21-2011 12:36 PM
Agreed totally that the many different flavours of Linux plus GUI build making support and compatibility difficult, plus the 'freeware culture' encouraging reverse engineering and/or piracy makes Linux versions an unattractive proposition for companies producing commercial applications software. The one big thing in Windows's favour is that because its use is so widespread, support and compatibility are far more reliable. The same thing applies to Mac OS, but there again ensuring compatibility is pretty simple if you only allow your operating system to be used with a small and highly restricted range of hardware, with the authors of third-party drivers being tightly regulated.
And also about WINE being useless when the Windows application involves any interaction with bespoke hardware. It can talk to the Internet connection, printer and sound card OK, but that's about it.
That having been said, I'm in favour of anything that encourages competition. My laptop is an older one (2006 vintage), and Ubuntu is very fast on it, and can do more or less anything I need to away from home. In contrast, Windows is sluggish and takes forever to boot up. The compatibility between Libre/Open Office and documents created with MS Office is not 100% perfect (though it's fine for reading any attachments I get sent, apart from tables and form fields within Word documents, which it tends to mangle), but MS Office 2007 through WINE takes care of that. And battery life is almost double in Ubuntu what it is in Windows.
The fact that there is now a viable alternative to Windows that does not require you to be a complete geek to use and will work on the same hardware is IMO a small step forward. What we need is a full-scale, commercially supported alternative that runs the same applications and a genuine choice as to whether you buy a computer with Windows, that alternative or neither. Personally I wish that Apple would take the plunge and issue a Max OS version for PC hardware (Hackintoshers have proved that there is no insurmountable technical barrier to doing this), but that would mean a major change to their current business and branding model.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
This topic comprises 6 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|
Home
Printer-friendly view of this topic