| Desktop Options - Software Perfection |
by Michael C. Barnes
Desktop Options -- Software Perfection
If there is one software package that does what it is supposed to do better than any other product, I would say that it is Adobe Photoshop. Perhaps mechanical engineers would say that AutoCAD is better or electrical engineers would say that Protel is better. I don't know. What I do know is that of all the software tools that I have laid my hands on, none of them gives me a feeling of power more than Adobe Photoshop.
I don't care how good a word processor is, it won't make you into a better writer. Your presentation software won't improve your speaking skills. Photoshop will improve your ability as a photographer and it will give you the ability to alter reality more than any other package you are likely to work with.
Adobe Photoshop is expensive and it is not for everyone. I have used Adobe Photoshop for many years, but I have only scratched the surface of what it can do. I have purchased many books on the program and I rarely get beyond chapter two before Photoshop is beyond my artistic skills.
If all you need to do is scan a photo, adjust the color and contrast; then Photoshop is overkill. Adobe makes a lite version of Photoshop, but it is too crippled for my taste. If you have a large organization and you deal with photographs, then Adobe Photoshop is well worth the money. If you have invested in a film scanner and you want the best tool to manipulate your photos, then Photoshop might be the best choice.
If all you do is scan and adjust images, there are less expensive packages that can do this. Vueprint from Hamrick is one of the best values for scanning and doing quick touch-ups on photos. Vueprint will also allow you to save from one format to another. It also makes a very good viewer. A free program is available that has almost the same power. This is Irfanview which is available for download.
Let's suppose you do need the power of Adobe Photoshop, and for whatever reason, you simply cannot afford the price. There is a very good alternative, GIMP. GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program. GIMP is available as a free download.
I have used GIMP on both GNU/Linux and Windows. Adobe Photoshop is clearly more refined. However, in terms of raw power, I think that the two packages are nearly equal. GIMP's website has online tutorials and you can download the manual. Functionally, GIMP and Adobe Photoshop are very similar.
I would advise anyone who has a flatbed scanner to throw away the free software that comes with it and learn to use GIMP. Anything you learn on GIMP can be easily transferred to Adobe Photoshop. GIMP is probably better than everything else for photo editing except for Adobe Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop commands a premium price because it is a premium product. GIMP is much closer to Adobe Photoshop in terms of functionality and performance than the throw-away programs that are included with scanners and web cameras.
 WinGimp is a version of GIMP that runs under Microsoft Windows. This is an amazing Open Source software package that approaches the power of Adobe Photoshop.
Summary
It is illegal to use software that you are not licensed to have. There are shareware packages that explicitly grant you the right to use a package even without paying for it. Microsoft Office is not one of those packages.
Software does not wear out. It should perform as well five years later, as on the day you bought it. If the package had functionality once, then that functionality is still there. The easiest thing to do is to run the software until the hardware dies.
Sometimes there are compelling reasons to upgrade. Unfortunately, upgrading just the software is often not possible. Hardware that will support Windows 98 just fine might not support Windows XP. Windows Me might not run on your systems as Windows Me checks the processor speed and requires 150 Mhz.
You cannot upgrade versions of Microsoft legally unless you have a license to do so. Many organizations have been fined considerable amounts of money because people in their organizations have upgraded from one version of Microsoft Windows to another without purchasing upgrade licenses.
Microsoft generally makes patches and add-ons that are free that can keep an operating system alive. New versions of Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player and security patches are often available for free. Check with Microsoft's website and make sure you have taken advantage of all of the free upgrades before considering upgrading to the next version of Windows. Make sure that if you do upgrade, you have compatible hardware and enough memory.
We have shown that there are many low-cost and free alternatives to high-cost software. Some people, by the nature of their work, require special software. Consider using some of the alternatives to save money. In many cases, it might be an upgrade to what you are currently using. If your organization is still using Office 95 or Office 97, StarOffice or OpenOffice will be an upgrade.
I am convinced that it is possible to create a work environment that is productive and cost effective with Microsoft Windows. Windows XP is a very stable and robust operating system. Most of the criticism about Microsoft, the products, and not the company are simply without merit. For evaluation purposes, I will give Microsoft XP nine out of ten and we will give Windows 98 a seven out of ten.
If you do use Microsoft Windows, by all means make sure that you use antivirus software.
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 About the author: Michael C. Barnes is currently president of NorhTec. Mr. Barnes has over 20 years experience with computers and another 10 years experience with more primitive networks, to include paper tape and morse code. Mr. Barnes has 18 years of experience with various Unix systems and spent 13 years with Sun Microsystems.
Mr. Barnes became fascinated with GNU/Linux turned the common PC into a Unix like workstation. By 1998, GNU/Linux surpassed the desktop environments offered on traditional Unix workstations.
When GNU/Linux is combined with low-cost x86 platforms, organizations now have the power to create enterprise computing for the small organization.
Mr. Barnes, born in Kentucky, now lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife, Linda Kubota-Barnes and his daughter Karen Barnes.
Copyright © 2002 by Michael C. Barnes. Reproduced by DesktopLinux.com with permission.
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