Why people dont switch to Open source alternatives for creative works

[KnowZero]

@Takiro

The company I work for is exactly in this situation. Our product is fairly established (old ) and uses a commercial framework that was popular for the used language 30 years ago. We are currently porting and rewriting things to modern technology but you can’t just rewrite a software with 30 years of combined development time in a few years. In the meantime we struggle to keep the current version alive for until the new software is done and even would push patches to the old framework to extend its lifetime but it’s closed source and the license is restricted. Patches are rare because the original devs literally die out, we fear that it dies with the devs and no one’s left to continue it.

I know this is off topic but I thought it’s an interesting real world example for your argument.

Pretty much, I can also give another example. Take Microsoft FoxPro. It was heavily used in some industries at one point, then Microsoft at one point figured it doesn’t align with their plans and they killed it. So even with a big company like Microsoft, you can easily be left hanging.

@vamp898

Back in the KDE 4.10 times I gave KDE to 5 or 6 non Linux users (one admin) and the first thing that happened to all of them was, when they wanted to close a window in the task bar, they deleted the widget that shows a list of opened Windows and they weren’t able to bring that back. So 5 of them re installed Linux altogether because they couldn’t figure out the solution and no longer had a task bar.

I told the KDE developers that most likely 0,1% is all users actually want to delete the list of open windows, most people just want to close a window and nothing more and that this is a big designed flaw.

They disagreed with me and told me, it’s the fault of the user for clicking the button. It took almost 10 years for them to realize they have to change this behaviour.

KDE in general had a reputation for being aimed at power users. It is only recently that they began focusing on casual users as well. But even if KDE wasn’t, there were others.

As for poor implementations and being stubborn. How many years did Microsoft insist on pushing their terrible Windows 8 start menu? How many decades did Windows force ctrl+alt+del to unlock?

@vamp898

And I don’t care if Linux is the base of Android, it helps me nothing. It’s an pure ideologic/religious reason to like that, not an technical one and Google would instantly stop using Linux in Android if the cost/value is no longer given. They use Linux because it’s costs their development cost and they stop using it at the point where this is no longer given.

Of course Linux being used in Android helps. Linux and AOSP being open source is what lets Android be so flexible. And Open source being cost effective isn’t a bad thing, it is simply yet another benefit of it. I mean does iphone still not let basic features like being able to download songs from your webbrowser? (Cause they want to force you into itunes)

@vamp898

The majority of artists would have no advantage when they would switch to Krita except for religious ones, that is why they don’t and the proprietary solutions for drawing are able to make a living for a lot of people (Adobe employs almost 23’000 people).

If Krita will be the best solution (which is almost impossible without getting millions in donations to employ lots of people for a longer time) it will win. But I it doesn’t need to. Krita is an important part of the software world in all aspects exactly the way it is. In the end it will improve things by its existence and that is what counts for me. It causes progess in a lot of indirect ways.

Of course, there is rarely ever a best solution for everyone. That is precisely unless there is some sort of oem lock (like with operating systems), there is always a ton of options to go for. And Krita offers one such options which is FOSS. Which comes with the many advantages of it. And those aren’t just religious ones but practical ones from cost to anyone being able to contribute it. Not to mention the privacy/security benefits (who knows what data is being sent by proprietary software or what is being ran in the background), to ownership benefits(you own the software, not a subscription and you don’t need to worry about the political landscape of sales being blocked), and many more.

[EyeOdin]

So Adobe is a bigger company so Photoshop is better is that the point? I am sorry to say but Krita is better already.

CSP maintains its spot because it did not shot its own foot with the monthly subscription thing. And they are the ones taking all the paying customers from Adobe.

In case you have not notice there has been an exodus to leave Adobe these past couple of years. Only thing keeping Adobe afloat is After Effects and Premiere because they are super cheap for what they do even if they are the worst choice. But that seems to be ending with DaVinci Resolve, I have been learning it and it seems like a mini Nuke studio with Fusion which is and Olive seems to be coming to the scene too.

Both PS and CSP are now with a very tight problem because they can’t ever afford to loose once and the difference is not that far to Krita because they need to justify the price difference and when they loose why spend money? they will die out and they know it. that is why Photoshops prices have been dropping and make it a bundle and a full license to CSP is so cheap.

I keep speaking of Blender and Krita but there needs other prominent Open Source projects too make the path into industry standard. Adobe and Autodesk the Foundry have suites of programs and their interelationship is what makes the strength as a standard for the workflow.

[ari]

There was a time when I used to be very dependant on MSEX5/CSP and it’s a very good software,but once I got over the addiction of those inbuilt 3d models,I gradually moved towards the free software like Medibang pro and Firealpaca.
For last two years I have been using them for full length professional comics work and illustrations,with very satisfying results.
These softwares are lightweight,very fast,quite easy to use , very professional and comes with regular support !
To be honest,if we can keep the 3d model part aside,these free softwares are 70-75 % close to most of the options available in CSP and gets updated with fix, new features,new set of brushes, at least 3-4 times a year.
Just wanted to share my experience,that’s all !

[EyeOdin]

Yeah I can’t forget to make the 3d model… I need that.

[HappyPinecone]

Business-matters aside, I think it’s a matter of preference. If someone likes using one over the other because they are comfortable in using its tools, then why stop them? I think its the wording of the post, but I find it rude to judge people as lazy, delusional, or afraid of change because they didn’t choose to use Open Source software. People can use what suits their needs and they have the right to choose whether they are willing to pay or not. Either way, both open source and paid software have their strengths and limitations. It’s up to the person to determine what works for them.

I don’t have a Photoshop subscription. I had an older version of the software that I used to color the mane of My Little Pony characters, though I rarely used it ever since since it’s installed in an older laptop. I used Krita because its free and I wanted to get my feet wet in digital art before deciding to invest in it. I like Krita and its features, though I admit that there are some limitations to it (especially to its text tool) which is normal for any program. Recently, I bought the Pro version of Clip Studio Paint because I always heard great things about it and they are not wrong. Its comic features are more streamlines compared to Krita’s and I enjoyed using it overall. That being said, the way it makes lines can be a little annoying and its animation framerate is limited technically speaking (due to having PRO instead of EX) compared to Krita’s.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. If someone wants to use open source software, they can. Likewise, if someone wants to use paid software they can too. Either way, they can make great stuff.