Corel Draw 9 for Linux Needs Beta Testers 84
Frank249 writes "Corel Draw 9 for Linux appears to be on or ahead of schedule. They are currently advertising for beta testers. This is a good sign and confirms what was reported in today's ZDNet Linux article, that the wine libraries are close to production quality."
Re:neither troll nor flame... (Score:1)
Re:Corel can only deliver for x86, they need wine. (Score:1)
I believe the latter is what Corel is using and I'm not positive, but I believe libwine doesn't have very many (if any) x86 dependencies...
Re:I hope Corel *Doesn't* Read Slashdot !!! (Score:1)
Truth is, Photoshop was here a *long* time before web graphics were even relevant and it shows. I personally remember using Photoshop back in late 1991, before the web had even caught fire. The Gimp on the other hand seems to have been made with web graphics only in mind, and that too shows.
What's the point? Point is that I personally don't want to learn, maintain and deal with single purpose applications on this particular scale. Great if Gimp is better than Photoshop (which I agree that it is), but I'd be crazy if I'm gonna maintain two applications,... one for web graphics and another one for everything else.
And this is all before I even mention the Canon FS2710 film scanner that I have, usually sitting with the power off, due to the fact that this $800 paper weight will probably never work under Linux.
Re:It's coming... (Score:1)
Uhhh, I also use Photoshop and Illustrator, but I use them on Macintosh. I'm pretty sure MacOS is not an "M$ operating system".
Re:css-cat.c (Score:1)
Re:Well (Score:1)
| soundcard that comes standard in low end Dell
| configurations?
I don't know how well this would work in practice. I've upgraded my system a, er, few times since 1994. However, up until this past November, I still used my old Soundblaster 16 purchased in 1994. And I *still* use the SCSI 7-disc 4x CD changer I bought in (I believe) early 1995.
Depends on what you do with the machine, I guess.
Re:gimp kick PhotoShop's ass (Score:1)
But, alas - it does not kick Photoshop's ass. For print folks, the lack of CMYK and color management is the biggest thing that keeps The GIMP from being a Photoshop killer. Color management via device profiles is patented in the US, so I understand that they're trying to get some European developers to build color management for The GIMP. Also relating to print is the lack of the ability to create spot color channels, and the lack of a Pantone color library (which I can't imagine Pantone allowing to be bundled into The GIMP without the developers paying lots of money).
For web developers, there are all the lovely things that ImageReady 2.0 (bundled with PS 5.5) can do - image slicing, automatic generation of code for JavaScript rollovers, the 2-up and above optimization views (so you can see what your JPEG will look like before you save as a JPEG, right next to the original graphic).
Oh, and I sure do wish The GIMP could open my Illustrator EPS graphics. I tend to create images in Illustrator, then bring them into Photoshop or ImageReady for futzing.
Re:What about.... (Score:1)
this could be pretty cool (Score:1)
On windows, i primarily use the gimp for graphics these days (i forget where i got this from, but some guy ported it), but that isn't often as i hate working in windows. Hey Gimp folks, are you listening? Port to mac, port to mac! And hey quark people- port to linux, port linux! If the publishing apps were as rockin' on linux as they are on mac, i would probably forget about booting into mac os and just hang with linuxppc when i'm at home.
Re:It's coming... (Score:1)
If you've got real work to do now get yourself a G4 and get on with it. Don't wait for Corel (and their mediocre content creation software). Get a Mac - the machine that the Adobe products are written for.
Sheesh!
Some people's kids...
Linux > x86 (Score:1)
If you read closely, you'll find that Corel isn't really offering a product for Linux -- they're offering a product for x86 Linux.
While it's great to see companies working on commercial Linux applications, it would be nice if they understood that Linux is an operating system that runs on many different platforms, not just x86 machines.
And, yes, I know that they're aiming for the biggest market they can find, and that they need to pay their bills, and all those arguments. But isn't Linux supposed to be about more than that?
Re:How about a DREAMWEAVER port! (Score:1)
Give me my Dreamweaver. Anyone wants to create a Dreamweaver lookalike for emacs?
Dreamweaver is exceptionally nice package, and it would be a welcome addition to a linux applications list. Why would it sell? We deploy websites to Linux, why not create them with Linux?
I do not see the point for Coldfusion though, there are plenty of server-side tools for Linux. Why bother? Use PHP!
If I am not mistaken, the only graphical HTML editor for Linux is uhhh Netscape Composer.
--
Leonid S. Knyshov
Network Administrator
Re:It's coming... (Score:1)
These products run on SGI.
Re:What about.... (Score:1)
Photoshop is more like Corel PhotoPaint. They are bitmap editting tools. They work with raster images and are resolution dependent.
CorelDraw is a vector based illustration tool. It works with bezier curves and is resolution independent (except for when you import a bitmap into your work). It's designed to create pages for output on PostScript devices.
CorelDraw is in the family of editors that includes Illustrator, Freehand, Flash (although Flash rasterizes to the screen), and KIllustrator.
The Program selection box in the beta application on the Corel site lists "CorelDraw 9 for Linux". It doesn't say "Corel Graphics Suite 9", so there is no guarantee that PhotoPaint is included.
neither troll nor flame... (Score:1)
What does CorelDRAW provide that GIMP doesn't (or couldn't)?
---
This comment powered by Mozilla!
Re:It's coming... (Score:1)
If you want to see the site, its www.sportingnews.com
Later
James Maes
jmaes@sportingnews.com
Unix/Database Programmer
The Wine portion of this topic... (Score:1)
Also, I hope this means that sonn I can stop running a dual-boot laptop just because they use win. apps at work.
Yes, simple dreams are often the most difficult.
Re:Corel's Application (Score:1)
Re:I guess Corel doesn't read Slashdot (Score:1)
Anyway, isn't it possible that the form is such a PITA exactly because they only want the folks _really_ interested in test-driving the beta?
Or maybe they noticed that you've been slacking off in your Mozilla work lately, and they'd rather have you working on that crucially important piece of code instead of playing with CorelDraw all night long.
Love,
Re:I guess Corel doesn't read Slashdot (Score:1)
> slacking off in your Mozilla work lately, > and they'd rather have you working on
> that crucially important piece of code
> instead of playing with CorelDraw all
> night long.
Take that tongue-in-cheek, please. I forgot that
Love,
Re:I guess Corel doesn't read Slashdot (Score:1)
Hi, I'm from Corel. Well, not currently - I was a co-op there last term, and I'm going back next term. So a little biased, but:
As I recall, the Linux OS form inspired a flood of negative comments because it still had Windows-specific information on it (like, "What version of Windows do you have?") This form is obviously Linux tailored: it asks about kernel version, X server, window manager, etc.
Hardware is obviously a major concern for the QA department. One of the reasons to distribute the beta is to be sure it works on hardware that Corel doesn't have in house. This wouldn't be as important for an app as for the OS, but there's still always SOMETHING that can go wrong. Of all the items listed, the only one that looks like it has NOTHING to do with Corel Draw is the sound card. (And possibly CD-ROM drive.) Also, bear in mind this form will probably be used for Word Perfect Office and other Linux products which DO use these other pieces of hardware as well. Better to collect too much than too little.
Filling this stuff in will only take a few minutes of your time - less than it takes to compile and install a typical source-distributed program from a tarball. And it makes QA's job infinitely easier. I don't really see anything that's asked for that isn't a reasonable request, and most of it is just one or two word answers.
(Note: in case it's not clear, I'm not at Corel right now, and I don't have any behind-the-scenes knowledge of the Corel Draw beta. I read it here, same as you.)
Joe
Re:On Schedule (Score:1)
What about.... (Score:1)
Re:It's coming... (Score:1)
Not only that, but Illustrator and Photoshop are Adobe applications, not Apple applications, and they were available on the Mac long before they were available on Windows.
Re:What about....Photo-Paint? (Score:1)
The Corel Draw Suite includes Corel Photo-Paint, which is the equivalent of Photoshop.
Re:Corel's Application (Score:1)
Re:Gimp is nice until you have to do real press wo (Score:1)
gimp kick PhotoShop's ass (Score:1)
Oh, sorry - I don't do analogue (Score:1)
Horses for Crusoes I guess
y, sorry. I don't do analogue (Score:1)
Well (Score:1)
It could be marketing, the above, or they just want to very accurately identify any potential problems. In any case, your still stuck with filling it out if you want to beta test their software.
Application seems a bit extensive (Score:1)
They also don't give much information of what's involved. I assume you get all that information once you sign up.
Re:Application seems a bit extensive (Score:1)
I dunno bout this... (Score:1)
This app is unfortunetly an industry joke to graphic designers. But on the bright side, perhaps this will urge Adobe to hurry the hell up and release Illustrator or Macromedia to release Freehand.. *sigh*
Gimp is nice until you have to do real press work (Score:2)
On Schedule (Score:2)
It was on my list of promised things by the end of the year, that didn't come out then. In fact, one of the only ones that did, was the Opera Browser Beta.
Re:The Wine portion of this topic... (Score:2)
Corel's Application (Score:2)
Things like:
CD-ROM Drive & Speed
Monitor Make & Model
Pointing Device
Sound Card
Network
Some of the questions sound suspiciously like Marketing information, but that's just my opinion. I remember they had the same questions on the WordPerfect Beta application.
Why does Corel care what Sound Card I'm using?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Re:Corel Draw != The Gimp (Score:2)
CorelDRAW is vector based, while Gimp is raster based...
A better parallel would be drawn by saying "Why would anyone buy PHOTOPAINT when Gimp is already available for free?"
Corel has been pushing PhotoPaint as a PhotoShop competitor, and porting it to Linux makes Gimp a competitor too.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Re:What about.... (Score:2)
Huh? Nearly Identical?
About the only thing Photoshop and CorelDraw have in common is working with Graphics. Other than that, they're nothing alike. CorelDraw is closer to Illustrator in functionality than Photoshop.
Have you ever even USED CorelDraw?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Re:Corel's Application (Score:2)
I guess Corel doesn't read Slashdot (Score:2)
Corel's goal should be to qualify their beta testers without annoying people. They certainly haven't achieved that. Now, I'd be most impressed if somebody from Corel showed up on the thread and asked us how the form could be better, since it's obviously widely hated.
Re:this could be pretty cool (Score:2)
There (was) also a Cygwin version which uses an X Server, but it's home page has disapeared from GeoCities. The author was Craig Setera. Haven't heard of a Mac port yet. See Netlabs [netlabs.org] for an OS/2 port.
I've been using Tor's Gimp for 'bout a year and it just keeps getting better (GTK themes even!). Adobe PhotoShop is still more refined and easier to use overall, but the playing field is much closer to level. Can't say much about Corel PhotoPaint. We have it. I use from time to time, but don't like it much.
I use Corel Draw more than Adobe Illustrator, but that's mostly because of familiarity. CD is buggier (on windows anyway). There are a couple of libre vector drawing projects for linux begun, but I haven't had a chance to seriously check them out yet.
What about KIllustrator? (Score:2)
Okay, I'm kidding, KIllustrator is still in a pretty early stage, but it's an interesting project. I'm keeping an eye on it.
Here is the product page. [uni-magdeburg.de]
Corel can only deliver for x86, they need wine. (Score:2)
Corel Draw is a Vector Graphics Program (Score:2)
Isaac
Re:Great news: CorelDraw is fantastic (Score:2)
I can understand laying out a site in Windows, and being sure to save every 10 minutes or so (gotta love PSD layers), if all I'm doing is plugging out code, than I want Homesite. It's the only REAL reason I use Windows anymore.
Note to Allaire: "port it, and they will come."
Re:It's coming... (Score:2)
Not trying to be TOO nitpickity, but if you were an anal bastard like myself, you could chock another one up to Uncle Billy...
It's coming... (Score:2)
I am *gasp* a Web designer and have been pineing for a solid OS/Design App package that ends the M$ pain.
Soon I can uninstall windows from my workstation and liberate myself to do *real* work.
While I love Photoshop and Illustrator, the fact that it runs only on a M$ operating system has been a major source of fustration when dealing with a deadline and having to recover from a crash.
I'm not too fanatical about the quality of Corel's design apps in regard to interface design and stability. Yet my hope is that it will get Adobe's attention and port Photoshop and Illustrator over to Linux.
Re:It's coming... (Score:2)
Best news I've heard today... (Score:3)
Corel's Belair says that one component of Wine -- its compatibility libraries used for porting applications from Windows to Linux -- are near ready for prime time, and that Corel plans to beta-test production-quality versions of those libraries within a few weeks.
For me as a developer, this is the holy grail. When I need full speed performance, I have a full non-MFC C++ foundation class library that I use to create my Windows apps, and I haven't had the time (read: I gotta make a living too...) to port it to Linux. If I can use these libraries to port my libraries to Linux even semi-effectively, I no longer have any reason to code for the Windows GUI.
Great news: CorelDraw is fantastic (Score:3)
First off, IMHO, Corel's products beat the pants off of anything Adobe makes. Foremost in the Corel arsenal is the fact that all of their interfaces are completely customizable (layout and button-wise, not skinnable). The bitmap editing tools in Corel are much more powerful than those in Adobe's stuff.
Now that a big-name, main-stream graphics app is coming for linux, maybe I can finally switch over permanently. Now, if only I could get Homesite for Linux, too...
cold at Corel (Score:3)
I hope Corel *Doesn't* Read Slashdot !!! (Score:4)
CorelDraw9 includes a vector art package (Score:4)
What does CorelDRAW provide that GIMP doesn't (or couldn't)?
CorelDraw 9 is actually a small suite of packages, including CorelDraw, Corel Photo-Paint, a font navigator, a texture explorer, a bitmap-to-vector tracing package and various image distortion tools. So, to answer your question, the functionality provided by CorelDraw 9 that the GIMP doesn't do is vector-based artwork, rather than pixmap. This is still an area of the Linux application base that is not fully up to speed yet - there are various applications which do vector-art/vector-design on Linux, such as Dia [lysator.liu.se], Sketch [online.de], KIllustrator [uni-magdeburg.de], Xfig [lbl.gov] (ancient but still useful) and it's successor GTKFig [feld.cvut.cz], GYVE [ritsumei.ac.jp] and Impress [ntlug.org] but many of these are as yet incomplete or have fallen by the wayside. That's not to say that CorelDraw 9 is necessarily the best vector art package out there - I'd like to see the latest Adobe Illustrator on Linux too - but it is a welcome filling-out of the application base.
There are several things in the Windows package which it will be very interesting to see what Corel do with regards to porting them, or if they are simply ommitted. For example, the MS Visual Basic for Applications scripting language used for automation of CorelDraw 9 - drop or replace? - and the Digimarc Digital Watermarking software, something I'm currently unaware of anything like this on the Linux platform. Plus the usual glut of a thousand TrueType and Type1 fonts you get with any vector or DTP package these days.
Whether Corel Photo-paint 9 holds a candle to the GIMP (I don't honestly know, since I haven't used Photopaint since v5) is vaguely irrelevent, since it is the vector art package in this lot that will probably be of most interest to most people.
Cheers,
Toby Haynes
Corel Draw != The Gimp (Score:5)
Corel Draw is illustration software, and The Gimp is image manipulation software. CD is for artists to draw images - you can draw circles, lines, curves, etc, and they're all resolution independent. Gimp lets you modify a bitmap - it's heavily resolution dependent.
Corel Draw is like Adobe Illustrator, and The Gimp is like Adobe Photoshop. Of course, CD and Illustrator do have bitmap capabilities, but nowhere near as powerful as PS or Gimp.
The idea is to use both together.