Linux's "person apps

Generally this has come up time and time again, the question of "person apps." Mainly the idea that Linux doesn't have them. I really think though, that this is a misnomer. Linux does have plenty of "person apps", plenty to "wow."

1) Scribus. This is arguably the biggest "person app" right now. Developed *for* Linux, although it's making it's way elsewhere, it really belongs here and does it's best here. It's been compared favorably, by professionals (real ones, not the idiot trolls from csma), to high end DTP suites like QuarkXPress....which costs several hundred dollars. The fact that it's free, fairly easy to use, and even included with many distros now, certainly pushing it into the person app category. It's certainly a "wow" in my book.

2) Blender. While not just a Linux app, certainly not originally....it typically runs best on Linux or Macintosh. It's also typically included either with many distros or on their online repositories for easy install. A powerful, formerly commercial, *professional* 3D modelling, rendering, animation, and game engine suite...that's also fairly easy to use and has a huge following. Probably not too big of a wow factor to the Mac users (after all they can use it too, and well), but Blender simply doesn't run all that well on Windows....pushing anyone serious about it even as a hobby to look towards a more "serious" platform to run it on. This makes Linux look very attractive. In a sense, Linux is the person app for Blender, rather than the other way around.

3) Gimp 2.0. What once was a program that was suitable only for web graphics...now has CMYK, and can enter the print arena. Add in the "gimp-print" printer drivers which are clbutted for "fine art quality" printing...well, the main objections that remain are that minor features here and there are "missing" compared to Photoshop, and that the interface is different from Photoshop. Of course, GIMP is *not* Photoshop, nor was it ever meant to be. However, it's still a highly capable graphics tool...and it's free. And of course, runs best on Linux. With a large community of web artists, and professional web graphics developers who used earlier versions of GIMP...it even has a strong following. GIMP is already being used in DTP as well, with Scribus. And we can always add that it's close cousin is also avaliable...CinePaint, which shares many features with GIMP, but is capable of 32-bit color per channel, and working on still images *or* film. Oh, and it's also free.

4) Mplayer. Simply considered by many to be the best media player there is. Although a number of other Linux media players are running close. Many are simply a matter of taste away.

5) Dynebolic. Not *technically* an app, but person anyway. A Live CD Linux distro that is, provided your hardware is up to the task, a full multimedia production studio on a disk. Want a music studio? Boot Dynebolic. Video editing and effects studio? Boot Dynebolic. Live DJ center with internet streaming? Boot Dynebolic. Live VJ setup? Boot Dynebolic. Plus it's got some neat games. Graphics and photo editing? Dynebolic can do it too. DTP? Dynebolic. The fact that it's on one disk, and that you can take your entire creative studio with you anywhere there's a PC absolutely puts this in the "person app" category.

6) Abiword. Simply the finest, dedicated, word processor application. With the Abiword plugins giving it extra power...including google, wikipedia lookup, and online translation all in a word processing application. Yet it remains small, light, and capable even on the lightweight systems. It's generally the hands down favorite of everyone who *doesn't* need a full Office suite. Definately in the "person app" category if you ask me.

So when people start asking, "where are the apps", "what are the person apps", "where's iLife", "what does Linux have to compare"? Tell them. Tell them about *our* person apps. No, they aren't iLife clones....but who wants to just clone? We have *our* damn fine set of apps damnit!