The GIMP is Ugly

Slashdot is reporting today that open-source graphic app The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) signed up with OpenUsability to help improve its UI. And it's about goddamn time. I love the GIMP, but it's just a huge pain in the ass to get anything done with it, especially if you're a non-*nix guy who cut his IMP teeth with Photoshop (Photoshop 3 for Win 3.1, actually).

In even better news, G4, the mess that morphed out of TechTV, is bringing back Call for Help, and Leo Laporte is back to host (no Cat Schwartz, though). I'd be a bit happier if AOTS brought back Patrick Norton and Megan Morrone, but I'll take what I can get.

Last week Yahoo News published three articles to introduce the average user to open-source software. Is Open Source for You? is your standard encyclopedia-esque intro to OSS and OS web projects. Open-Source for All is basically a FAQ for anyone who still doesn't get it, and The Open-Source PC is a rundown of a few of the major OSS options you have (Firefox, Thunderbird, Celestia, OpenOffice, etc.). No mention of musikCube, though.

And lastly I'll mention that FireTune 1.0.6 is out. This is a standalone app (no installer) that is, essentially, a wizard for making a few performance tweaks to Firefox's about:config. I've used it before, but only once. I wouldn't bother with it.