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GIMP 3.0 Enters String Freeze, Inching Closer To Release (www.phoronix.com)

submitted 2 months ago by user68k@wired.bluemarch.art to c/foss

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GIMP 3.0 has been more than one decade in the making as the port from GTK2 to GTK3, also transitioning away from Python 2 to Python 3 support, and a wealth of other improvements from the UI to lower down into enhancing this open-source Photoshop alternative.

The GIMP project announced on X/Twitter today that they have entered the string freeze for this much anticipated release.

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[–] xoggy@programming.dev 17 points 2 months ago (10 children)

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gimp

[–] SweetCitrusBuzz 14 points 2 months ago (9 children)

What are you trying to prove here? They were asked to change it because it's ableist and they said no because it's funny. Giving me a definition does not refute that.

[–] xoggy@programming.dev 68 points 2 months ago (8 children)

Do you have evidence of that? That's not what I saw: https://www.gimp.org/docs/userfaq.html#i-dont-like-the-name-gimp-will-you-change-it

I don’t like the name GIMP. Will you change it?

With all due respect, no. We’ve been using the name GIMP for more than 20 years and it’s widely known. The name was originally (and remains) an acronym; although the word “gimp” can be used offensively in some cultures, that is not our intent. On top of that, we feel that in the long run, sterilization of language will do more harm than good. GIMP has been quite popular for a long time in search engine results compared to the use of the word “gimp”. So we think we are on the right track to make a positive change and make “gimp” something people actually feel good about. Especially if we add all the features we’ve been meaning to implement and fix the user interface. Finally, if you still have strong feelings about the name “GIMP”, you should feel free to promote the use of the long form GNU Image Manipulation Program or exercise your software freedom to fork and rebrand GIMP.

[–] Chewt 55 points 2 months ago (3 children)

This seems like a good official message to have, and personally I think they are making the right call. As someone in my early 20s, I can say that at least in the area I grew up (pacific north west of USA) “gimp” as a derogatory term is not widely used or known among my peers. In fact it didn’t even occur to me that I knew a second usage for the word until I read a comment on reddit a few years ago. My response then was “Oh yeah I guess I’ve heard that word used in that way before, maybe in a movie?”, and to be honest I feel the same way now. I believe “gimp is on its way out as a term to put down others, and I’m much more familiar with the term GIMP in reference to the useful program that this post is about.

[–] Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee 8 points 2 months ago

100%

[–] xoggy@programming.dev 5 points 2 months ago

Most people here (who didn't grow up in the US 50+ years ago) wouldn't give negative connotations to the software's name. I'm on the side that it is well divorced of an ableist meaning but that's where the disagreement lies and some people are making a big fuss over.

Should we stop using words like taser and amok as well for having historically racist associations despite being divorces of those meaning? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift_and_His_Electric_Rifle

Our language is littered with more "land mines" that we realize if we want to make land mines out of them.

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