MisterBooth

@Snapseed: Excellent photo, I love old photos my friend turns them into artworks. It just shows you the how some of these new alternative photo apps are progressing. @SrPx: First world, third world there's only one world in my opinion. I'm glad you hate labels as much as me. I totally agree but we all joined this capitalist's conveyor belt at birth and if there is money to be made in a certain direction then that's the path the software companies will take. If it gets to a stage where it's too much I think I would just revert to my old locally installed software which for me at the moment suits my purpose. Oils and watercolours don't blame you

@Redsandro yes it certainly does change the way you see the internet sending large files to colleagues is instant and you are right the speeds are outdoing the hardware. I have 2 new Samsung SSDs with write speeds of 550/520 MB/s and a M.2 drive and that's the only thing that slow things down.

@SrPx I agree with what you have said and yes gaming is different to productive software, but for example, my internet connection has recently been updated to fiber to the premises which means I have fiber straight into my house so I get 900mb/sec upload and 1gb/sec download speeds and I know I'm in a minority at the moment but this is being rolled out across the country so eventually dealing with large files is not going to be such an issue. This is why I think online apps will become the normality for most in the future. I know GIMP is not the prettiest UI going and it takes a little longer to get your head around but like Blender who not so long ago simplified and reduced the noise of their UI due to the users demands, I think that the likes of GIMP could really increase their popularity by spending some time doing the similar thing to their UI. People are a sucker for a nice looking intuitive UI and I'm one of those mainly because part of my job involves UI and UX.

Lucidpress is good online alternative DTP and you can collaborate in real time. You can even import InDesign files. They do a free plan so you can trial it out and the Pro per month is quite reasonable. Also in todays climate with more people working from home collaboration tools are definitely a must.

Also we have got to realize/remember that a lot of new/newish software is now moving to online subscriptions like Photopea and this is and going to be the future if we like it or not. Even in the gaming industry with game streaming services, all the hard work will be done on their servers and you will only need a light weight computer to play, no need for expensive graphic cards just a decent fiber connection. So it's inevitable that there will be an array of new software we can pick and choose from that doesn't need installing which in turn allows us to use the OS of our choice e.g Linux. Goodbye BigMac and Windose. Personally I prefer installed software but then I'm just old fashion maybe I should just embrace the future. Also there are more desktop apps being built in Electron which are cross-platform like my most used apps Visual Studio Code and Figma and they have been solid.

I know people have been put off by Gimps old fashion interface but PhotoGIMP might change that opinion. The thing is we do have stable and powerful creative software for Linux it's just they don't have wow factor interface that the likes of Affinity and Adobe offer. Maybe rather than waiting and begging these companies to offer a Linux version we should be focusing on and investing in helping the software that is available to up their game on the interface design and show Affinity and Adobe the missed market opportunity they could have had. I own the Affinity suite for the PC and the Mac but if the likes of Inkscape and the others improve their interface experience I will automatically dump the Affinity suite like I did with Adobe and move to them. I agree with Snapseed, Gravit looks quite promising I will have to investigate that one.

@wonderings Because Adobe didn't pursue a Linux version doesn't mean that another company should shy away from it, we can only speculate their reasons for pulling out but we shouldn't be sheep in this world. Business is always a risk but I honestly think the risk is relatively small in this case. I went through the Quark to Indesign myself.. fun days. Missing fonts are always an issue but it's second nature to know that and linked files can easily be converted including placed pdfs. Linked replacements can cause position, scale issues but again you deal with the old when needed and build with the new. Yes time will tell if a future version of Affinity can deal with older versions but I sure they are fully aware of this. I've been using a Mac since 1992 and a PC since 1995 and dabbled in Linux over the years. They all have pros and cons but lately Mac OS just isn't the same I've had too many issues recently and with rumours of Windows becoming a subscription OS, true or false, means that Linux has become more attractive to me, I must add in a non sexual way. We just need a company brave enough to make it happen. By the way there are a lot of Blender users out there who prefer Linux but have to jump onto a virtual Windows to do some 2D texturing. That's another big market place.

@wonderings I have no problems with different opinions it's what makes the world an interesting place I only disagree with your assumptions about peoples business sense and the seemingly negativity to people wanting a better alternative to the design software currently available on Linux. We are not rabid, well I'm definitely not frothing from the mouth. I agree we have no idea how much XXX dollars Affinity would make, nobody does even if they try to estimate it on this thread. Ubuntu state that their desktop operating system powers millions of PCs and laptops around the world, how true this is I don't know, how many of them would be interested in design again I don't know. A kick start might indicate the amount of interest if promoted in the right places. Maybe just an online survey. I do personally know lots of people like me who reluctantly use a Mac and Windows OS but if given the chance would instantly migrate to Linux distro if the right software was available. You may not be interested in this or would the many others?? But we haven't had any issues with idml files as of yet it has been a smooth process not saying that some people might have minor issues, but any time required to fix them is payed for by not having to pay the Adobe subscription per head. By the way importing idml in our case is only used when dealing with our archived Indesign work, all the new work we do is done in Publisher with better mpg. I'm also in contact with many professional photographers who are now using Affinity with raw files and I haven't heard any negativity to it in fact the opposite so again it is already a competitor for Adobe. By the way i'm involved in branding, editorial and digital work. Advanced member I know I was just being childish about the labels I do apologise I have all 3 apps x 2 at my work stations and it is a viable alternative to Adobe in my experience, no problems to report yet.

@wonderings(Advanced Member) Isn't it bizarre that a thread talking about Affinity for Linux is filled with posts from die hard Linux users and some, like me, who would like to move to Linux. It's also a very bold statement saying that everyone on this thread have no understanding of the realities of business. You are right kick starters aren't always successful but why shouldn't a so called minority have the right to voice their wishes and hopes? It is already an Adobe competitor, i'm a professional and I know numerous other companies who have fully transitioned to Affinity from Adobe especially now that publisher can open and edit .idml files. I have paid for the full suite on the Mac OS and on Windows and I would be more than happy to pay again for a version on Linux and when that time comes I will moving permanently to Linux as my primary OS. Also why are you even on this thread? Are you bored?? Regards (newbie)

I also agree with spidershu about a kickstarter campaign. I think it should be promoted on all Linux related websites to really push the campaign. The bigger the numbers the more likely it will happen.

I would be totally happy to prepay for a copy of the Affinity suite on Linux before you even begin to transition it. I'm sure others here and beyond would happily do the same to show their commitment. There is a market for this and that market would dramatically increase once the word has got out. I mean a decent, well designed creative suite on Linux, now that's what I call FREEDOM, freedom from an OS that most people dislike or an OS that locks you down to their hardware (ARM <> Hackintosh) while bullying small independent developers. Come on Affinity.serif open your eyes and embrace the Linux community, we are all here waiting to start a OS revolution, a mass migration, please be part of it and give us the creative tools we desperately need so we can begin.... Please.