Affinity products for Linux

[Marcelino Amauris Mosquea]

It is true linux have a smaller user base in the creative side of things... But! Maybe the reason is the lack of options... There is not adobe or corel software... Blackmagic release Davinci, and is a great alternative to Premiere and After Effects! Blender start on Linux, and is better in Linux! And thanks to 2.8 is getting a loot of track... But I'm on windows just because I need to replace photoshop and illustrator. I've tested all the options... But as a artist, inkscape and gimp are just not my cup of tea... Maybe you can start something great on linux! But until adobe or you decide to bring software to linux, non of us will know...

[SaulGoodman]

Affinity for Linux means more than just how it sounds. Since Adobe is evil and something many of us want to disappear, there is no such a good and affordable products like Affinity have. It is important for whole world to have an option to use Affinity on completely free and open OS like Linux. Nobody saying it need to be free, just to be possible to run it on Linux. I am dreaming about this. Then creative peoples really should not relay on Windows.

[Snapseed]

On 2/24/2020 at 1:53 PM, Elbowes said:

Thanks @mokry for compiling that list.

I'm a big Affinity fan, utilising Designer, Photo and Publisher extensively on Mac at work. 

Outside work, my go-to OS is Linux due to:

• Affordability: a new Mac, Surface or XPS laptop is way outside by budget.
• Performance: an old Mac that barely runs MacOS can be given a whole new lease of life.
• Sustainability: see above.
• SaaS: propriety software is increasingly moving to the web browser.

I think the reason some of us have embraced Linux is similar to the reason some of us former Adobe CC users embraced Affinity. It's not that we are averse to paying for excellent software, it's just that it has to be affordable and fair. Propriety applications such as Insync are invaluable, proving that people will pay for software if it meets their needs. And, shock horror, yes I will be using Microsoft Edge on Linux when it is released (MS Teams and Defender already in preview).

Sadly, in the non-3D graphics space, our options are limited to the likes of these:

• Pixeluvo: http://www.pixeluvo.com/ 
• Krita: https://krita.org/
• Gravit Designer: https://www.designer.io/
• Vectr: https://vectr.com/
• Mockuuups: https://mockuuups.studio/

They're passable for amateur/hobbyist use, but none are on a par with the Affinity apps.

As for the publisher space, there's really nothing that cuts the mustard natively, though I guess the like of Lucidpress, Canva and Pagination are trying to fill a gap from a SaaS perspective. 

I completely understand why Serif won't develop for this platform --- clearly it has to make economic business sense, and at present it doesn't. 

 

There is however an opportunity here for some bright sparks, who recognise what is going wrong in the dominant software-hardware ecosystem... extremely expensive hardware, crippled by increasingly poor OS updates... as well as the huge gap in the market in the 2D graphics space on Linux.

 

These days, Pixeluvo is my go to image editor on Linux plus I've used PencilSheep (sadly no longer being updated). Also, someone's done an unofficial electron app for the online Photopea image editor but I've not had the chance to try it out yet.

As for Gimp, the 2.10.18 version is the best yet and the developers do try and listen to what users want. Again, what would help is if people gave more support in various ways and that includes donations, for example.

[km.au]

Every developer is like "yeah, we won't develop for Linux because it's not popular"

But it's the chicken and the egg type situation.

No doubt if Affinity line of products, Capture One and a whole raft of other programs - the usage for linux would spike big time. I'd switch from Windows overnight.

 

[ashf]

if Serif can raise half million US dollar on KickStarter, it might be possible.
But Serif has no intention to run any fundraising campaign even for Windows/Mac/iPad version according to old comments in this forum.

$50 x 10,000 = $500,000
So ten thousand people is needed.
Also don't forget about KickStarter's commission that's around 10%.

[Snapseed]

On 4/25/2020 at 5:46 AM, ashf said:

if Serif can raise half million US dollar on KickStarter, it might be possible.
But Serif has no intention to run any fundraising campaign even for Windows/Mac/iPad version according to old comments in this forum.

$50 x 10,000 = $500,000
So ten thousand people is needed.
Also don't forget about KickStarter's commission that's around 10%.

I'm afraid that our developer friends at Serif have made it crystal clear that they're not going to develop versions of their rather good software (even J Cristina is now recommending their products which is a good endorsement) because the Linux user base is currently so relatively low and no amount of attempted fundraising would change that fundamental fact.

Therefore, the options that a Linux user has include using native Linux alternatives (the Deepin software center has a comprehensive list of native Linux options as does Alternativeto), dual booting with a supported operating system, using a supported operating system in a virtual machine or looking through Wine HQ to see what alternatives to these products work well with Wine on Linux, e.g. PhotoLine, some versions of Paintshop Pro, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and so on.  My tip there is to only try software with a Silver or above rating for best results.

Finally, Photopea is a good online alternative (I have tried that one) and someone's made an unofficial electron app out of it too (the landsman one, not tried it yet).

[SomeDev]

7 hours ago, Snapseed said:

I'm afraid that our developer friends at Serif have made it crystal clear that they're not going to develop versions of their rather good software (even J Cristina is now recommending their products which is a good endorsement) because the Linux user base is currently so relatively low and no amount of attempted fundraising would change that fundamental fact.

Therefore, the options that a Linux user has include using native Linux alternatives (the Deepin software center has a comprehensive list of native Linux options as does Alternativeto), dual booting with a supported operating system, using a supported operating system in a virtual machine or looking through Wine HQ to see what alternatives to these products work well with Wine on Linux, e.g. PhotoLine, some versions of Paintshop Pro, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and so on.  My tip there is to only try software with a Silver or above rating for best results.

Finally, Photopea is a good online alternative (I have tried that one) and someone's made an unofficial electron app out of it too (the landsman one, not tried it yet).

I keep hearing "the user base is too small". It's was 8% by 2019, half of Mac OS. And the seems to keep growing lately. This is also the thread with more visits in this forums, with around ~100k and there is another one with this same request pulling similar numbers. 

They need to sell 10K~ licences. Which it's an small number.  I'd like to see a real test of the market. Like a pre sale, if you don't hit the numbers just cancel the sale.

[m.vlad]

1 hour ago, SomeDev said:

I keep hearing "the user base is too small". It's was 8% by 2019, half of Mac OS. And the seems to keep growing lately. This is also the thread with more visits in this forums, with around ~100k and there is another one with this same request pulling similar numbers.

They need to sell 10K~ licences. Which it's an small number. I'd like to see a real test of the market. Like a pre sale, if you don't hit the numbers just cancel the sale.

Where are  you getting your stats from? Do they also include servers that use linux and android phones?
https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share This website states that in the last month the total user base on linux is 0.78% That is incredibly small. I'm not against you, but focusing on the user base count is a poor choice when discussing this in my opinion, since the ratio of creative user per capita is most probably higher on linux than on windows anyway, unsure about mac since macs are still the industry standard in design studios.

[SomeDev]

14 minutes ago, m.vlad said:

Where are  you getting your stats from? Do they also include servers that use linux and android phones?
https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share This website states that in the last month the total user base on linux is 0.78% That is incredibly small. I'm not against you, but focusing on the user base count is a poor choice when discussing this in my opinion, since the ratio of creative user per capita is most probably higher on linux than on windows anyway, unsure about mac since macs are still the industry standard in design studios.

I also do agree that focusing on the user base count is a poor choice, yet it is the main reason tossed around against porting everything to linux. My source it's  this video from Data Is Beautiful which claims to source from W3S log , my memory failed me and checking again it says 7.05%, but Mac was also is only 10.18%. This data it's only for Desktop & Laptops which is likely why the percentages are so different from yours , plus I think statcounter pulls its data from their customers so maybe it's fragmented. 

 

Quote

since the ratio of creative user per capita is most probably higher on linux than on windows anyway, unsure about mac since macs are still the industry standard in design studios.

There are VFX studios that widely uses linux. Had you hear of a small indie VFX company called called Pixar Film?  They do small proyects like Toy Story and Cars. There is plenty of creative propertary software that exist on linux and had find its market. But for some reason people think that Photoshop would never sell on Linux. 

[msdobrescu]

My take on this would be out of statistics in the targeted professions/fields only and ask myself how would I help them.

It is more relevant to the business if the share for Linux is larger or not for those above than for the general OS installations, IMHO.

But where to get such statistics?

As for myself, if the Serif tool is better than my current solutions, I'd switch to it even for one missing feature, like the boundary warp for panos.

[SrPx]

14 hours ago, SomeDev said:

They need to sell 10K~ licences. Which it's an small number. 

I'm guessing this (10k x 50 $ ) would be sticking to the random number thrown once of the 500k $ "needed". Which later on has been said, repeated times, that is not the number needed, at all. Was a random number thrown at a casual conversation.

Is not only the cost of paying the developers... (plus, maintenance per year, etc. Is not a frozen release). There's marketing costs, licenses of additional software for production, even real state for new staff. Thinking that 10k cheap licenses is gonna cover all that... Is not like what you need to pay a bunch of passionate open source volunteers to help in an OS project.

9 hours ago, msdobrescu said:

My take on this would be out of statistics in the targeted professions/fields only and ask myself how would I help them.

VFX has a lot of linux based companies, yes. But then, in video games is mostly Windows machines. And even in graphic design and general graphic creation, I don't agree in what someone said, that Apple is the industry standard. "The industry" is not just that particular portion of film industry (and there are more industries and fields) which uses mac Pros among other more advanced and custom solutions, often UNIX based. It depends on the field. In my case, 4 game companies, and 6 of other stuff, some design firms, some just software developers, etc. Not a single one was macs based, even rarely having a mac on the company. Games in all I've seen is dominated with beefy Windows workstations and your usual Cintiq. Film industry has more Apple stuff, tho. But a lot of Linux/Unix, too. 

Photography, which is a very huge field (surely also designers and illustrators among the AP, AD and APub user bases) for Affinity Photo, this is a lot of actually Mac/Windows home (and yet pros) users. Among those, surely a large number of licenses of "aficionados", hobbyists, and a great but surely smaller number of professionals. But even those, often using the home machine with Photo. At least from what we have been reading here in the forums (and outside of them) for years. Indeed, was already the case for decades, before Affinity even appeared, if you people had an eye on that.... with large communities of Gimp, Photoshop, Corel Photopaint, Xara, PS Elements and Paint Shop Pro. Heck, the Adobe Photography Plan exists due to this large demographic group. They even made a pricing and plan apart for them. Probably the high end photography professional is a tiny minority, though, compared with legions of lower end freelancers and more casual users. A huge lot of those are in their mac or windows machine, even the pros. I firmly believe among those there is not a majority of Linux users, from what we can collect in decades of forums posts in many communities.

I'd love a Linux version of the apps. But not to jump wagon on Linux from Windows.  I can't see the point of some saying "I'd replace my OS in a heart beat only if Affinity ported..." Lol, I wish that my pro activity would only  need a vectorial app and an image editor (I've purchased Publisher too, altho I rarely do the InDesign/Quark kind of stuff). I need a ton more apps and workflows that are Windows/mac only, and a bunch, are only on Windows, which has the widest range. And in tons of gigs the usage of that software is absolutely requested, is not optional at all. But...! Even so would be good to add pressure on established systems (Adobe + Windows/Mac OS ...just like it has been a God's send in technology that the intel + nVidia has now competition with AMD... first CPUs, and hopefully, soon real competition too in GPUs). So, even if the "jumping ship" would  ONLY require just 3 isolated apps, still would have to work with full compatibility for the industry and professional clients. And as is how commercial apps protect their position, for deep, high end gigs, you will need native files level of compatibility (so, anything but having the native app installed is ruled out) , for many of the key projects and workflows. Even if not having that app purchased, I can purchase it and use it when needed for a project, as it will work smoothly in a Windows or Mac system.

13 hours ago, m.vlad said:

, since the ratio of creative user per capita is most probably higher on linux than on windows anyway,

Well, maybe in proportion (although I have not found that data detail anywhere: Indeed the number of artists on linux is relatively small, if we speak about graphic designers and illustrators, not VFX artists...and Affinity's are not VFX apps...But graphic design, photography and DTP publishing related), but if that would be true, would be surely due to the Windows average joes and janes being absolutely massive. But in absolute numbers, I'm 500% positive that the number of Windows based artists (pros and whatnot) compared to the absolute number of Linux artists... well, ...you can't even start to compare....is another league.

Those stats, tho... the w3S log? Pardon my question, but are those from the W3C / W3 School ? The demographic accessing those pages are mostly web developers.. and yeah, no surprise, that is going to favor Linux more than other stats (indeed, surprised is not larger). Is like when someone considered in one of these threads as sole source stackoverflow's data, which are mostly devs, and largely web devs. Or is if we take hosting companies webmasters access logs... or some game dev community, which will be massively Windows based. Or one other focused on iOS apps. Those are all too specific niches, very small in number in comparison, and not global.

If we look the usual massive stats... What I can see (and I see it logical after the very damaging first versions of Windows 10) is a solid growth of Mac OS (being premium cost hardware, not sure if will fall now vs the cheaper PCs, with the crisis), even if still being a small portion compared to Windows. But look at the linux chunk, there...And the "other" green bar is related not just to Android ( as if to argue "that's linux" due to mainly the kernel, and also, is a mobile OS, not a desktop OS), but also includes iOS (which is quite relevant now) and others...). That is, in the global stats, Windows is yet a 77.7 %, globally... Evolution from 2013 till current 2020 (and last 2 years seems Windows stopped its fall, surely due to finally addressing the updates situation), below :

https://www.statista.com/statistics/218089/global-market-share-of-windows-7/

I found a Wikipedia article (but not linking it, as it even has the typical warning from Wikipedia itself, that needs revision... ) saying that the Linux usage in the US is 1.46 %...

Looking a bit more reliable (but with stats, you never know...), the following one states the world usage of Linux in a 1.78%

https://netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx

And according to these stats, it'd be even slightly falling (desktop/laptop , NOT servers)....

https://netmarketshare.com/linux-market-share

[       As a curious detail, I am reading in articles that the crisis have slowed down the final migration from Windows 7 to Windows 10, lol... go guess.      ]

If we look at Statcounter data...it's 1.71% (and again, matches other sources in the slight decrease on Windows, and solid increase of OSX...at least before the virus did hit us so badly... price now is king in everything, so unless Apple does the smart move with its prices... but I wouldn't hold my breath)   :

https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide

So, best scenario, is close to a 2 %.

That said... I'd rather use LINUX.   If I could. I bet happens to a lot of other "non-casual" tech users who also depend on this stuff for income.

But the thing is that is not just Affinity, what is needed....usual pro workflows require more stuff (even not only just apps).

The thing is that more things should happen concurrently, not just Affinity. Certain OS features added not yet solid on Linux, for pro work (color management improvements, etc). A bunch other apps/ utilities.... the whole  industry (apart from VFX, hosting, or web development... yeah,science is great, but a field where graphic creators aren't into, usually....), and, like with the Adobe vs Affinity issue... would need a 180º change of the the mindset of a lot of bosses, clients, CEOs, etc. If the proposal was to change all that as a whole, in a button click, together with the Affinity ports... then heck yeah... then I'm in. I hate MS latest moves like most people... But only then. Otherwise is a kamikaze move for a designer, video game artist, illustrator, photographer or whatever, of these professions so typical in the user base of apps like Affinity's.

[msdobrescu]

@SrPx, I am on Linux mainly - exactly as you, when my customers need Windows, I have no choice but follow them, I want to enjoy my hobby on Linux, so here is the paradox: I can't, because major software developers refuse to build for such little adopted platform - a platform that is little adopted due to lack of software built by those major developers.

But, what I try to say above - something that you pointed too, is that, the general number of users of Linux does not matter, they are few now, and despite there are media creators on Linux, still not enough in numbers, they are a fraction of that tiny fraction, so the major developers can't invest for such little potential... Of course, some may say that we should compare the numbers of those two fractions... Still, I am sure they would be happy to get a Linux version in order to drop a good part of their stack of OSes, probably this migration would be valuable to them, but no, the business can't be profitable yet for companies like Affinity.

Right now, I am very close to have what I need on Linux, though. If some day Affinity makes the step, I am still interested and I would support them and hail them!

Now, out of curiosity, does Affinity Photo have some boundary warp capability? Who can tell me? Is there some demo video too?

[SomeDev]

5 hours ago, SrPx said:

I'm guessing this (10k x 50 $ ) would be sticking to the random number thrown once of the 500k $ "needed". Which later on has been said, repeated times, that is not the number needed, at all. Was a random number thrown at a casual conversation.

Is not only the cost of paying the developers... (plus, maintenance per year, etc. Is not a frozen release). There's marketing costs, licenses of additional software for production, even real state for new staff. Thinking that 10k cheap licenses is gonna cover all that... Is not like what you need to pay a bunch of passionate open source volunteers to help in an OS project.

I don't doubt it would take more than that, but you see, 500K is not a small starting number.  And it propably was throught in that high on purpose, to make it look a difficult number to pull. Which it's not, they don't even need 10K customers, most people are likely to buy at least two of their products. 

 

5 hours ago, SrPx said:

I firmly believe among those there is not a majority of Linux users, from what we can collect in decades of forums posts in many communities.

Sure it's not. But mostly because the software doesn't exist there yet. 

 

5 hours ago, SrPx said:

if we speak about graphic designers and illustrators, not VFX artists...and Affinity's are not VFX apps...But graphic design, photography and DTP publishing related),

This is where I start disagreeing with you. You talk like VFX studios and artists don't need to use graphic tools at all . Which it's father from the true. 

 

5 hours ago, SrPx said:

I can't see the point of some saying "I'd replace my OS in a heart beat only if Affinity ported..." Lol, I wish that my pro activity would only  need a vectorial app and an image editor

Well, you are speaking for yourself there. My use of graphic design tools as a freelancer it's 95% done in illustrator, It's the only reason I boot into windows. I had design jobs in the past that mainly only needed Photoshop. And I have collegues in print that make most of their work in Indesign, the industry is too wide to tell what's enough for everybody. That's one, and two: You are likely to find alternatives for the other stuff on linux, If your contract allows you to use your tools which where I am it's usually the case, but it may not be the case for you. Graphic design tools it's the weak point in linux but there is plenty of software for other creative fields.  And sure you can't replace industry standard programs when looking for a job. But affinity isn't an industrial standard to being with, and the "I'd leave Windows if I find a tool to replace X on linux" is going to makes sense for a freelancer that only needs another photoshop or indesign. 

 

5 hours ago, msdobrescu said:

I am on Linux mainly - exactly as you, when my customers need Windows, I have no choice but follow them, I want to enjoy my hobby on Linux, so here is the paradox: I can't, because major software developers refuse to build for such little adopted platform - a platform that is little adopted due to lack of software built by those major developers.

It is a vicious circle for sure. The problem with Adobe it's that it is Adobe. Monoly power means they don't need to bend for the customers. Unless some big company pull a 180 that force them to support linux, or they decide to go web based, I don't see a port to linux happening. 

[Hasan Al-Ammori]

I understand, that supporting one more platform actually requires some effort. However, going from single platform support to multiple platform support is way harder, than supporting a third platform. So, if you already did 90% of the work, why not invest remaining 10% and become one of the strongest players on the market? :)

Once you have Linux support - sign me in, I am the first one to buy your software

[Jajinder]

Hi there. I'm new new to Affinity after many years of using Adobe products. Bought Affinity Photo yesterday and it really looks very, very promising as a good Adobe competitor. I've been trying to switch to Linux for a while now, but too many times I'm forced to use Windows again due to lack of products like this on Linux (Ubuntu). Would love to see a proper working version on Ubuntu and also willing to buy another license if it needs another one. So it's a +1 from me.

[iambrad_au]

As per the other thread on this subject.

I’d happily support Linux ports of Serifs applications, even if it’s just Designer and I’d happily pay $100 - $200 per license to do so (assuming the same non subscription model) and I’d pay up front from the moment they announced it.

[msdobrescu]

Generally speaking, from what I read across the Internet, the Linux users are regarded as some fanatics trying to promote Linux at all costs, not as professionals that have chosen another OS than the mainstream Windows/Mac/Android OSes. This makes things very hard for them.

[Squirrel Logic]

1 hour ago, msdobrescu said:

Generally speaking, from what I read across the Internet, the Linux users are regarded as some fanatics trying to promote Linux at all costs, not as professionals that have chosen another OS than the mainstream Windows/Mac/Android OSes. This makes things very hard for them.

We are professionals. We use many OSes: the right one for the job. Linux just happens to be the best choice for certain types of development, certain hardware configurations, and certain design tasks that require as much performance as possible.

The problem with Affinity products is that aside from no subscription model, it doesn't have much else going for it. And with the way the industry is heading, where the separation between developer and designers is starting to blur, it's becoming more important to have cross platform apps. I don't want the developers having to load up a VM just to collaborate on a design. It's why I'm using Figma more and more for things I have traditionally used Illustrator or Designer for. It's because it works in Linux, not because it's a better app for the job. (I work in Windows, but most of the team is in Linux.)

 

[Taktician]

On 5/3/2020 at 11:09 PM, msdobrescu said:

Generally speaking, from what I read across the Internet, the Linux users are regarded as some fanatics trying to promote Linux at all costs, not as professionals that have chosen another OS than the mainstream Windows/Mac/Android OSes. This makes things very hard for them.

That's quite a generalization. Yes, there are fanatics out there - that's the case in any demographic. You'd be hard pressed to look at Apple's community and not see a level of fanaticism - same with the holy war that is iOS vs Android.

Speaking as someone in the software engineering industry, I can say that a growing number of professionals (and hobbyists) are choosing to use Linux as their main work OS. Not because of novelty or fanaticism, but because it saves them time and/or does things Macs and PCs don't. I have a recent Macbook Pro and a Linux/Windows dual boot workstation - of all three, I genuinely prefer Linux. If Linux didn't save me time and money, it'd be out the airlock yesterday.

Here are my observations:

• The line between designer and developer is starting to fade, especially for startups where one person wears many hats.
• While Windows and MacOS are good for designers that have to dip their toes into development, Linux is a common platform for developers who have to dip their toes into design.
• The low-risk/high-reward nature of SaaS services is pushing hobbyists and would-be entrepreneurs closer to Linux every day.
• More and more platforms that involve graphical design (game engines, web application frameworks, et al) are starting to support Linux natively.
• There is an obvious and gaping hole in terms of a viable photo/vector editing toolkit for Linux, and there are people willing to purchase a product now that will solve the problem.
• Eventually, someone will make a cross-platform product to fill this gap.

I'm not bashing Windows or MacOS - they have their strong-suits and a lot of people earn a good living on them. But there is a growing demographic for Linux that shouldn't be ignored or scoffed at.

At the very least, I can say that my company would purchase a number of Affinity Design licenses for Linux, and a few iPad licenses to go with it, if it were available.

Edited May 5, 2020 by Taktician
Typo

[Framelynx]

I’m a 15yr senior graphic designer / art director (been using adobe on mac for 20 years) - I don't speak for all creatives...

I REALLY WANT TO MOVE TO UBUNTU STUDIO but can't yet.. coz Affinity's not there!

 I despise Adobe for introducing subscription. I despise Apple for forcing machines and programs into obsolescence with their ”free upgrades” they nag you without option to permanently silence. Software that once worked stopped because they can’t afford to keep upgrading their product to fit Apple’s new release and apple does jack all to support good software. Tim Cook prioritizes profits at the expense of quality and value. Adobe's the same.

I reached a point where if I upgrade macOS, Adobe suite (The last non Subscription version) will stop working permanently, but if I don’t the Affinity publisher won’t work! Luckily Affinity fixed that issue without needing to upgrade macOS. The Adobe suite is falling apart. And I’m using the Affinity suite now.

That was the last straw.

I get that Affinity need to be careful where they invest development. If Affinity lose, then we all lose.

Apart from limited collaborative potential, scribus is quite awful to work with. Gimp and Inkscape are ok. And I’ve reconfigured them to behave as close to the Affinity/Adobe suite as possible and I know how to use them well. But they’re still lacking (mainly scribus). I’ve already asked my team to adopt Affinity on Mac and that was tough, I don’t think I can push them to adopt the Open Creative Suite. It’s largely that open Source files are quite incompatible with adobe, and affinity files.

I wish those open source developers would just get their head out of their asses and make their software a bit like Adobe but better, like how Affinity does it. But noooo, they’re trying to be special. but i understand why they can't do things like make Scribus open adobe's IDML files, but Affinity can.

I would pay for the whole Linux Affinity suite in a heartbeat if it was available on Linux. it would mean that I can finally leave Apple and Windows for good. I would even pay quadruple if it’ll help Affinity! (Still cheaper than adobe!) Coz I  trust that Linux and Affinity won’t pull dirty tactics like subscription and obsolescence and that the software will last.

Affinity is waiting for graphic designers to jump onto linux before developing for Linux. I'm waiting for Affinity to develop for Linux SO THAT I can jump on Linux.

*sigh* Chicken or the egg?

 

 

 

[Framelynx]

BTW why can't Affinity do a kickstarter campaign? Wouldn't that prove once and for all if you have enough supporters for it?  Or has that already happened and failed? I would totally back it! take my money! PLEASE!

[msdobrescu]

13 hours ago, Taktician said:

• Eventually, someone will make a cross-platform product to fill this gap.

..

At the very least, I can say that my company would purchase a number of Affinity Design licenses for Linux, and a few iPad licenses to go with it, if it were available.

"Eventually" may be too late. I'd purchase the first one available to meet my needs, either Affinity, either Adobe.

[wonderings]

4 hours ago, Framelynx said:

I’m a 15yr senior graphic designer / art director (been using adobe on mac for 20 years) - I don't speak for all creatives...

I REALLY WANT TO MOVE TO UBUNTU STUDIO but can't yet.. coz Affinity's not there!

 I despise Adobe for introducing subscription. I despise Apple for forcing machines and programs into obsolescence with their ”free upgrades” they nag you without option to permanently silence. Software that once worked stopped because they can’t afford to keep upgrading their product to fit Apple’s new release and apple does jack all to support good software. Tim Cook prioritizes profits at the expense of quality and value. Adobe's the same.

I reached a point where if I upgrade macOS, Adobe suite (The last non Subscription version) will stop working permanently, but if I don’t the Affinity publisher won’t work! Luckily Affinity fixed that issue without needing to upgrade macOS. The Adobe suite is falling apart. And I’m using the Affinity suite now.

That was the last straw.

I get that Affinity need to be careful where they invest development. If Affinity lose, then we all lose.

Apart from limited collaborative potential, scribus is quite awful to work with. Gimp and Inkscape are ok. And I’ve reconfigured them to behave as close to the Affinity/Adobe suite as possible and I know how to use them well. But they’re still lacking (mainly scribus). I’ve already asked my team to adopt Affinity on Mac and that was tough, I don’t think I can push them to adopt the Open Creative Suite. It’s largely that open Source files are quite incompatible with adobe, and affinity files.

I wish those open source developers would just get their head out of their asses and make their software a bit like Adobe but better, like how Affinity does it. But noooo, they’re trying to be special. but i understand why they can't do things like make Scribus open adobe's IDML files, but Affinity can.

I would pay for the whole Linux Affinity suite in a heartbeat if it was available on Linux. it would mean that I can finally leave Apple and Windows for good. I would even pay quadruple if it’ll help Affinity! (Still cheaper than adobe!) Coz I  trust that Linux and Affinity won’t pull dirty tactics like subscription and obsolescence and that the software will last.

Affinity is waiting for graphic designers to jump onto linux before developing for Linux. I'm waiting for Affinity to develop for Linux SO THAT I can jump on Linux.

*sigh* Chicken or the egg?

 

 

 

The Adobe software is not falling apart. In fact I would say Adobe CC was a good move in one way, I no longer worry about clients using the same version as I am. Everyone has the latest, swapping files and back and forth is a breeze with zero compatibility issues. Do I like the subscription? No, down right hate it. But the product is still good. Are you saying you cannot afford the $80 a month for CC? Small dollars to what you should be making if your business is profitable. 

[SrPx]

There is a large number of countries in which 80 per month is a ton of money...despite that, full of great designers, illustrators and 3D artists... For  them, 80 bucks per month is literally impossible, full stop. Many can't even receive payments from foreign countries. And also, I've known really good pros in the very lucky (and selfish) first world not making such money as for after paying all bills, 80 a month being irrelevant (actually quite damaging for some); it all often does not work that way. Software renting is a way of the dodo for the freelancer, in general.  If not, look at Autodesk 3DS Max "tiny" monthly lil bite.... 270 euros (291 $, tho I guess in the us is all cheaper) each month (and nothing tells us how and till where it could escalate in the CC)... If for some disgrace he/she also needs to have a Maya license (ie, animation workflows in maya, objects and scenery in Max, for whatever the workflow with several different freelancing customers, or even a same game studio outsourcing), that's plus another 270 per month... Yay! Wohoo... around 600$ per month (surely they'll need the 80 bucks of Adobe, then 680$/month...for the average freelancer...not the lucky one who knows someone that knows someone), ...so now we can call ourselves "professionals"? ...Ain't we cool? Not like those non professional losers that earn just like us, or more, with Blender, doing architectural renders, intros, VFX or whatever. Poor noobs..   Now, if one would be to tell me EVERY 3D artist earns a ton of money "and huh, they should be able to afford it, or their business model is wrong..", nah, not the case,  and I know a bunch, quite good ones.  Also, design software is not only for the 9 to 5 employee or the lucky freelancer. There are also hobbyists, more casual freelancers, etc, while many of them are a lot more skilled, talented and inspired than a number of established "pros"... But they don't have same luck or contacts, despite quite a bunch of them being clearly better. No way that the fact of the 80$ month "tax" being a PITA that adds on top of everything (and due to some adoring this renting boomerang like sheep) for them would be a factor to determine how pro or good are them or their business, there are many more factors... And "if you are not making 5k a month, get another job/business", wouldn't be a correct/nice suggestion to make, all things considered,  imo.

But nope, Adobe software is not falling apart. Loosing a big number of customers of certain type: I have no doubt about that. Do they care? probably not much... But Intel did not care for a while about users fleeing to AMD... Now they do.  

Edit: This is not defending the idea of making Linux ports of Affinity, though.

[Squirrel Logic]

As far it being "small dollars", the subscription model is usually the difference between all of the employees being able to use the same tools versus just a few. A thousand dollars per license annually is a lot for a team member who barely uses the software and only needs it from time to time to collaborate on a design project.

If you are a large company then you can waste that kind of money. But even a large company will only spend money when it makes sense. Meaning only the graphic designers on the team will get access to the same software: the product lead won't, the managers won't, the programmers won't, the UX consultant won't, the copywriters won't, and so on down the line.

If you are a freelance graphic designer working alone, then paying the Adobe tax is justifiable. Although I've found that for the freelancers who I have recommended use the Affinity suite for their freelance work have really enjoyed the ability for their clients to have access to all the same software that they are using. Clients love Affinity.

I really want to drive the point home that the way so much of the world is moving now is towards multi-disciplinary teams. This whole idea of designers being isolated away from the rest of the team, sitting at their iMacs using software that no one else can access to is becoming a very antiquated idea. People need to be able to work together seamlessly. Being able to use the same software is a huge part of that.

We recently purchased GitKraken for our designers and artists. Yes, it's an annual subscription. We had the opportunity to get a cheaper non-subscription alternative called Fork to do the same thing, but we decided not to because Fork is Windows and Mac only. We didn't want the developers using different software from the designers and artists. So let that sink in. We passed on cheaper non-subscription software for our designers because it didn't work on Linux, and we are paying a subscription fee for the privilege. Linux support > no subscription. Don't get the wrong idea. It's very valuable for a lot of people that this software remains non-subscription, but please don't underestimate the importance of Linux support in a company's purchasing decision.