Affinity products for Linux

[Squirrel Logic]

That's basically the sentiment: it's a chicken and egg problem. Few graphic designers use Linux because there's no good design tools in Linux. Companies won't develop design tools for Linux because graphic designers don't use Linux. This is all in spite of the fact that many other creative disciplines and studios that heavily integrate with graphic designers already use Linux: 2D animation, 3D animation, software development, video editing, and so on.

Given current events, I think it's also important to think about how to improve the lives of people in disadvantaged and underprivileged communities. This is a problem I've been trying to work out for a while, and it is why I'm teaching Affinity products over Adobe products for my design courses. How do you get those communities the tools they need to have better opportunities? By making them them more accessible. A highly-capable computer for creative work could cost 20% more if you buy Windows 10 Home (and I don't recommend getting the cheaper Home edition). Linux also performs better on older hardware, which is why—as a graphic designer and illustrator—I run Linux on my older machines instead of Windows for creative work.

Subscription-based software is death for underprivileged creatives. Increasing the cost of entry through a $140-200 operating system only makes it more difficult for them to get started. Affinity software is certainly making it easier for disadvantaged artists by not requiring them to pay monthly, but it is still requiring them to pay another software company just for the privilege of being able to use a computer.

There's no denying that there's one operating system that is better for marginalized people. I'm hoping that as the world becomes more aware of the problems that minorities still face today, and that software companies will start to do the same.

[princec]

Chiming in (more petrol for the fire)...

Affinity is currently the no. 1 application preventing me from ditching the Windows 10 installation here that causes me increasing grief every day. There is indeed a chicken/egg situation with Linux regarding graphics tools and users. I think it is the only tool I use on a regualar basis I've got that isn't available for Linux.

[Leandro Godoy - MARKFRAME]

I think the same: Designers don't use Linux because there are no professional apps for this purpose there.

Affinity software would be revolutionary if it launched for at least some of the most popular distros, like Ubuntu or POPos!.

[Snapseed]

On 6/3/2020 at 12:47 PM, Redsandro said:

Linux desktop market share above 3% for second month in a row now, rising to 3.17%.

Considering MacOS is consistently around 9-10%, I wonder at what point Affinity might become interested. Would Designer have been made for MacOS if it only had 6% market share in stead of 9? What about 3%?

https://netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?options={"filter"%3A{"%24and"%3A[{"deviceType"%3A{"%24in"%3A["Desktop%2Flaptop"]}}]}%2C"dateLabel"%3A"Custom"%2C"attributes"%3A"share"%2C"group"%3A"platform"%2C"sort"%3A{"share"%3A-1}%2C"id"%3A"platformsDesktop"%2C"dateInterval"%3A"Monthly"%2C"dateStart"%3A"2019-05"%2C"dateEnd"%3A"2020-05"%2C"plotKeys"%3A[{"platform"%3A"Linux"}%2C{"platform"%3A"Mac OS"}%2C{"platform"%3A"Chrome OS"}]%2C"segments"%3A"-1000"}

I'm guessing people in lockdown are giving linux another try due to all the new releases with preinstalled video drivers, and are surprised to find that many Windows games play smoothly for both the Steam and Epic launcher. Combined with Epic's every week a free game marketing, it's tempting.

 

It might also be the case that quite a few people are using their home Linux computers to do their normal work on as opposed to their work-based Windows PCs. In any event, for Serif to consider porting over their software to Linux, the Linux desktop  market share would have to be broadly comparable to the macOS market share. Until such time as that happens, I fully expect Serif staff to keep on confirming that their rather good software will not be available on the Linux platform.

There has also been an interesting development today in the form the news that Apple are now expected to announce their plans for ARM-based Macs at their WWDC and that the transition away from Intel to ARM will begin in 2021. I am already seeing a lot of concern from professional and creative users of Macs about this move, e.g. what happens to their very useful software and how will they be able to use Windows beside macOS on these new ARM MacBooks. If this transition is handled badly by Apple management then that could very well result in more converts to both Windows and Linux, i.e. Linux desktop market share going up for an additional reason (it might also mean a lot of hackintosh users needing a new home to go to).

[Strandbummler]

GIMME LINUX VERSIONS!!!

On a more serious note. Yeah, a linux version would be a massive gamechanger, at least for me. I'm an apple user hands down. I am also a professional graphic designer and 3D artist. I use blender, sketch (and figma which works on linux, yay) and the affinity trinity.

Regarding Linux, there is basically everything i need on linux except a professional DTP, Vector and Imagemanipulation Software (hint hint). I didn't switch completely to Affinity for no reason. It takes adobes cake by a long shot. The only times i struggle is when people send me INDD files with no IDML. But its missing on linux...

Don't get me wrong, Apple and macos are great. But i cannot afford their prices anymore. I want to, but i simply can't. That has gotten a little ridiculous over the last years. And i also don't wanna go back to windows just because it's cheaper. Windows is not for me and i really tried(i used windows for a better part of my early life and lately used it for gaming). Linux on the other hand i always tried and everything worked fine (even gaming over steam and proton worked surprisingly well) but it just wasn't enough without those essential apps.

I know this will probably never happen, but at least i told somebody how i feel.

[Redsandro]

Quote

Lenovo Brings Linux® Certification to ThinkPad and ThinkStation Workstation Portfolio

Our entire portfolio of ThinkStation and ThinkPad P Series workstations will now be certified via both Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu LTS – a long-term, enterprise-stability variant of the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution.

To ensure an effortless Linux experience, Lenovo workstations will work intuitively with the host Linux OS and offer full end-to-end support – from security patches and updates to better secure and verify hardware drivers, firmware and bios optimizations. What’s more, Lenovo will also upstream device drivers directly to the Linux kernel, to help maintain stability and compatibility throughout the life of the workstation.

Everyone from software developers, media and entertainment professionals, system administrators, AI professionals, IT engineers and data scientists will have access to some of the industry’s broadest selection of software, AI frameworks, and workflow enhancement tools. This adds increased flexibility for companies most powerful employees.

By certifying our entire portfolio of ThinkStation and ThinkPad P Series workstations, we are prioritizing the needs of specialized end-users and helping to ensure our workstations will deliver the best possible out-of-the-box Linux experience – increasing the flexibility of users across all industries.

Our certified portfolio of workstations will be available fully customizable and configured-to-order starting this month rolling out over summer starting with the ThinkPad P Series mobile workstations.  Going beyond the box, this also includes full web support, dedicated Linux forums, configuration guidance and more.

https://news.lenovo.com/pressroom/press-releases/lenovo-brings-linux-certification-to-thinkpad-and-thinkstation-workstation-portfolio-easing-deployment-for-developers-data-scientists/

[Injiniero]

+127.000 views of this topic perhaps translates to +100.000 possible Affinity-Linux customers.

And 100.000 x $50 is very close to TonyB answer.

Edited June 10, 2020 by Injiniero

[Patrick Connor]

@Injiniero

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums  

I like your positive thinking. Your numbers assumes that (A) they are all unique viewers and of those 4 of of 5 people who read the thread would be willing to pay for the software to be on Linux or (B) that they are not unique viewers but that 4/5ths are unique AND all of them want a Linux version (but only 1 in 4 ever comes back to this thread), those are both quite the leap, but as I said nice positive outlook.

Realistically there's also 44 pages with 25 posts per page, so lets say 300-400 unique posters, but also 28 people following this thread, so many of those views will be some of them coming back time and time again to read the new responses. I would estimate 10,000 max would be more accurate but it's just a guess.

[msdobrescu]

I'd be impressed to have 10000 people actively interested in porting to Linux. Those are the ones that would need it in the first place. I'm sure there would be more if there would really be released for Linux.

I'm not saying you should be impressed.

[Injiniero]

38 minutes ago, Patrick Connor said:

@Injiniero

I like your positive thinking.

Thank you, Patrick.

I recently bought all three Affinity products taking advantage of the fantastic 50% discount. But, for now, I have to use it on Windows 10 inside Virtualbox.

I hope that your numbers goes up and the Linux version exists soon.

[araninger]

Affinity on Linux would be fantastic.

[wonderings]

2 hours ago, Injiniero said:

+127.000 views of this topic perhaps translates to +100.000 possible Affinity-Linux customers.

And 100.000 x $50 is very close to TonyB answer.

Some crazy numbers you are predicting. A few little things, there are only 124,667 members on the forum and I seriously double every single one of them is wanting a Linux version. Confusing views or even trying to draw up numbers that it could equal so many customers is a bit crazy. I started following the thread a few weeks ago (I think) and I am in the category of not being a Linux user nor needing a Linux version. There is so much more to business then 100,000 users at $50 a pop is $500,000! Easy money!

Linux has a small marketshare, very small. Now how many of that very small marketshare are needing/wanting to pay for design software? I am guessing you are going to see a very small number. I get why people want it and I think the more options for the consumer the better, but in this case I just can't see it being a smart move for a company like Affinity with software that is still in it's early days. 

[msdobrescu]

@wonderings, virtually, IMHO, the target would be the beneficiaries of graphics produced for media businesses that already use Linux for video, special effects, games etc.. How large would that be?

[wonderings]

12 minutes ago, msdobrescu said:

@wonderings, virtually, IMHO, the target would be the beneficiaries of graphics produced for media businesses that already use Linux for video, special effects, games etc.. How large would that be?

No clue, guessing significantly smaller though then creative users on both Mac and Win. Would definitely be curious to know the Linux numbers. 

[Injiniero]

27 minutes ago, wonderings said:

Some crazy numbers you are predicting.

Well, my post was a mix between a joke and a wish. I don't know the numbers and I'm not going to speculate about them. The job to make a market study is for Serif and it would be great that it will be possible.

[Redsandro]

3 hours ago, Injiniero said:

100.000 x $50 is very close to TonyB answer.

 

37 minutes ago, wonderings said:

100,000 users at $50 a pop is $500,000!

 

Just like to point out that both of you should be careful with math. 😅

[Injiniero]

Redsandro, I haven't gave any math result.

[msdobrescu]

@Redsandro, yeah, math could be very dangerous! But a 0 is nothing, after all.. right?

[jrutled3]

On 6/10/2020 at 11:23 AM, Patrick Connor said:

@Injiniero

I like your positive thinking. Your numbers assumes that (A) they are all unique viewers and of those 4 of of 5 people who read the thread would be willing to pay for the software to be on Linux [...]

Well, I for one, am a customer who purchased both Designer and Publisher for Windows, have since purged Windows from both my desktop and laptop in favor of Linux, and still would gladly buy both programs again for Linux... if native Linux ports ever were released.

There you have, at the very least, a doubling of profit from a single customer who is now a Linux user who will not be going back to Windows except when I'm forced to for work (which has nothing to do with graphic design or DTP, so no Affinity there). So, take that for what it is.

[AffinityMakesMeSmile]

I don’t understand this request for Linux versions of Affinity Suite...

We have it on three different platforms already, and that must be enough...

You can build yourself an cheap computer and get a almost free version of Windows 10 home and run Affinity Suite there, so, why waste time on a similar computer running Linux? What do Linux do that Macs and Win computers lacks?

[jrutled3]

On 6/8/2020 at 11:00 AM, Leandro Godoy - MARKFRAME said:

Affinity software would be revolutionary if it launched for at least some of the most popular distros, like Ubuntu or POPos!.

They don't even need to target specific and multiple distros anymore (which was a daunting impediment to Linux development/porting in the past). All they would need to do is port to and optimize for one and then package and deliver it in any one or more of the distro-agnostic formats---as a Flatpak, AppImage, and/or Snap. Then it would be widely available and functional across the Linux ecosystem.

[msdobrescu]

5 hours ago, AffinityMakesMeSmile said:

I don’t understand this request for Linux versions of Affinity Suite...

We have it on three different platforms already, and that must be enough...

You can build yourself an cheap computer and get a almost free version of Windows 10 home and run Affinity Suite there, so, why waste time on a similar computer running Linux? What do Linux do that Macs and Win computers lacks?

It's not about money, forget that. While it might be related to the fact that Linux works better and uses less resources compared to Windows and it's free to use, mainly it's about freedom.

Under Windows, my computer intensively scanned the disks, apparently for no reason. The CPU and RAM were bloated by Windows metering routines and services I don't ever use. Once I had a meeting compromised by the XBox recording service that started to do its job, with a  red area over my presentation. Just out of the blue. Hours of updates in the middle of the day on all the company computers, witnessed twice. Everybody's taken prisoner. Drivers pushed over user's choice, making the network to stop, for example. Lately, on Windows, after the latest bunch of updates, Explorer closes unexpectedly. The updates coming and pushing restarts when I'd rather need to work, breaking my session based on the fact I wasn't at the computer at that time. And so many more. This is waste of time. a BIG waste. Don't get it wrong, Windows is not bad as OS, the policies are - to push updates, to forcibly add all that blotware, to do the metering without user's need, after you pay for it.

Apple is keeping the users bound to their hardware of choice. This is not desirable, even though the selection is of high quality. And, despite being Unix, it's pretty limited to their choices and paradigms. Not bad, but there are cases when those impede the users.

Three platforms? Android or iOS apps are always limited by comparison to the desktop versions, probably based on the fact that the hardware is less capable on these devices.

Linux comes with a true democracy regarding the users needs. It's a development philosophy. From all te points of view. Everybody can have an opinion and openly express it, the developers will consider it seriously. There are very rare cases when a good and clear expressed feature request is not implemented. You can run what you need, you can have a simple selection of software, you can choose the DE configuration. Why would I prefer something else? If you say Linux is a waste of time, then you haven't tried it. Try a live version or install it on a 150GB partition and see.

[araninger]

I agree with msdobrescu. Serif choose the platform they want to deliver on but shouldn't rely on statistics. There are a lot of artists out there that would love to move to Linux without hesitation if the Affinity suite gets ported to Linux and even buy it a second or a third time. As of right now I'm forced to Windows and Mac by the industry when working professionally but I'm always looking out for ways to move to the Linux environment. The freedom to customize your desktop to your workflow outside your tools without hacking the system to instability. "Dark mode"? Nothing new, we've had it for decades. Seriously?

[msdobrescu]

9 minutes ago, araninger said:

"Dark mode"? Nothing new, we've had it for decades. Seriously?

For Windows, seems to come from "dark age"...

[AffinityMakesMeSmile]

5 hours ago, msdobrescu said:

It's not about money, forget that. While it might be related to the fact that Linux works better and uses less resources compared to Windows and it's free to use, mainly it's about freedom.

Under Windows, my computer intensively scanned the disks, apparently for no reason. The CPU and RAM were bloated by Windows metering routines and services I don't ever use. Once I had a meeting compromised by the XBox recording service that started to do its job, with a  red area over my presentation. Just out of the blue. Hours of updates in the middle of the day on all the company computers, witnessed twice. Everybody's taken prisoner. Drivers pushed over user's choice, making the network to stop, for example. Lately, on Windows, after the latest bunch of updates, Explorer closes unexpectedly. The updates coming and pushing restarts when I'd rather need to work, breaking my session based on the fact I wasn't at the computer at that time. And so many more. This is waste of time. a BIG waste. Don't get it wrong, Windows is not bad as OS, the policies are - to push updates, to forcibly add all that blotware, to do the metering without user's need, after you pay for it.

Apple is keeping the users bound to their hardware of choice. This is not desirable, even though the selection is of high quality. And, despite being Unix, it's pretty limited to their choices and paradigms. Not bad, but there are cases when those impede the users.

Three platforms? Android or iOS apps are always limited by comparison to the desktop versions, probably based on the fact that the hardware is less capable on these devices.

Linux comes with a true democracy regarding the users needs. It's a development philosophy. From all te points of view. Everybody can have an opinion and openly express it, the developers will consider it seriously. There are very rare cases when a good and clear expressed feature request is not implemented. You can run what you need, you can have a simple selection of software, you can choose the DE configuration. Why would I prefer something else? If you say Linux is a waste of time, then you haven't tried it. Try a live version or install it on a 150GB partition and see.

One thing wrong here, and that is the comparison between iPad apps and desktop ditto, hold in mind that Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer on iPad holds almost 99,5% of all functionality from the desktop versions on Mac/Windows...

We eagerly awaiting Affinity Publisher on the iPad now, and, when this is released I can go 100% on my iPad Pro 12.9" 2020 edition...