Updating the vision

[Thorsten Wilms]

On 25.07.2017 18:08, Boudewijn Rempt wrote:
> On Tue, 25 Jul 2017, Thorsten Wilms wrote:
> 
>> On 25.07.2017 17:40, Boudewijn Rempt wrote:
>>
>>> I think it needs updating a bit. I was never to happy to use "masters"
>>> as shorthand for "people who take some effort to learn it" -- but I have
>>> no idea how to improve that.
>>
>> A while back I had a go at writing a project definition for Ardour with a
>> similar problem. I arrived at the conclusion that it is not necessary or even
>> beneficial to allude to the skill-level or the ambitions of users; at the core
>> is optimization for prolonged, high-intensity use. An application that is used
>> often and for long durations.
> 
> Yes... Though we often get asked why krita isn't easier. Sometimes that means
> "It isn't photoshop, it's so hard", sometimes it means "it has more functionality
> than Paint Tool Sai" -- but sometimes it means "I cannot be arsed to create a
> new image before painting on it, you guys suck" -- and we need some way to articulate
> that Krita is exactly in the category you mention. Sovereign applications that
> are open full screen and used for up to 24 hours a day.


As many here will probably understand, optimization for frequent, 
prolonged high-intensity use will lead to, as far as necessary:
- valuing efficiency in the long run over being obvious initially
- basic tools and options being harder to find simply due to being among 
many others
- some coarse and simple things appearing harder to accomplish, because 
operations and options are fine grained for flexibility

Regarding those questions, you may have to add that Krita is not a clone 
of another application, but an independent design (even if taking 
inspiration from elsewhere, as one should!).

How much of that belongs in a vision statement, though?


Anyway, an attempt:

"
Krita is a digital painting application for demanding needs. It is Free 
Software, developed by, with and for artists.

Optimized for frequent, prolonged and intense use, it offers a rich 
palette of tools and options. It is not designed for short, one-off 
image editing tasks.

Krita supports creating digital images from scratch. It explicitly 
supports, but is not limited to: illustrations, concept design, 
textures, matte painting, comics and animations.
"


Notes:

I guess KDE and being cross-platform doesn't necessarily belong here.

I did not mention performance, efficiency or being "snappy". As much 
thought and hard work those take, they are weak goals, because the 
opposites make no sense. One may aim to develop something simple, with 
only few features over something full-featured, but who would want to 
write a slow, sloppy application? But perhaps something along the lines 
of "Krita supports the artist in staying focused and working 
efficiently." might help.


-- 
Thorsten Wilms

thorwil's design for free software:
http://thorwil.wordpress.com/