An important feature you're forgetting is: Signing the rights of the pictures over to Adobe.

If it is now officially the policy of The Register to insult people who prefer to *legitimately* get things for free rather than paying for bloatware, I shall take my custom elsewhere. It's not as if you are the only Web site with nasty-minded drunken oiks writing tech news, you know.

Will you stop this 'freetard' business? It was mildly amusing the first 47 times...

Who has not heard of photoshop?

At least this way, you have an official free version than the general cracked versions, um... ahh... backups... you find lying around.

anyway, seeing as how Adobe fleeces us europeans with +70% to +200% price increases (it's cheaper to fly to New York and buy the software at the local Office Depot and pay for 2 nights in a hotel rather than to order from the european Adobe store), I'm happy using paint.net and Paint Shop Pro 5 on Vista :)

Dear Richard,

For starters, you're making a pathetic attempt to ape Fake Steve, and secondly, your usage is somewhat bastardised from the original meaning.

I seem to remember that Lyons was referring to Open Source advocates such as Stallman and co. NOT people who want stuff for free. Proprietary software is evil to the Freetards. For clarification you might want to refer to the explanation from the man himself (well the real FSJ), on your podcast with Mr Vance.

If you're gonna ape the word, at least get it right.

J

"Adobe's plan is to get the Photoshop brand out to people who otherwise wouldn't have heard of it"

Considering 99% of PCs have a bootlegged copy of Photoshop installed within 5 seconds of being set-up, I doubt that's much of a concern.

Picnik does this as well... Just because it's photoshop doesn't make it good.

Why bother using that and just torrent Photoshop CS*

Then you can get full functionality without having a net connection.

Im all for paying for software as long as it meets 2 criteria:

1) I use it all the time

2) I use it for business or make money off of it.

Neither of which I use Photoshop for mainly there for having some fun at the bosses expense from time to time. :-D

/anon for obvious reasons Arggggg!!

I think you have to be genuinely retarded to pay for Adobe's offerings!

... of people who want you to stop using the word "freetard." It makes me think thoughts of aggravated assault. I know you fancy yourselves to be 'punchy' and 'provocative,' but this word just makes you look like another internet douchebag shooting his mouth off.

it's free, does more than the online photoshop, and you won't be putting your private stuff in public (and the only limit ti size and storage is your own machine, and then there's bandwidth and latency...)

Paint.NET for Windows and GIMP for everything are available so who needs a lackluster online only version even for free.

The Pirate Bay,

Mininova,

isoHunt

Take you're pick, none of the Web 2.0, all of the features.

As a ploy to get the Photoshop brand out there, it's a nice try. What it's not going to do is prevent the rise of the freetard.

Anon

"It's not as if you are the only Web site with nasty-minded drunken oiks writing tech news, you know."

They're not???

If there are other nasty-minded drunken oiks writing tech news with the same wit and irreverence as The Reg, I want them hunted down and shot now!

(Tip of the hat to Doug)

You've given up one words that I had not problem with, but I think freetard has run its course.

So here's another vote, stop using the stupid freetard word.

Paint.NET. I'll second that.

No, we're GIMPs !

we all turn off the adverts with a flashblocker and no one wants a t-shirt.

1) Freetard, stupid and only makes the speaker look foolish, not those looking for open source software - how can someone really write on a site like this and not be down with the hacker ethic? I mean seriously? wtf!

2) Google doesn't have to worry. Adobe are greedy, greedy fatcats. Good for them, of course if they didn't charge £900.00 for the extended photoshop CS3 I might have bought one. As it is? Hmm. I'll take one for free, thanks.

Imagine trying to explain to a software company that they'd make more money if they lowered their prices and stopped trying to rip people off. Revolutionary, huh? Yeah, I'm stupid because I'd rather not waste my money. Mmhm, you nailed it.

The T&C's state that you give Adobe free license to do whatever they like with your photos.

If El Reg is going to insult people who choose to use free/open software, then you should reconsider the software choices you made, to the best of my knowledge El Reg runs on predominantly free and open software.

People living in glass-houses shouldn't throw stones.

It's all well and good to use jolly terms to describe the various IT tribes however some of them are not acceptable. I may have a very poor opinion of some software vendors and their products but I don't go round insulting their customers.

Anyhow as various people have pointed out, though 90% of Photoshop users have no idea what they are doing or how to use the product it's not a problem in the whole as they are running bootleg copies and aren't using it professionally. Most Photoshop (non-pro) users are probably better off with a "light" product, and if Adobe want to be in that market space, then it better be free, as all the competition is.

Just a first step in a long process of convincing you down the line some time that your PC should be a thin client and you should be renting their software running exclusively on their servers. This would also give a big brother style of control over everything that's done on computers eventually.

Why is el reg using such derogatory terms for FOSS users, especially when netcraft.com says that el reg's server (212.100.234.54) is running Apache/2.0.54 Debian GNU/Linux.

Nice one, bunch of bloody freetards. El Reg - taking tech news tabloid.

A solid vote for Paint.NET here, too. It's an absolutely splendid prog. Hint: get BoltBait's essential plugin pack from the forum and you'll never look back. Nab Inkscape and you've got an Adobe Illustrator replacement too.

And the other vote goes for dropping freetard in relation to use of legitimately free software.

But seriously, who hasn't heard of it? In any case, I'll stick to Gimp, KolourPaint, and the open source'd Xara Xtreme (which is very close to matching all the functionality of the proprietary version).

Count me among those who dislike "freetard." As one user commented its meaning is being twisted; and for me I wish English had two distinct words for the two meanings of 'free', like foreign languages have. One reason I like the term Open to Free.

Paris Icon, because even she has heard of Photoshop.

D'ahh ha ha ha hah.

I've been using and loving Photoshop ever since it came out, nearly 20 years ago (eeyoiks, that long?), but the one problem its always had -- along with being expensive as shit -- is that it can be more than a bit slow at times.

So, now, they want to offer it over the NET? D'ahh ha ha ha hah. This, on top of their demand that you sign over the rights to your work to Adobe (in their friggin' DREAMS), has me doing what I'm doing right this moment -- downloading a trial copy of Pixelmator, from http://www.pixelmator.com.

...between "amuse" and "abuse". i suggest thereg writers may want to consult a dictionary...a commercially available, paid-for dictionary, if it so pleases you.

many organizations and individuals who use these free resources, have no ideological agenda regarding commercial goods; in fact, they themselves offer services or products commercially. most of them DO understand the difference between "great" and "good enough", and accept the reduced feature set, to benefit their top line numbers.

for those who do not know the difference between the top line and the bottom line, i recommend a brief overview of financial accounting...also fee-based, if it so pleases you. perhaps then you can stop (ab)using this tiresome term. leave the horse be, it's gone...

it is worth noting that those of us who use FOSS, have been known to contribute money to many of the projects we find useful (of our own "free" will, if you like), sometimes more than once. nothing is free, there are often non-monetary costs (time, effort, inconvenience, headaches, stress, the agony of thinking critically and independently, etc.). of course, many commercial products have those costs, in addition to the purchase price.

all this may be too much for the magnificent mind that came up with "Freetard", but he's called "Fake Steve" for a reason. those who can, do; those who are capable, knowledgeable and experienced, teach; those who can't do or teach, administrate; and those who offer nothing constructive, whine (but often add "oh, i'm just joking..." to avoid responsibility for their whining).

How about we change "freetard" to "fuckwit" or something?

And yeah, isn't GIMP already Photoshop for fuckwits?

Love,

A happy fuckwit.

Yes, I ran a cracked version of Photoshop. Never really got my head around it, and was unamused by the way it strafed my filesystem with thousands of piddly little files. Took it off again and my C: drive was much happier.

Methinks Adobe know that PS is an entrenched brand name, like Hoover, Sellotape and Preparation H. Methinks this they are trading on this in order to get their mitts on your photographs: Johnny Smartarse can say "Oh yes, I've Photoshopped this picture" without having to learn Photoshop, not realising Adobe have pwn3d his family album.

Me, I use GIMP to Photoshop my pictures, I Hoover with a Dyson, I Sellotape things with Scotch tape and, er ... Germaloids anyone?

That'll be the image editing software that doesn't understand colour management and craps out on Windows the whole time then. The GIMP, free and worth every penny.

...airbrushing, redeye AND resizing?! fuck me, what a veritable FEAST of features...I'll stick with my Linuxy GIMP thank you very much, it has all that and MORE (I think)....if only I could figure out how to use the fucking thing....

I'm all in favour of guying that tendency that desires everything in life to be free, and makes a political movement out of it, but this is becoming an excuse for lazy headline writing, if not journalism.

The next hacktard to use this term out of term should get their coat.

..to stop using Freetard.Not that I'm freeligious about it, or a freequent downloader. I like to think I am a freesponsible adult with a freesonable atitude - and other stupid portmantau words.

I use Irfanview for simple viewing, editing and manipulating (like it so much I contributed) and GIMP for layers and more complex stuff. I have used Photoshop, and it is good, but not £570 good.

I am not a freetard I am a FOSSy bear.

Inkscape, new release 4.6

http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/ReleaseNotes046

Being a Windows user I'm still stuck on 4.5 till some kind soul does 4.6 build.

Justification for scrapping the word is pretty much all of Reg readers hate it. Reg readers make the site run through their numbers, and the fact you can sell advertising, then not to put to fine a point on it, you get paid.

Reg readers are very good with technology, we pay WAY more for it than the typical joe.

Now sometimes as advanced users, Reg readers might somewhat guiltily download software or media that they wouldn't pay for right now for whatever reason. Either to learn it, or because they are young and can't afford it yet. etc. etc.

Perhaps they bought a previous version of the software of media e.g. on CD or cassette or VHS or DVD, and now want to use it with different operating system or stream it using new technology.

Perhaps they want to use a £50 piece of software ONCE for five minutes. For free with ALL the features. Illegal yes. Retarded no. They would only find another way to do it without paying but it wouldn't be as easy or good.

In return they will probably post about the software on a forum and say how useful it was. Then people who need it all the time will be more likely to buy it.

'Freetard' is a non-word because Reg readers spend a lot on technology. And making a moral judgement against someone pisses them off. 'Mercy' as ever is the antidote to justice, however true.

Yes, enough with the "freetard", or is El Reg now a fully paid up member of the "copyreich"?

"Freetard" doesn't need to be replaced. It needs to be retired and headline writers forced to use English, such as :

"Adobe launches free Photoshop version"

I realise this isn't dumbed down enough for tabloid readers, but the only people using this slang are you, the journalists. It's pure laziness.