Managing the Future of LightZone for Linux

[ScottMcGregor]

Please use this Linux forum for providing COMMUNITY BASED SELF-SUPPORT for problems you have with the LightZone for Linux BETA Release.

As Grant has pointed out, at this time, the release is currently in Beta, and that means that Light Crafts cannot commit to responding to nor resolving technical problems that are reported to us during the Beta period. On the other hand, we are terribly curious to discover what problems are being found, and we will attempt to address them on a best effort basis while also trying to make timely progress to a commercial release candidate. Chances are that if the problem is inside the LZ codebase and it isn't reported, then it probably will remain unfixed. So it definitely benefits us all if these problems are reported, as long as we all have reasonable and common expectations about how such reports will (and will not) be handled.

Issues the Light Crafts Product Release team hopes to determine during the Beta period

Obviously, we want to know if (and when) the current release is ready for commercial release. It has been many months since the last LightZone for Linux release was shipped, and there are several new enhancements in this version which have never been subjected to testing on Linux outside of our engineering lab and alpha test team. Because much of our code is platform independent, we are very hopeful that this testing will go quickly and verify our belief that LightZone for Linux is robust enough for a commercial release.

But while much of the LightZone application code is shared, there are Operating System specific dependencies that may be a significant source of difficult to resolve problems (because the root of those problems may lie within code that is written and maintained by the Operating System (OS) vendor, or by the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) supplier). In fact Light Crafts may be totally dependent upon the OS or JRE vendor to quickly resolve such problems.

So, part of what the Light Crafts product release team need to assess during the Beta test is how many Linux specific installation, configuration and OS or JRE bugs our LightZone for Linux users are likely to encounter.

I want to be very transparent with all our active Linux users about the challenges we face moving from Beta release to commercial availability; because you are in the greatest position to influence how we resolve these problems.

As you all know, there is a huge diversity in Linux platforms, versions, and configurations. This makes it extremely challenging for Light Crafts to QA and validate against so many permutations. It also makes it difficult for us reproduce or fix platform or configuration specific problems, and could require us to have a large dedicated Linux support team to cover all the possibilities -- or even a reasonable subset of the major ones.

In short, there is a very real risk of substantially greater support costs for Linux than for Mac and Windows (if Light Crafts has to maintain all that Linux experience internally). At the same time because of the smaller overall market size of Linux GUI desktop/Laptop vs. Windows and Mac markets we have reason to be concerned that LightZone for Linux revenues will not be sufficient to cover these additional Linux specific costs.

Your help is needed!

As 2.4 Linux users recall, concerns about these problems led to the withdrawal of a Linux product once before. I'd like things to be different this time. So while there are lots of things we MIGHT expect will happen concerning the cost of Linux support and potential revenue, I am looking to use the Beta period to get some evidence of what is LIKELY to happen if we move to commercial release.

If the LZ for Linux community itself is willing and able to assist new LightZone for Linux users with resolving *Linux specific* installation/configuration/version/platform problems, and Light Crafts' Technical Support Team only needs to focus on LightZone platform independent issues, then I can see that it might be very reasonable for us to offer a commercial version for even to a fairly small Linux customer base.

But such a release would be based around a shared support paradigm -- with Technical Support for platform independent LightZone issues provided by the company, and Linux specific support provided by the community itself via the Linux forum.

Obviously, sharing support responsibilities this way benefits Light Crafts, and relies on the good will, hard work and commitment of our Linux community to do their part. I believe that such a pact between Light Crafts and its Linux users also benefits Linux users, and recognizes the faith, effort and commitment of Light Crafts to the Linux Community as well. I like to think of it as a kind of mutual defense pact. But as with all such agreements it is not written terms of the agreement which matter -- it is in the voluntary observance of such agreements by both parties that we measure whether they work or whether they fail.

I love Linux and the Linux community and I want to make sure we do our part to facilitate the creation of such a vendor-customer base partnership.

I am very curious to see (and hopeful about) whether robust community based Linux self-support will develop naturally, thus enabling us to swiftly offer a commercial Linux product.

[Romu]

Hi Scott,
And many thanks for such a message.

I've been one of the first Lightzone fan, initiator of the poll on this forum to make this commercial Linux version released...and really happy this can finally happen.

I'm pretty well involved in the French Ubuntu community, I'm going to organize something to give you a good feedback about well running configurations and encountered problems with this beta.

From now, we are (as far as I know), 4 people ready to buy this commercial version.

Thanks again for your message, merry Christmas and best wishes for this new coming year.

romu

[aderixon]

Thanks, Scott, and thanks to Lightcrafts for both their renewed interest in Linux and for adopting such an enlightened support policy for the mutual benefit of all parties - we're Linux users, we're generally technical types and we're well used to getting our hands dirty to make applications run on our non-commercial OS. It's great that LC recognises that.

Ade

[jbinpg]

Thanks to you, Scott, and LightZone for thinking of bringing a commercial version of LightZone to market. Although it is open source, I think you will find that there are many linux users who are willing to buck up for quality software such as LightZone.

Jack

[seinberg]

Hi -

I would be unlikely to pay for a Linux version (despite using Linux often), but if it were available in something like an open source or limited version of an open source model, I'd happily contribute both support and development time. I see it's a Java project, which I've used everyday for several years, so I'd be able to jump in with bug fixes essentially immediately.

Dave
www.seinberg.net

[ted_smith]

I am not a Linux expert per say, but I have used Linux for several years and ran LightZone on it for quite a while. I am happy to help in any way that I can.

Personally I'd rather pay a lesser amount for Linux LZ on the basis that I don't expect technical support. But if it's a choice between no LZ for Linux or LZ for Linux with a fee, I'll pay the fee.

[sendhil76]

I am all game for a commercial LZ version for Linux as its my main workstation...though yesterday i could not get LZ working on my Windows PC as the processor is not supported...and the same fate awaits my Linux workstation

[ScottMcGregor]

SSD problem?

[springm]

After testing 3.4 on Ubuntu 7.10 for a while I just want to give positive feedback:

It runs flawlessly, the only crash I experienced happened when I was to impatient to wait until LZ had finished its writing operations. So far a great improvement over 3.3b, which was more or less a nice teaser on my machine.

LightCrafts, you again managed to provide *really good* linux software

Thanks - Markus

[sendhil76]

SSD problem?

LZ explicitly requires SSE2 support in the processor...and my Linux workstation with Dual Pentium III 1GHz does not qualify and so does my Win XP PC with an AMD Duron 750MHz...

Am stranded as i would love to switch to LZ...my personal history moves from Photoshop 7 to Picture Window to Gimp on Linux...

Personally i like Picture Window as its geared to Photography...and after reading about LZ on the site and the tutorials...i think there is nothing like LZ and so downloaded the trial version for Linux and Windows...though getting them to work is impossible i guess