Librarians have been waiting for it for a long time: the new major update of GIMP is arriving. The free software will soon be upgraded to version 3.0, twenty years after version 2.0. In the meantime, a few intermediate versions were released.
This is the story of free software which had not received a major version for twenty years. Described as the “Photoshop of librarians”, GIMP will finally receive a very big update, two decades after the last. In a blog post published on November 6, 2024, the team behind the program formalized the release of “GIMP 3.0 RC1”.
This version should succeed GIMP 2.0, which dates from March 2004. It is currently a “ release candidate » (RC), i.e. a branch almost ready for use. This one is described as the first, which leaves room for other RCs. These so-called acceptable versions precede the release of the software in final version.
However, it would be excessive to say that GIMP has not evolved at all in two decades. The program, which is also recommended for use in French administrations, has undergone some so-called intermediate developments (2.2 at the end of 2004, 2.4 in 2007, 2.6 in 2008, 2.8 in 2012 and 2.10 in 2018) and several minor revisions.
GIMP will change the way it does things
That being said, the team readily recognizes that “ the road to GIMP 3.0 was long “. A situation that is supposed to no longer happen in the future: in fact, the update, detailed on the GIMP website, is accompanied by an overhaul of the way in which the team will push future new features of the software, with smaller updates.
In other words, GIMP 3.2 will probably arrive in 2025 or 2026. rather than in 2050 as is often said jokingly “. This policy is sometimes found elsewhere. Firefox, for example, has for years favored smaller, more frequent updates over time, instead of larger, more spaced releases.
« We want to focus on smaller, feature-focused releases », confirms GIMP. As a result, the development process “to reduce the time between releases” is being restructured. However, there will always be minor revisions which will correct various bugs.
The prospect of an RC2 will depend on feedback from Internet users and the stability of the application. “ If we discover larger bugs and regressions that require more substantial code changes, we may need to release a second CR for further testing », warns GIMP.
Barring any drama, we can now hope for the release of GIMP 3.0 by the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025.
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