Often when we talk about Linux it is often in the context of a computer enthusiast, a person who enjoys finding out what open source technology can do for them, or maybe people looking to solve particular problems and get up and running with particular software or hardware. A group that sometimes we don't think about is our creative friends, artists, musicians, animators, audio engineers, video editors and suchlike, but they too can have a Linux experience specifically tailored for them, an experience set up to enable them to enjoy a diverse and rich experience right out of the box without the need for complex setup steps or in depth system knowledge. This wonderful creative playground is in the form of Ubuntu Studio, a version of the Ubuntu distribution remixed to meet the needs of creatives. It arrives as a DVD image which you can use to install it on your computer, once installed you will find a rich set of creative tools ready to go. To make things even better, thanks to the centralised way Ubuntu keeps software updated, it will keep all of these programs up to date automatically for you without the need to download lots of updates from lots of different sites.
I've been having a look at the upcoming Ubuntu Studio (Intrepid) 8.10 and it looks great. Now I must admit I am more of a geek than a creative (although I do have a large book on how to use the GIMP which I will go through soon), so I am not really qualified to evaluate these programs. The sheer variety of programs supplied though is quite something. All of these are available in the Ubuntu repositories (and it is possible to turn a regular Ubuntu installation into Ubuntu Studio), but the nice thing about Ubuntu Studio is the way that these are all installed by default so you get on with being creative without worrying about software installation or having to research what tools are available.
It would be possible to make quite a long list of the software bundled with Ubuntu Studio and the possibilities it provides, but here are just a few:
- Create 3D animations with Blender
- Edit your videos with Kino
- Create graphics with GIMP and Inkscape
- Desk Top Publishing with Scribus
- Record a podcast with Audacity
- Compose music with BEAST
- Play the drums with Hydrogen
If in the last few weeks of 2008 you are finding that your thoughts are turning to trying something new though, Ubuntu Studio might be a good choice for you. There are many programs in there that will enable you to explore your creative side for quite some time to come without having to part with any cash, this is especially important in the field of creative software which can be ferociously expensive, a copy of Adobe Photoshop on its own could set you back £560, a large amount to lose if you find that your New Year's resolution was a bad choice! Of course there is always a lot of discussion about the relative merits of these open source programs versus their proprietary counterparts and that is a discussion that will probably never be resolved. One way to look at this is to remember that the choice to use proprietary software will still be there even if you try an open source program. You could try something like Ubuntu Studio, and if you later find out that you prefer another program then you could move onto that, it hasn't cost you anything to try the open source option out. You might discover though that Ubuntu Studio is just what you are looking for, a remix of Ubuntu that helps you to be creative in many different ways.
Ubuntu Studio 8.10 should be out in just over a week when the new versions of Ubuntu are made available.
Re: Release your creative side with Ubuntu Studio
Great post. I will be installing this soon for my kids to have a go with. We are playing with Stopmotion animation at the moment which is a lot of fun. I think schools should look at this distribution more as there is so much they could be using it for both for the creative aspects and the technology.