Krita: Listening to the pros
Illustrative

© CC BY-SA
Krita began as a hobby but became one of free software's success stories with the help of its users.
In 15 years, the Krita [1] digital painting and illustration application has gone from a rudimentary paint program to the breakout success in Calligra Suite that artists are starting to prefer over PhotoShop or GIMP.
Recently, Boudewijn Rempt, Krita's maintainer during much of its progress, took time from his holiday to talk about Krita's history, where the project is today, and its future direction. Rempt became interested in free software just out of university, writing a mail and news client and a database application for linguistics. After he wrote a book on PyQt, he looked around for another project to become involved in.
"Coincidentally, I got a cheap Wacom Graphire tablet," Rempt recalls. "I didn't really grok GIMP back then, so I did what comes natural: I started a new project, a new painting application. That lasted about half an hour before I realized I hadn't got a clue how to do a painting application!" Instead, he started looking for existing projects to join.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.