Linux users say OS needs touch-up with Photoshop

The online public survey, running since mid-January, asks people which key applications they need to use in their business that are not yet available on Linux. Scott Norris, the editor of CoolSolutions, the Novell community Web site running the survey, said last week that 10,000 submissions had already been received.

So far, the most-requested applications have primarily been tools for design, Web publishing and multimedia. Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Macromedia Studio, AutoDesk's AutoCAD and Apple Computer's iTunes head the list.

Norris said these results indicate that Linux on the desktop has matured; in the past, there was primarily demand for basic applications such as word processing, e-mail clients and Web browsers.

"As people's needs in those arenas (basic applications) were filled, they wanted media players for their music," Norris said. "An interest in graphic design and manipulation became more apparent. Pretty soon, people not only considered the possibility of Linux as a multimedia platform, but, as we can see, they are now demanding it."

Though Norris said the need for a decent e-mail client on Linux has been "filled rather nicely," with applications such as Thunderbird, KMail and Evolution, a study published by the Open Source Development Labs in November last year found that the lack of a powerful e-mail application could hinder the adoption of Linux on the desktop.

Ingrid Marson of ZDNet UK reported from London.