Google funds Photoshop-on-Linux work

Google is funding work to ensure the Windows version of Adobe Systems' Photoshop and other Creative Suite software can run on Linux computers.

For the project, Google is funding programmers at CodeWeavers, a company whose open-source Wine software lets Windows software run on Linux. Wine is a compatibility layer that intercepts a program's Windows commands and converts them to instructions for the Linux kernel and its graphics subsystem.

"We hired CodeWeavers to make Photoshop CS and CS2 work better under Wine," Dan Kegel, of Google's software engineering team and the Wine 1.0 release manager, said on Google's open-source blog. "Photoshop is one of those applications that desktop Linux users are constantly clamoring for, and we're happy to say they work pretty well now...We look forward to further improvements in this area."

Google already uses Wine for the Linux version of its Picasa software for editing, tagging, and uploading photos. Photoshop is a larger and more complicated package, however, not to mention updated to version CS3 for nearly a year, so it's likely the CodeWeavers programmers will have a lot of work on their hands.

A survey by desktop Linux advocate Novell found Photoshop is the top non-Linux application that Linux users would like to have. Although Adobe has dipped its toes into the desktop Linux waters, so far it hasn't made any major moves.

And with current technology trends, maybe Adobe never will see the need for Linux ports. With virtualization software from companies such as Parallels and VMware and improving support from chipmakers Advanced Micro Devices and Intel, it's getting easier to run multiple operating systems on the same computer.

(Via Matthew Aslett of The 451 Group.)

[slickuser]

Awesome!

wine really needs some commerical backing to polish it so that it will be able to run major Windows apps! Thanks Google!<br /><br />----------------------------<br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.skulltrail.com" target="_newWindow">http://www.skulltrail.com</a>

[Astinsan]

Codeweavers is commercial.

Codeweavers Wine fork is a commercial application. They also make it for other systems

[rturner2]

Adobe should make linux versions...

MS is coming on strong with competing technologies to Adobe. Adobe should bring out Linux versions and promote running Linux on the desktop to reduce support and demand for the Windows OS (the OS being one of only two main areas where MS actually makes a good amount of profit - the other being Office).

[Seaspray0]

Supply and demand and GPL?

Provide a high enough demand to cover the cost of converting the code and they would do it... well that and convincing the linux user that it's not free and would have to pay for it &lt;jab&gt;. Perhaps the GPL restricts something like this as well (adobe won't convert it if that means it would fall under the GPL). Perhaps some linux guys could post on that as I'm just speculating.

[InklingBooks]

Don't Forget FrameMaker

While they're at it, Google might want to add FrameMaker to the list <br />of software to be rendered compatible under Wine/Codeweavers. <br /><br />That'd bring the best long-document application on the market to <br />Linux. FrameMaker can easily manage complex documents running <br />thousands of pages. Adobe dabbled with a Linux version but <br />dropped it (and the Mac version) several years ago.

[Penguinisto]

Bleech. :)

I've had to put up with that interminable pile o' crap before... no way, Jose'. Anything that takes 1.5 hours to compile a 50-page chapter to PDF is disgustingly over-bloated to say the least. (admittedly I was stuck with fixing a badly-built project that I had inherited from some contractor, but still...)<br /><br />They dropped the Mac Version in a hissy fit, when MacOS shifted to OSX. Never knew they had a Linux version...

[FutureGuy]

google CEO: next google will fund..

..free open source alternative to photoshop, followed by free open source search engine (humm scratch the last one, that's where we make money and I get my fat check, note to self never fund any open source alternative to google products)

[Penguinisto]

...oh?

<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://code.google.com/opensource/" target="_newWindow">http://code.google.com/opensource/</a><br /><br />This isn't some fly-by-night affair, kiddo. They've been at it a very long time.<br /><br />(...probably explains why Ballmer gets nightmares about them from time to time ;) ).<br /><br />/P

[seoGURU]

Grrrrrrrreat!!!!!!!

This is really great news man!

[eagledrc]

YESSSS

THIS IS GREAT<br />GOOGLE OWNS<br />This is why Google is such a fantastic company.<br />I have CS3 and really want it to run on linux.<br />I wish Adobe would just work a little with Wine and they could easily get it working. Adobe's customers want this badly.

[linadragon]

The only real issue with this is this section "And with current technology trends, maybe Adobe never will see the need for Linux ports. With virtualization software from companies such as Parallels and VMware and improving support from chipmakers Advanced Micro Devices and Intel, it's getting easier to run multiple operating systems on the same computer. " Current Virtual Machines other then the likes of paralells dont have direct support for 3d acceleration nor very good 2d acceleration as they only emulate the video card drivers (remember how jerky the windows were on Windows before installing that stuff?) This is the only thing preventing things like photoshop working on a Virtual Machine and if they can get full support for video cards and drivers in a VM we might see things working really well in the future...<br /><br />I'd love to see Photoshop on Linux but thats because i use it for certain things (i use the gimp as well and paintshop pro at times depending on the project (as some are more well suited for diff tasks then the others)) The Thing with Wine is it makes it run quite a bit smoother... As a Side note to everyone Wine is actually hosted by CodeWeavers its an open source implementation they "sponsor" so to speak. They also have a commercially supported version called CrossOver which is what most people know them for if you actually take a look at the winehq site it says hosted by codeweavers... Codeweaver can do porting to make an application run very well with Wine is why adobe is paying them. Crossover or not :). Picasa runs great on just wine.

[travisman26]

Google is awesome for supporting Linux. However they should have payed adobe to port the application to Linux. Native applications are better than emulated ones. For the people that say wine is not an emulator, yes it is a emulator. Look up the word in the dictionary