README
Keywords: GIMP, gimp, Gimp, GNU Image Manipulation Program, gnu image manipulation program, Gimp tutorials, GIMP tutorials, gimp tutorials, Linux applications, linux applications, editing digital images, digital image editing, photo touchup, photo enhancement, enhancement photos, touchup, enhancement, image touchup, image enhancement, enhancement images, touchup images, digital collage, collage, compositing, photo montage, montage, photos, images, stock photos, copyright free photos, selection, selections, mask, masks, color correct, color correction, colorspace, colorspaces, RGB, rgb, hsv, HSV, free-hand tool, free hand tool, lasso tool, bezier path tool, Bezier path tool, layer mask, layer masks, layer, layers, gradient tool, gradients, blend tool, blending, threshold tool, thresholding, histogram, curves tool, curves, levels tool, levels, color picker, eyedropper, wilber, wilber the gimp, Wilber the GIMP, magic wand, fuzzy-select tool, fuzzy select tool, crop tool, transform tool, text tool,  [cell cut: 1485 characters, first 1000 kept]

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`README`

The open-source software movement is like Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. It's a topsy-turvy world where up is down, down is up, and the normal laws of the universe no longer apply. Free software that's as powerful and useful as commercial software? Yes! It seems incredible, ludicrous, even outrageous...but it's absolutely true. The Internet could not operate without Bind, Sendmail, or Perl--all open-source, free software. Linux, a free and open-source operating system, is making powerful contributions to science, engineering, and business. And Apache, which has a dominant share of the web server market, is also a free and open-source software package. There seems to be a mad rush from contributors around the globe to create the most useful, open, and free software, and one of the most remarkable examples of this phenomenon is the GNU Image Manipulation Program, a.k.a the GIMP.

In Lewis Carroll's story, objects marked ``READ ME,'' ``EAT ME,'' and ``DRINK ME'' were key to helping Alice during her adventures in Wonderland. As anyone who has installed open-source software knows, there is always a file in the top-level directory named `README` that serves exactly the same purpose. In the same spirit, this section, entitled `README`, provides a road map to this book and instructions on how to set up your computer to get the most out of the GIMP.

Welcome to Wonderland, and happy GIMPing!

- Book Overview
- Mouse Clicks
- Function Names, Menus, and Keyboard Shortcuts
- Setting up Your Computer to Get the Most from the GIMP
  - Notes on RAM
  - Notes on Video RAM
  - Notes on Swap and GIMP Memory Management
  - Loading Fonts
  - Setting the X Window System to Run More Than 8 bpp
- Sources of Raw Image Materials
- The History of the GIMP

Next: Book Overview Up: Grokking the GIMP Previous: Acknowledgements
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