trey_a_12
Oh yeah, I literally just mean in terms of power and use case. I’m 100% for Darktable and have been loving it since version 3.0. I recognize Lightroom and LrC’s purposes though, and (at least for the tech support and recommendations I do for others) believe it important to keep these things in mind for anyone else looking to switch.
You’re entitled to your opinion about the interface (I personally think it’s quite sleek, especially for a user coming from Lr or other simpler editors but not wanting to get into Dt-levels of complexity), but it’s not intended to compete against Darktable in the first place. I would argue that it looks more like Adobe Lightroom (its actual competitor, as stated even in the developer’s ReadMe) than anything.
Keep in mind:
- Adobe Lightroom is the lighter, more streamlined editor with more of the ease-of-use. This is closer to what RapidRAW is trying to achieve. This is shown in the more lightweight interface with fewer options and controls.
- Adobe Lightroom Classic is the heavier, more powerful editor that tries to have all the features. That’s more of Darktable’s area. This is shown in the more detailed interface with more options and settings.
↑ LrC vs Lr interface
Not everyone needs both programs – most people would probably be fine with just Lightroom and don’t need the power/want to deal with the initial complexity of LrC. For people who want those programs without the Adobe, however, that’s where RapidRAW and Darktable come in.
Understandable – and that’s not what this is trying to be. Just as Lightroom ≠ Lightroom Classic, RapidRAW ≠ Darktable. Dt is much more suited to be a LrC competitor, and RR is much more of a Lr competitor in terms of features and usability.
Most WIP projects are missing things that might prevent some people from making the full switch just yet. That’s why they’re works-in-progress. Catch bugs, implement placeholders, flesh things out, and improve the product (and your knowledge along with it).
Again, something being vibe coded doesn’t have to mean a bad thing – no one else built it, so they did. You’re 100% allowed to question their means of getting there, and you don’t have to use it in the end, but the fact of the matter is… some things DO work and the basis has been laid out, it’s FOSS so anyone can take a look at things themselves, and the program exists when it did not before.
Could someone test this with programs like GIMP, Darktable, and Inkscape? I’m curious about the potential of the Android phone as PC, particularly with the merging of Android and Chrome OS. If Android’s desktop mode progresses enough to a level of maturity to run Linux programs sufficiently, this combined with the general Linux on ARM efforts of Asahi and others could prove to be THE solution. Just imagine one of those tri-folding phones unfold to a tablet size with a folio-style keyboard and trackpad, then plugging the tablet-phone into a monitor and desktop setup to “get real work done.”
In all fairness, RapidRAW still wouldn't solve this person's needs (a mobile editor with desktop sync) even if it didn't flag their suspicion, and vibe-coded programs rightfully should warrant a bit more investigation. They are still a relatively new phenomenon and malicious programs DO exist. From my (admittedly somewhat brief) research, RapidRAW's developer seems to be credible, though I understand caution.
On iOS and iPadOS, I usually resort to Snapseed, though that is also where one of Adobe's few free editors exist in the form of Lightroom mobile. I'd love it if Darktable or RapidRAW got a mobile port, but at least here in the US where sideloading is still not the most accessible and the alternative is a paid developer account to be available in the App Store, I can understand where they're coming from.
Fair point on the AI caution. The author actually shares a similarity to myself with my own "LaunchBack" Launchpad revival app which was also a good amount vibe-coded in the initial version. To quote the developer's ReadMe,
I developed this project as a personal challenge at the age of 18. My goal was to create a high-performance tool for my own photography workflow while deepening my understanding of both React and Rust, with the support from Google Gemini.
The thing is, "vibe-coded" doesn't always have to mean some terrible project stealing data with a million backdoors. From the looks of his GitHub page, he's made a fair share of programs and contributions already, and he's done a good amount of improvement and updates since the first release. Utilizing AI in development isn't necessarily a bad thing. Now, as far as programs that sync between mobile AND desktop in this category, I'm afraid those are more sparse outside of Adobe's offerings, and credit where due – Adobe does a good job of that.
I only dislike Adobe because it can be SO inaccessible for people just wanting to learn some photography, forcing them to think "I have to dedicate ##% of my salary to this program, even if I'm just learning things as a beginner." That's the primary reason I stand with FOSS and all, as any option that allows people to work without needing to subscribe to closed-source companies (that are most likely using your data ALSO to train AI models and whatnot) is a win, and you seem to understand that. I'm just suggesting that this app being largely vibe-coded doesn't have to be a bad thing, y'know?
Genuine question – Are these updates shaping up to a 1.10.0, or is there going to be some major 2.0.0 refresh update? I always am curious with numbering schemes like this as to whether they’re about to do a major update or continue smaller ones.
(Just imagine Terraria’s “Adventure’s Journey’s Finalie’s Conclusion’s End getting 1.9.9, only to refresh to 1.10.0 lol)
Understandable sentiments. I’m a MS Edge user, for instance, and despite slowly switching almost all my other services, MS Edge just gets it all right. Brave’s featureset is basically a lesser version, and Firefox is getting better, but Microsoft (of all companies) genuinely made a great browser.
I second this. I’m on Stable and have had basically no issues, though I did experience a few that only resolved after disabling Decky when I temporarily tested SteamOS Beta.
Software. Everyone gets hung up on the hardware aesthetic and all, especially with this new phone's more... "questionable" design compared to the last ones, which were debatably more "cool." Nothing's supposed specialty is the software side, which goes beyond just a simple minimal monochrome skin or some fancy text.
According to most my friends with Nothing phones, it's all the little details and refinements... but yeah, I'd still buy a Phone (2) or 3a before this since it's otherwise an underpowered flagship. This formula's great when undercutting the competition price-wise, but this phone just feels like a substantial price bump SOLELY for a better processor... and still not the best one.