GNU Imp

not long after my last post where I replaced the icon and application menu entry for the Sublime Text IDE, I went and did the same for the GNU Image Manipulation Program because to me using the acronym "GIMP" just doesn't feel right.

many people seem to agree with me, as i've often seen it referred to as "GNU IMP" in the tech spaces i'm in. there was also the Glimpse project which aimed to improve the UI for ease of access, and, notably, used a name that felt more appropriate for educational and professional settings. even though the fork is now discontinued, i want to remember its legacy and continue the effort to call this fine piece of software something else (anything but an ableist slur. please.)

the icon

here's the icon i modified so that it looks more like an imp (demon). i just took the official logo and hue-shifted it, keeping the out-of-gamut banding issues intact (so high effort, i know 😂). maybe sometime i'll find a vector version and recolor it properly, but for now i think it looks fine.

override the application entry

GNU Imp installs its app launcher entry file to /usr/share/applications/gimp.desktop. copy it to ~/.local/share/applications/gimp.desktop, or create a new file there with the contents:

[Desktop Entry]
Categories=Graphics;2DGraphics;RasterGraphics
Exec=gimp-2.10 %U
Name=GNU Imp
GenericName=GNU Image Manipulation Program
Icon=/path/to/icon.png
MimeType=image/bmp;image/g3fax;image/gif;image/x-fits;image/x-pcx;image/x-portable-anymap;image/x-portable-bitmap;image/x-portable-graymap;image/x-portable-pixmap;image/x-psd;image/x-sgi;image/x-tga;image/x-xbitmap;image/x-xwindowdump;image/x-xcf;image/x-compressed-xcf;image/x-gimp-gbr;image/x-gimp-pat;image/x-gimp-gih;image/x-sun-raster;image/tiff;image/jpeg;image/x-psp;application/postscript;image/png;image/x-icon;image/x-xpixmap;image/x-exr;image/webp;image/x-webp;image/heif;image/heic;image/avif;image/jxl;image/svg+xml;application/pdf;image/x-wmf;image/jp2;image/x-xcursor
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Version=1.4

make sure to change Icon= to wherever you saved it.

conclusion

the beauty of open-source is that if you don't like something, you can just change it! it doesn't even have to be for other people, you can just do it for yourself. you don't have to live with someone else's design decisions if they make you uncomfortable.

also, if people finding something offensive and daring to say something about it somehow upsets you, consider this:

get a life 😝