Savageduck wrote:
On 2013-11-30 02:45:26 +0000, (Floyd L. Davidson) said:

Savageduck wrote:
[...] most importantly I have a feeling your hardline choice
of OS is your real problem, and it is distracting you from paying
attention to improving your photography.
That in fact seems to be *your* most serious
impediment to
improving your photography.

Not really, there is a whole shopping list of other things which impede
the improvement of my photography.

The OP seems to be well aware that a more functional OS is
eventually going to allow him to produce better results...]

Locking himself into a single OS solution in the face of what is
minimally recommended by the camera manufacturer, in this case Canon is
certainly going to be a distraction of some degree.

He doesn't seem to need the hand holding that the vast majority,
including you, require. The lowest common denominator when it
comes to consumers is not where a perfectionist, a professional,
or even just an advanced photographer actually needs to be. But
it is indeed where most of them are stuck.

Floyd might have an answer, but be warned, he is a Nikon shooter.
He didn't ask how to operate his camera though, and if
he had I
certainly would not be the one to ask, nor would I bother to try
answering questions I know nothing about.

I didn't think you would.

So why do you respond to questions when you know nothing
at all about the answer... I guess the subtle hint above
was too vague?

Good luck with your quest.
True, because most answers here will be equal to
yours...
garble about a topic you don't know the answer to, or even
enough to understand the questions.

My knowledge of Linux is nonexistent, and I have little desire to
dabble in those mysterious waters.

So don't be telling others what the significance of using Linux
is.

My knowledge of GIMP is limited to making a comparison with Photoshop
using OSX, and I found it lacking in several areas, but that is just
ignorant me. I still have version 2.8.2 installed on my Mac, and I am
probably not going to use it again, other than to remind myself why I
don't use it.

The biggest problem you'll face with GIMP is the different user
interface concept. It was designed to be run under X, and by
people used to X. The restrictions of the MS Windows systems
are just as confusing to us as X is to you. Things like having
anything ever run full screen, and having all windows in a single
frame. Disgusting!

I have my opinion regarding my choice of OS and you have yours. (Mine is OSX).

I really only have one small nit with OSX, which is the effort
they went to to hide access to things like a shell command line.

I was correct with one thing, that you would be able to provide the OP
with some assistance and direction in his quest. I don't underestimate
your wealth of knowledge, as you do mine.

But I don't seem to have underestimated your knowledge.

As to my photographic skills, they have always been open to some
improvement, at least for the last 60 odd years that I have had some
idea of what a camera was when it was in my hnds. It is an ongoing
learning situation for me, and I continue to learn with lessons coming
from a variety of sources, including you.

Anyone who can do anything is in the same boat. I've been doing
this stuff for 50 years and all that means is that I can now
finally learn some of the things that 10 years ago, never mind
20, were still far beyond my grasp. Some of that is the added
experience, but some of it is the accessability to better
learning tools with modern digital technology. Such as Linux...

--
Floyd L. Davidson http://www.apaflo.com/
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska)