Every now and then, someone I know starts talking about how they have to buy Photoshop. There's some graphic designing that needs to be done, and so Photoshop is the first thing everyone jumps to. As soon as the need arises, they quickly and defeatedly concede that they have to fork out $700.

I always bring up the point that GIMP, a completely free program, has nearly all the same features. Not only that but its open-source design means that everybody can just add features as needed!

I used to expect that these prospective Photoshop-buyers had heard of GIMP and the other alternatives, and decided that Photoshop was right for them anyway. I was surprised over and over to find that they hadn't even heard of any other image editing programs! In their mind it was the question of whether to buy Photoshop or keep using Paint!

My goal here is to recruit all of you to spread the word that Photoshop isn't the only program out there. Adobe has a false monopoly on graphics tools; and we all ought to spread the truth.

Who's with me?
(Also, please, share any good photoshop stories or rants in the comments section.)