Actually… I have quite a negative perception of GIMP. I’m primarily a Linux user, but I just remember it as something that’s either always felt obtuse to use, missing something I need, or sluggish for the more narrow processing I’m trying to do.

AFAIK that perception is more pronounced outside Linux.

I don’t care about a brand either way. But if the GIMP project is ready, I think a “fresh start” to draw in users without any preconceived notions is a good thing.