GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Programme), the poor man's Photoshop, has come out with a new version that should help convince more people to go the open software route. Like Photoshop, GIMP is a high-powered image editing software.

The latest GIMP still remains harder to use than Photoshop, but the software is catching up. And whereas the new version of the latest Photoshop software can set you back up to $1,000 ($200 for an upgrade), GIMP is open source and free.

The latest version, GIMP 2.6, ups the ante by becoming easier to use for those who want to go beyond making their digital snapshots good enough for their online web pages.

By any standard, neither Photoshop nor GIMP are useful to you if you just want to chop images down to size and have your software automatically make the corrections for you. Lots of free basic image software already exists for such tasks.

But if you are serious about your photography or are a budding graphic design artist, then Photoshop and GIMP are for you. Both take enormous amounts of time to learn as they have incredible features that allow users to manipulate almost every aspect of an image.

The time is well spent. I use both from time-to-time to keep familiar with the software. However I have not upgraded my Photoshop software for a long time, thus saving a lot of money for good food and wine. I have kept up to date with GIMP.

In the latest version of GIMP, the open source volunteers working on the software have made it more accessible to beginners at more sophisticated image editing.

In particular the interface has been made easier, helping you to find the right menus through which to manipulate your images. GIMP still has the regular and necessary features common to Photoshop, including channels, layers and masks, filters and effects, tabbed palettes, editable text tools, and so on.

I have not yet looked into the newest features, as some of them go beyond my abilities to rework images - but I am keen to try them out over the next few weeks. According to CNet, which has a review out, the new improvements include: "GEGL integration for 32-bit colour support, dynamic brushes, and more options for the free select tool. It even has regex-based pattern matching for power users."

OK the 32-bit colour support is an important advance. You can now work on an image without changing the original file. But do not be daunted by the language. Most beginners will not need half of the features.

For me, one of GIMP's strengths is the ability to add on any one of the hundreds of plug-ins available from other volunteers. Thus you can pick and chose features that you may want, without overloading your capacity to handle complicated features.

If you work with Photoshop, GIMP can import such files and even save into the Photoshop psd format. To download GIMP go to www.gimp.org The site also has a manual to kick-start your learning curve.

If you ever want to find free open source alternatives to what you regularly use go to www.osalt.com, which provides a variety of alternatives.

For example other free software alternatives that can be used for image editing include Paint.NET, CinePaint, Krita, Seashore, and Gimpshop.

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A study released last week shows that bullying is not confined to the schoolyard, but can also follow a child home to his online world. A study by psychologists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found that nearly three in four teenagers say they were bullied online at least once during a recent 12-month period, and only one in 10 reported such cyber-bullying to parents or other adults.

According to www.antibullying.net, cyber bullying is the "misuse of email systems or the Internet for harassing people, such as by sending unpleasant or aggressive messages".

The UCLA study found that of those who were bullied online, 85 per cent also reported having been bullied at school.

"Bullying on the Internet looks similar to what kids do face-to-face in school," said Jaana Juvonen, the lead author of the study. "Bullying on the Internet looks similar to what kids do face-to-face in school. The Internet is not functioning as a separate environment but is connected with the social lives of kids in school. Our findings suggest that especially among heavy users of the Internet, cyber-bullying is a common experience, and the forms of online and in-school bullying are more alike than different."

That observation should provide an ample warning to Bermuda's parents, given the ongoing concerns over bullying at school. Go to antibullying.net to find some advice on how to help your children deal with the problem, and when to step in if necessary.

Contact Ahmed at elamin.ahmed@gmail.com if you have any comments or suggestions.