Imagine you got a new computer - What are the first programs you install?

[ThunderPerfectWitchcraft]

the swap has defiantly mixed up what i'd normally install, as paint.net isn't supported natively and running it through something like wine sounds tedious. i long for an image editor that isn't gimp... 

There is a Paint.NET fork called Pinta. Depending on your use case, Krita might also be worth to check out.
I'd like to add that Gimp is a pretty good software, once you got into it.

[slm]

you might wanna try photopea

i have friends who swear by it and used it for years and years, but i like having software over websites for use offline. admittedly i never thought about downloading the thing. if my current editor ever stops working out for me and i'm still too lazy to learn gimp, i might try this

There is a Paint.NET fork called Pinta. Depending on your use case, Krita might also be worth to check out.
I'd like to add that Gimp is a pretty good software, once you got into it.

when i was initially searching for an alternative, Pinta came up but i ended up turning it down from its focus on painting; i thought of krita the same. same as above, when i get fed up with lazpaint and its tedium i'll look more into them especially knowing ones a paint.net fork.

as for gimp i've tried using it about 5 ish times over the years. 'tubers i watch use it, websurfers around here seem to use it, but i bounce off it every time i try. when i was still on windows the problem was load times; it would take  5-10 minutes+ just to open. most recently i just bounced off because i was impatient and having some selection tool issue i never resolved. i think thats my main issue, as the gimp tutorials i came across were walls of text much like this one i didn't want to read that night. video tutorials rolled over about the same way. maybe its time to try again? the ability to make gifs natively in it is very appealing and i have time to put into it now, so... 

thanks for the replies, mulling it over and writing this out has helped clear a bit of the ANTI-GIMP blockade in my brain