After uploading comic strips to this blog for the first two weeks in January, I noticed that I forgot to change the copyright from 2010 to 2011. How many times will we fail to write “2011” and instead, accidentally continue to write “2010” in the days ahead?  Well, it happened to me at the digital level.  The copyright that I  digitally drop in read, “© 2010 Mark Szorady.  Distributed by georgetoon.com.” It should have read, “© 2011 Mark Szorady.  Distributed by georgetoon.com.”  This is the little bit of print that runs vertically in the comic panel’s gutter.

Whoops.

As I’ve mentioned before in this blog, in preparing art for my comic strip George and cartoon other features, I make extensive use of digital tools.  And these tools come directly from Linux. And I use only  Linux applications like Gimp and Scribus to help produce my cartoon art.  (My brother Dave says that before long, I’ll probably be known as “The Linux Cartoonist.”) Both of these applications come pre-installed, or easily obtained from a repository, in Linux.  And that’s what is so absolutely wonderful about Linux.  These tools are available to everyone! You don’t need to lay down thousands of dollars to purchase “professional level” software. Linux software gives you the same results and are just as easy to use.

And those tools came in quite handy in correcting this minor error.

I noticed my mistake a few hours after the upload.  I needed to correct things. I opened Gimp and it was a simple matter of a couple of clicks.  I dropped a “1” over the “0.”

Do you have a budding artist or cartoonist in your family?   Then download Linux and install it on a spare computer. All these digital graphic tools will be right there when you boot up!   They’ll be able to create to their heart’s content.  And Linux is immune to Windows viruses, Trojans, and spyware.    In addition, Linux is more secure than Windows.

And the best part.  Linux is free.

It’s 2011!  Ring it in, creatively,  with Linux!