I can't install it currently because it's open source, I can install it currently because a preview release is made available.
Things can be open source without having preview releases, and can have preview releases without being open source.
(And before you tell me I'm being pedantic there, it's not, it's being accurate. Pedantic would have been pointing out that GIMP is part of GNU and thus Free Software, which as you know is different to Open Source (and probably a contribution to why it's shit; I saw a video recently where RMS said he didn't care about software being good, which would have made me slap the twat if we were in the same room.))
Anyway only one person working on it is stupid. It's too big a package for that.
I also found this:
http://www.chromecode.com/2011/02/why-gimp-28-is-not-released-yet.html
Which can be summed up as "Gimp 2.8 isn't ready yet because we have a shit project structure which results in lots of developer turnover and nothing ever getting finished."
Which I guess is another reason.
Martin needs to fix the fucking source control, get a proper branch structure and make sure everyone follows the standard practise of feature branches, and revoke write access from anyone too stupid to follow such simple instructions.
I also found this, which is kinda cool (as a general progress tracking / what's left thing), and also suggests there's only two known bugs left, and thus the preview release should be pretty stable:
http://tasktaste.com/projects/Enselic/gimp-2-8
So I might actually go give it another try. Later, because I'm doing stuff now.
EDITED: 3 Dec 2011 20:51 by BOUGHTONP