With the introduction of a single-window mode in GIMP 2.8, one of the most important barriers to its adoption has been cleared, and the adoption of GIMP should grow (especially if/when the single-window mode is made the default mode).

The need and usefulness of handwriting (writing with hand on paper using a pen or pencil) will reduce greatly as society embraces digital forms of text input such as speech, typing, etc. However, writing on digital devices using a digital pen or stylus will still thrive.