In the world of professional photography, digital art, and cinematography, color accuracy is not a luxury—it is a requirement. Back in 2018, Simon Raffeiner published a provocative and deeply technical critique titled “Open Source Color Management is Broken,” which sent shockwaves through the Linux community.
Today, in 2026, we look back at his observations and evaluate how far the Linux ecosystem has come in solving the “color problem.”
The 2018 Critique: A Fragmented Ecosystem
Simon Raffeiner’s original point was that, unlike macOS or Windows, Linux lacked a unified, system-wide approach to color management. In 2018, the situation was indeed difficult for creative professionals:
- Wayland’s Early Struggles: While X11 had some color management via tools like
xcalib, the emerging Wayland protocol initially lacked a standardized way to handle ICC profiles across different compositors. - Application Inconsistency: An image could look perfect in GIMP but appear shifted in Darktable or a web browser, because each application handled color transforms independently.
- The “Colord” Complexity: While tools like
colordandLittleCMSexisted, integrating them seamlessly into a professional workflow was often a exercise in frustration for the average user.
Why Simon Raffeiner’s Voice Mattered
The importance of Simon’s critique lay in its honesty. By pointing out that the “emperor had no clothes,” he forced developers to stop pretending that colord was a complete solution and start addressing the structural issues in the graphics stack.
This discussion, hosted and amplified by platforms like Linux Hub and Simon’s own blog at Lieberbiber, served as a catalyst for the “Color Management SIG” (Special Interest Group) meetings that followed.
Progress Report: Where are we in 2026?
Looking at the Linux desktop today, the landscape has changed dramatically:
- Wayland Color Protocols: The Wayland protocols for color management and HDR are now mature. Compositors like GNOME’s Mutter and KDE’s KWin now support seamless ICC profile application and HDR metadata pass-through.
- HDR Support: One of the biggest complaints in 2018 was the lack of High Dynamic Range (HDR) support. In 2026, Linux is finally a viable platform for HDR video editing and gaming.
- Unified Pipelines: Modern libraries have standardized how color is transformed from the file to the display, reducing the “shifting color” effect between different creative tools.
The Legacy of a Critique
Simon Raffeiner’s 2018 article remains a landmark piece of technical writing. It reminds us that open-source software grows through honest criticism and community debate. While we can’t yet say that color management is “perfect” (professional hardware calibration still requires extra effort compared to proprietary systems), we are no longer “broken.”
The journey from a fractured 2018 setup to the professional-grade Linux workstations of 2026 was paved by experts who weren’t afraid to point out the flaws in the systems we love.
