In article , Floyd L. Davidson
wrote:

All that said, when you're serious about photography and raw you should
seriously get away from Linux and The Gimp.

That is certainly one alternative. But perhaps not the
best.

it is if one wants better results with less hassle.

Learning how to use Linux and GIMP might not be
possible for some people, but it can be a superior
choice for others.

only for those not interested or incapable of using more capable
software.

had the original poster been using camera raw, he would not have had
any problems with minolta/sony or any other raw file, and he would also
benefit from a fully non-destructive workflow, something not possible
with the gimp/ufraw.