It's interesting to see how the original GIMP 1.x documentation makes direct comparisons with Photoshop and explains in detail the differences and why GIMP is better. The devs have changed their approach since then -- these days the competition with PS is a lot more toned down - at least officiaily.
I used GIMP 1.0 back in the day and was not impressed at all - My Amiga's Deluxe Paint V was so much better at the time (to me). I didn't look back at GIMP until 2.0 at which time it had improved considerably and I found it great to use. And here we are.
Thanks for the flashback, Odinbc!
.
Griatch