> It's one of the few open source projects (besides Blender and GIMP) that is used directly by non-technical end-users and that has managed to surpass its commercial brethren , both in features and popularity.
Since when has GIMP surpassed its commercial brethren?
I think for gimp it was just meant as an example of an open source project that is used by technical and non-technical users alike, not necessarily that it has surpassed its commercial brethren.