See: Planned Changes to Next Ubuntu Version 10.04 (Lucid Lynx)
http://ur1.ca/g8nh

<http://ur1.ca/g8nh>The issue of disk size always comes up. After each
release it is reviewed and hard choices are made. It is a no win situation.
Brainstorm always has people voting for a DVD release, but that is easier
said than done. As the distribution size increases servers need to be
expanded to keep up with the increased demand and that costs money. So far,
Canonical has managed quite well to walk a fine line.

I use GIMP just about every day. It does not bother me that I will have to
install it separately. It also does not trouble me that I have to uninstall
Evolution and install Thunderbird. Tailoring things to your own
specifications is half the fun!