Gtk+ GIMP and GNOME

["Eckhoff, Michael A" <EckhoffM NAVO NAVY MIL>]

Hello folks,

How much interaction is there nowadays between Gtk+ and the GIMP
project? I understand Gtk's origins, but am curious about the 
current relationship. And likewise with GNOME.

The reason I ask, is because I was thinking about saving some
Drawables in GIMP's layered image format and using some of their
routines. Is the GIMP library a subset of Gtk+, or do I have to 
link to it as well? And can I export a drawable to a .ps or .pdf 
file?

I need to plot some scientific data (e.g. vector fields,
contour plots, text labels, etc.) and it would be nice to be 
able to add or remove certain features. I like the GNOME Canvas but
am concerned about its future. I have heard that this is no longer
maintained? If so, are the Gtk developers considering making it
into a GtkCanvas? (btw what's foo canvas?).

Finally, what are the odds of getting any of this ported over
to MS Windows down the road? I know Gtk is cross-platform, but
am not sure about GIMP and GNOME.

Thanks for your help,

Michael Eckhoff