Yep, Krita did not exist back in 1995, nor really in 2005.
Photoshop was always a pain in the butt for me to draw with.
It is probably the biggest reason I have done so very little digital art.
But, I agree with you that it is a definite work horse.
I know many people who make their living with it.
And people who are so connected with it, that they will probably never be able to use anything else in their life.
Its like autocad vs many other cads.
When you find people working at drafting, they are almost all on autocad.
If someone is playing, they are all over the place, even that thing on Boogle.