PPA with nightly builds is up again

A PPA repository with nightly builds of Inkscape for Ubuntu is working again. Now that most Google Summer of Code 2009 projects are merged into main development tree, we are thinking about releasing 0.48 around spring time and we'd be grateful for bug reports in the coming weeks of testing.

Holiday Greetings

In many countries and cultures this is time for holidays now. We are wishing you a happy and peaceful holiday season with your family and friends! Do come back next year and we'll do our best to help you becoming even more creative with new versions of Inkscape.

Source code repository has moved to Launchpad

Following the switch to Launchpad for a new bug tracker and blueprints last year we just have moved our source code repository to Launchpad too. This will make both bug tracking and managing branches quite a bit easier. The repository now uses version control system called bazaar-ng instead of Subversion.

To fetch the main branch where most development happens you need to run (on Linux):

$ bzr branch lp:inkscape

To update your local copy of the branch inside root 'inkscape' directory run:

$ bzr pull

Since releasing 0.47 the main branch features now a new Airbrush tool, a much improved Connector and various color management related improvements. Our traditional daily snapshots are currently behind the time. We'll figure out how to best reorganize them and then we will let you know.

We thank SourceForge for being our respected source code host for all these years.

New revision of "Inkscape: Guide to a Vector Drawing Program" book is out

The print version of Tavmjong's book "Inkscape: Guide to a Vector Drawing Program, 3rd Edition" is now in stock at a number of on-line bookstores. The book had been updated to cover Inkscape release 0.47. It is also available as a PDF download and for free on the web.

We also congratulate Tav on arrival of his second daughter in the family!

The Inkscape Community Announces 0.47 Release

After over a year of intensive development and refactoring, Inkscape 0.47 is out. This version of the SVG-based vector graphics editor brings improved performance and tons of new features, some of which are as follows: timed autosave, Spiro splines, auto-smooth nodes, Eraser tool, new modes in Tweak tool, snapping options toolbar & greater snapping abilities, new live path effects (including Envelope), over 200 preset SVG filters, new Cairo-based PS and EPS export, spell checker, many new extensions, optimized SVG code options, and much more.

Additionally, it would be wrong to not mention the hundreds of bug fixes. Check out the full release notes for more information about what has changed, enjoy the screenshots, or just jump right to downloading your package for Windows, Linux or Mac OS X.

Inkscape 0.47pre4 is out

Hopefully pre4 is the final prerelease. Please download the files and let us know if you stumble upon any serious bugs except the infamous crash when undoing changes in live path effects. We probably won't release the final version within next couple of weeks, because we really need the LPE bug fixed.

A Book of Inkscape, by Dmitry Kirsanov

A very anticipated book on Inkscape called "A Book of Inkscape", written by Dmitry Kirsanov, finally hit the shelves. The book covers features of the upcoming 0.47 version, while explaining how to effectively use Inkscape for many tasks. Both novices and experienced designers will find the book a great help to start using Inkscape.

Inkscape 0.47pre3 is out

The presumably last prerelease of 0.47 is out. Please fetch the files, test and let us know about bugs you run into. Date of final version's release is currently estimated as two weeks away from now.

First Libre Graphics Day miniconf announced

There are several more possibilities to meet and discuss free graphics tools other than at Libre Graphics Meeting, so it was decided to organize smaller events under same name "Libre Graphics Day". The first one will be organized by Inkscape's developer Jon A. Cruz and held at linux.conf.au in Wellington, New Zealand, on January 18, 2010. You can submit a proposal for a talk till September 25. Read more at LGD's website and get involved, either as developer or user!

Google Summer of Code 2009 results

Google Summer of Code 2009 is now over and here are the results for Inkscape organization.

Krzysztof Kosiński has completely rewritten the Node Tool which now supports node editing for more than one path at a time and thus has a number of extra features. E.g. you will be able scale/rotate/skew a selection of nodes on-canvas and join nodes from different paths.

Arcadie Cracan has expanded the functionality of the Connector Tool. The Connector Tool now supports the adding and removing of user-placed connection points. The user can now toggle between either be polyline or orthogonal connectors. The connectors now support user-defined rounding of corners. Additionally there have been numerous other enhancements and bugfixes.

Felipe Sanches worked on better support for color management. The most noticeable changes are out-of-gamut display and color managed view in the Fill and Stroke dialog. Inkscape now checks whether colors picked in the RGB, HSL, CMYK selectors are in or out of gamut for a color space defined by a chosen color profile. There also are some changes with regards to how colors are stored internally.

Soren Berg has added a scripting API via D-Bus. You can read his older proposal to get an idea.

All these features and more will be added to 0.48.

New prerelease is available

It took us a while to prepare binary builds for another prerelease, but now Windows and Mac OS X (Leopard) users can test it too. Please fetch files and let us know about any bugs you discover. Thank you for being patient!

0.47 is getting closer

We are now at 456 points out of 500 for bugfixing. So it's just 44 points left, and then we wrap up for releasing.

0.47pre1 is out

Slowly, but surely we are getting there. First prerelease of v0.47 is out. Please test and report any issues you run into. The plan is to gain 500 points for closing bugs. At the moment of publishing this news we are at 304 points.

Prerelease of 0.47 is available

Later than expected we uploaded a prerelease of upcoming Inkscape 0.47. We are working on rescheduling the final release.

The prerelease is currently available as source code and a Mac build and binary builds for Ubuntu. Fedora users can also use testing repository to fetch recent builds. Windows binary builds might follow, but you can use nightly builds for now.

We encourage you to test and report issues you run into.

Inkscape 0.47 about screen contest results

We have the winner of the about screen contest! Congratulations to sko whose winning submission has first received 29 votes from the DeviantArt community and then Inkscape developers choose it from three submissions with the most votes.

A big thanks go to all participants for showing off what can be done in Inkscape when combined with creativity. In case you have missed them, here are all submissions.

Translation Statistics

Here are the current translation statistics for Inkscape trunk. We have 14 languages at 80% or better - it's only a half of what we had in the 0.46 release! We should catch up since 0.47 release is nearing.

Compared to state at 0.46 release we have 1 new language (hy), 15 languages dropped under 80% (bg, ca, de, en_GB, eo, fi, hu, km, nb, pt_BR, pt, sr@latin, sr, vi and zh_CN) and only 1 language got over 80% (ko).

Inkscape 0.47 about screen contest announced!

As usual, since we will be releasing a new version of Inkscape in the near future, we need to have a new about screen done. Do you think you're up to the challenge of making one? Here is a chance to have your art being the about screen of the next release! Read more details and the rules here. Deadline for submissions is May 25, 2009.

Just in case you missed the previous one, here are some entries of the 0.46 contest. Looking forward to see what you'll come up with this time!

The road to 0.47

Following announcement about our participation at Google Summer of Code 2009 we declare that we are beginning to wrap up to release long anticipated 0.47 version of Inkscape.

Here is the current plan

1. Chill phase (in progress). Development focuses on wrapping up with no further refactoring. We identify 'make distcheck' issues, triage bug reports, run an About Screen contest (more on that soon) and create a draft of Release Notes, then update tutorials and other docs.
2. Frost phase (May 1, 2009). Most development is complete. Release Notes should be >90% filled in. Bug Hunt: 500 points. We also post inkscape-0.47-alpha.tar.gz
3. Feature Freeze (May 15, 2009). There will be no further development work and all features that can't be finished in time will be disabled. We focus on critical bug fixing, finalize all tutorials, docs, etc., we finalize all extensions. Translators do their work too. Inkscape must pass 'make distcheck'. We upload inkscape-0.47-beta.tar.gz
4. Hard freeze (May 25, 2009). Only release wardens can commit to mainline. We focus on release-critical bug fixing, finish translations, release notes etc. Packagers test creating pkgs of the -beta release. We upload inkscape-0.47-rc1.tar.gz
5. Branch (June 5, 2009). We establish the stable branch for release and complete any late-late-late work, also do final verification of packaging, release notes, docs, etc. and publish more release candidates until it's ready for releasing. We also plan 0.47.1+ release(s), if it's required.
6. Release. We upload inkscape-0.47.tar.gz and builds for various systems on June 15, 2009 and post official announcements.

Any help much appreciated!

Inkscape at Google Summer of Code 2009

Today approved Google Summer of Code 2009 projects were announced, and we have five projects:

• Felipe Sanches will work on ICC/CMYK workflow, mentored by Jon Cruz;
• Soren Berg will create scriptable API, mentored by Ted Gould;
• Krzysztof Kosiński will implement multiple path editing in the Node tool, mentored by bulia byak;
• Arcadie Cracan will improve our somewhat forgotten Connector tool, mentored by Michael Wybrow;
• Marco Cecchetti will further develop lib2geom, mentored by Nathan Hurst.

That makes three new and two returned students. We wish our students and mentors an amazing summer!

SVG Open 2009 is announced

The 7th international conference on Scalable Vector Graphics will take place from October 2-4, 2009, in Mountain View, California, hosted by Google at the Crittenden Campus. At this conference you can learn about subjects varying from specialized technical visualizations to interactive multimedia art. The program includes presentations, beginner and advanced level workshops. And of course you will have the ultimate opportunity to meet people from the SVG community, industry and the W3C SVG Working Group.

The organizing committee is looking for contributors presenting a paper or teaching a course. Presenters are asked to submit an extended abstract in English with an approximate length of 400 to 800 words by May 15 to svgopen.org. The abstracts are reviewed by a reviewing committee and presenters will be informed about acceptance on or before June 26. If your abstract is accepted, you will be asked to submit your full paper by August 31, according to instructions that will be sent to you. Accepted abstracts, papers and presentations will be published in web proceedings.

The list of potential presentation and course topics is published at SVG Open website. However organizers are still investigating a venue for holding workshops and courses. Potential course instructors are asked to submit a course outline by May 15. The outlines will be reviewed by a committee and instructors will be informed about acceptance on or before June 26.

All Inkscape users and contributors are welcome to attend!

JessyInk 1.0 released!

Recently Hannes Hochreiner released the first stable version of JessyInk — a JavaScript that can be incorporated into an Inkscape SVG image containing several layers to create a presentation. Each layer will be converted into one slide of a presentation. With features like slide transition effects, index sheet, master slide and autotext like slide title, slide number and number of slide it makes a perfect excuse to use your favourite browser instead of any of the heavier packages like OpenOffice.org Impress or MS PowerPoint.

Some fixes in Inkscape source code were done by Ted Gould to specifically adress issues reported by Hannes.

You can also watch a screencast by heathenx that demonstrates use of JessyInk.

Google Summer of Code 2009, we are seeking for students!

Yesterday the list of accepted mentoring organizations for Google Summer of Code 2009 was published, and we are chosen again. So if you think that you could do a great project for Inkscape this summer, please read the list of ideas so far, then join our developer mailing list and tell us about yourself and your ideas.

Student applications open on March 23, 2009 and close on April 3, 2009. This year there will be less projects than before, so make sure you write a really excellent proposal. We will help you with that.

Support Libre Graphics Meeting!

The Libre Graphics Meeting (LGM) is an annual workshop for developers and users of free software graphics applications to collaborate and advance the cause of high-quality free graphics software. From now until April 22, you can help support this event by making a donation to the LGM 2009 community pledge drive. LGM is free to attend, so your support is critical to making this important event a success.

The fourth annual LGM will be held May 6–9, 2009 in Montreal, Canada at École Polytechnique. Donations will be used solely to help cover travel costs for volunteer developers and presenters. Last year’s campaign raised more than $12,000 dollars from individuals and corporations in the community.

As with last year, pledges can be made online at Pledgie.com. Visit http://pledgie.com/campaigns/2926 to make your contribution. All donations are tax deductible for US taxpayers. Large donations from corporations and individuals may go through the Pledgie campaign or contact LGM directly at lgm=@=gnome.org in order to coordinate.

About Libre Graphics Meeting

For four years, the Libre Graphics Meeting has been the premiere conference for developers, users and supporters of free software graphics applications. Developers from projects such as GIMP, Inkscape, Blender, Krita, Scribus, Hugin, the Open Clipart Library, and the Open Font Library gather to work on interoperability, shared standards, and new ideas. Work at prior LGMs has pushed the state of the art in important areas such as color management, cross-application sharing of brushes and other assets, and common formats.

The face-to-face meetings and opportunities for collaboration are important to developers, but LGM offers plenty for end users as well. Tutorials, talks, and birds-of-a-feather (BOF) meetings to help free software users get the most out of their applications fill out the LGM schedule, and demonstrations from artists showcase what is possible.

For more information, visit http://www.libregraphicsmeeting.org

New book on Inkscape in French

Our long time contributor Cédric Gémy just has his first book on Inkscape published. It is written in French and called "Inkscape efficace : Réussir ses dessins vectoriels". It is Cédric's second book after the commercially successful "GIMP Efficace". The book is quite good for beginners, because first 120 pages describe basic tools, color and transformations. The other part of the book is aimed rather at professional users and thoroughly describes how to be more efficient with Inkscape, how to do print jobs and how to do web oriented SVG even if coding is needed. When possible, Cédric tried to give advice to Adobe Illustrator users.

Linux Fund supports improving Inkscape's usability

Linux Fund has partnered with Inkscape developer Milosz Derezynski to improve the text tool by boosting rendering in font selector, providing numeric control over kerning and fixing several outstanding bugs. Milosz is already working actively on the project.

Google Summer of Code 2009 announced, students wanted

Google's Summer of Code was announced for 2009 recently and Inkscape is going to answer the call! This year the program will have less participants due to difficult global economical situation and no organization can promise that it will be approved to participate, but it still cannot stop us from providing most stunning proposals ever made!

Inkscape has been participating at GSoC from the very beginning (2005) and so far we've been extremely successful — quite a number of GSoC code has become solid foundation for various exciting features. If you want to join us and be part of that ever evolving success, we are looking to hearing from you.

Even though timeline of the program is not announced yet, the time is right to look at the list of last year's projects ideas or blueprints, some of which have quite verbose descriptions and could make a great start for a project. And of course you are most welcome to suggest your own project!

Spray tool to be implemented

Last year a small group of French students from École Centrale de Lyon, mentored by Johan Engelen, implemented stacking of live path effects and several very useful LPEs — both to be part of upcoming v0.47.

We are excited to announce that this year another group of students from the same university is going to work on Inkscape to implement Spray tool. Their mentor will be Cedric Gémy.

Stay tuned!

OpenMP support is coming

Those Inkscape users who tend to create complex drawings with a lot of blur know that the application easily becomes less reponsive.

Recently our former GSoC student Jasper van der Gronde started working on support for OpenMP which is an API for programming applications that can make use of several CPU available in a system instead of just one. Jasper started with Gaussian blur which is by far most widely used SVG filter primitive. With OpenMP in use rendering speedup on a dual-core system is reported to be 40-50%. While Inkscape doesn't have a truly threaded design yet, such an improvement will definitely make the application a lot more useful.

If you have experience of creating complex threaded applications and willing to help, don't hesitate to do so. Drop to inkscape-devel@ mailing list and let us know.