Inkscape moves to GitLab

The Inkscape project has completed its planned move from launchpad using the bazaar repository system, to GitLab using the git repository system.

Hackfest 2017 - Paris

Developers are planning for the 3rd annual Inkscape Hackfest - this year to be in Paris, France.  Lucky hackers!  It will be held from June 27th through July 1st, at Carrefour Numérique, which is a Fablab/hackerspace located inside Paris's modern science museum, Cité des sciences et de l'industrie.

Hackfests are usually rare opportunities for programmers to come together in person, for intense hacking sessions.  We usually notice increased motivation and excitement about development just before and after hackfests, and a flurry of activity with the code.

New Inkscape Beginners Manual

A small team of translators and other editors is excited to announce that work has started on an Inkscape guide, which is written specifically for beginners. The focus is on "how" rather than "why", and is meant to gently guide new Inkscape users through all the most basic features.

Technically, it's derived from a manual which was originally published by a French team, led by Elisa de Castro Guerra. Currently the focus is on translating it to English. Once translated, it will be ready for a few updates. And we've discussed adding some extra chapters or features, such as a glossary and/or a troubleshooting section.