this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2026
292 points (99.3% liked)

Programming

28516 readers
1255 users here now

Welcome to the main community in programming.dev! Feel free to post anything relating to programming here!

Cross posting is strongly encouraged in the instance. If you feel your post or another person's post makes sense in another community cross post into it.

Hope you enjoy the instance!

Rules

Rules

  • Follow the programming.dev instance rules
  • Keep content related to programming in some way
  • If you're posting long videos try to add in some form of tldr for those who don't want to watch videos

Wormhole

Follow the wormhole through a path of communities !webdev@programming.dev

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
snowe@programming.dev
Ategon@programming.dev
UlrikHD@programming.dev
bugsmith@programming.dev
Spyro@programming.dev
292
Inkscape needs help (programming.dev)
submitted 14 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) by Orwi@programming.dev to c/programming@programming.dev
15 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

The incoming version of Inkscape is a brilliantly engineered masterpiece designed to punch Adobe Illustrator in the face.

The scale of Inkscape 1.5 is hard to put into words.

  • A full port from GTK 3 to GTK 4
  • A new rendering engine
  • The Unified Font Browser becoming default,
  • Document Tabs being introduced,
  • Many long-standing issues finally being addressed,
  • New and changed dependencies across multiple target platforms.
  • UI/UX improvements

GTK 4 unlocks several possibilities, but it also exacts its own costs. This transition is definitely being felt in the amount and complexity of the work the developers have had to undertake.

Inkscape developers have been pouring their nights and weekends into 1.5 but they are currently feeling overwhelmed.

If you’re a C++ developer, particularly with graphics experience, Inkscape could use your help in pushing 1.5 forward.

https://gitlab.com/inkscape/inkscape/-/work_items

Adobe has unlimited ressources. Inkscape relies on us

🙏🙏🙏

all 16 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Kangae_Hishiryo@scribe.disroot.org 4 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

I'm not programmer but I'm music producer. I could create one song for them so they can make a video looking to reach more people. Also I can create some SFX for them, like for the UI, the splash screen, etc.

But I also feel insecure whether they'll welcome this or if I'll only add burden to them.

Any advice? I really want to start contributing to FOSS projects but at the same time I don't really feel prepared.

[–] antianarchist@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 hour ago

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately I cannot help with the C++ part, but maybe I can improve something with the ci/cd/cs pipeline. Also I hope 1.5 is going to run smooth on linux with GTK4

[–] anarchy79@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

We have GTK4?

[–] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 10 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

If you’re a C++ developer, particularly with graphics experience, Inkscape could use your help in pushing 1.5 forward. https://gitlab.com/inkscape/inkscape/-/work_items Adobe has unlimited resources. Inkscape relies on us

I definitely don't fit that criteria, but, we could always stand to pitch a few bucks towards our favorite open source projects to help them thrive! Even in these trying times, we could all skip 1 or takeout coffees for this! :)

Edit: This header picture tho... adventurer has like 6 swords sticking up through him? This isn't slop, right? :( I'm looking really closely but I can't tell anymore.

[–] sxwpb@lemmy.world 4 points 2 hours ago

my slop meter is beeping for that image too

[–] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 2 points 2 hours ago

im no developer but am a casual Inkscape user, love it. What's the best way to chip in a few $ to help?

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 5 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)
  • A full port from GTK 3 to GTK 4

Uh oh. Will it work outside of Gnome? Menubar toggle-able?

Then again, the software itself isn't made by Gnome (unlike Gtk, and SimpleScan, Pavucontrol), so that's likely the case.

[–] sxwpb@lemmy.world 6 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

I think Inkscape’s UI could def also gain some good improvements even just with little technical know-how! I’ve been trying to make a UI style for it from scratch purely through GTK’s CSS layer (no touching internal code or recompiling at all) and I’m pretty impressed of what’s possible. (see here)

If anyone is even just familiar with CSS, you could certainly make good contributions to the UI layer. Or help out in my repo i posted above, I need to port the style to Inkscape 1.5 / GTK4 (aswell as cover some missing stuff e.g. right-to-left) but I don’t find a lot of time to do it.

[–] neversaydie@programming.dev 76 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Unfortunately I'm neither good with C++ nor with graphics, but Inkscape is a great piece of software, all the best to them

[–] grranibal@lemmy.zip 33 points 13 hours ago

Same, I’m thankful for the work they are doing

[–] theherk@lemmy.world 40 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Inkscape is one of the go-to best-in-class FOSS applications.

[–] grandel@lemmy.ml 7 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Right up there with VLC and GIMP.

[–] riquisimo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)

"Right up there with VLC..."

Oh awesome! Inkscape must be great!

"...and GIMP."

oh... so is it... good?

[–] verily@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 20 minutes ago

More like "and Krita and Blender" perhaps