Inkscape 1.4.3 Release Candidate ================================
Inkscape 1.4.3rc(2) is now available for testing for all three supported operating systems (Linux, macOS, Windows)!
Being a pre-release, this version is not intended for production use, but to help us smooth out any issues that should not show up in the actual release which is due in less than 2 weeks from now.
You can download it from: https://inkscape.org/release/inkscape-1.4.3rc
BUGFIX and MAINTENANCE RELEASE ------------------------------
The upcoming Inkscape 1.4.3 will be a maintenance and bugfix release, which brings you fixes for many critical or irritating bugs, and even a few new features.
The most important fixes and changes in this release are:
* 24 crash/freeze fixes many of which prevented users from opening certain files or exporting certain objects with Inkscape 1.4.2
* and almost 100 bug fixes and small improvements, among them:
* JPEG/JPG export works again on Windows. * The problem with user interface text showing up as rectangles ('tofu') instead of letters if certain fonts are installed on macOS is finally resolved. * Ungrouping big groups is faster again. * All pasting options ('on page', 'width'/'height'/'size'/…) are now accessible from the right-click menu on canvas. * The Measure tool snaps again at its end point, so you can make accurate measurements again. * The LPE dialog now offers to convert Line, Polyline or Polygon SVG objects to paths before applying a path effect to them * When resizing the Inkscape window, the buttons in the Commands bar (copy, paste, open, dialog shortcuts) show up one by one instead of waiting for the window to get big enough to show the second half at once. * When converting strokes to paths, patterns and gradients are no longer lost. * Aligning on a circle or arc now works more reliably. * Text on Path now also works with rectangles. * Many improvements have been made to the PDF import. * Results from path operations no longer end up at the bottom of the object stack unexpectedly and the Split Path operation has learnt to better handle nested shapes. * The current layer by default is now the one where you have last selected an object (might need a preferences reset to apply). * Whether the current page is changed when you select an object on it has been made optional. * You can now make small changes to how Inkscape looks without needing to modify the full theme file. * The bug that sometimes made it impossible to make gradients and patterns fully opaque has been prevented from reaching adulthood (it has been around since 2007!). * and 23 updated interface languages and 12 updated documentation languages!
See the release notes draft for more information: https://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/Release_notes/1.4.3
Inkscape 1.4.3 will also be a 'bridge release' in the sense that it can be used to convert the planned Inkscape 1.5 multipage file format to the pre-1.5 multipage format. Versions lower than Inkscape 1.4.3 will not be able to interpret pages created in Inkscape versions 1.5 and upwards. Opening a document in Inkscape 1.4.3 and saving it will convert it to the current ('old') page format.
Background: While the 'old' format of pages in Inkscape is a custom addition that only works in Inkscape, the new format will make use of the svg:view element, which is standardized and can work in other SVG viewers, too. Find more information about this in MR #7525.
(the release candidate corresponds to the INKSCAPE_1_4_3_RC2 tag in the Gitlab repository)
Report Bugs -----------
Use at your own risk, and please report all bugs you find in our Inbox bug tracker on GitLab !
If you find any issue with this beta version, please report it to https://inkscape.org/report
----------------------------- Join an Inkscape project team -----------------------------
Inkscape is always happy to welcome new contributors in various areas: code, docs, translation, UX, bug triaging, or even outreach!
The main ways to get involved are listed on https://inkscape.org/contribute/ and you can get in touch with us on https://chat.inkscape.org/
Thanks to everyone involved in this beta release!
-- The Inkscape team