- Inkscape Devel - Inkscape Mailman

OpenType Variable Fonts on Inkscape (and possibly other libre graphics tools)
by Felipe Sanches 24 May '17

24 May '17

Hello, Inkscape friends, == Intro == ** You can skip this part if you already know me or if you don't really care for the intro details :-D ** I've been active in Inkscape development a long time ago (circa 2007-2010, I think), but then I moved on to collaborate on other projects such as GNU LibreDWG, FontForge, Metapolator, Kicad and a few programs in the 3D printing toolchain such as Sprinter/Repetier firmware, Pronterface and OpenSCAD. Also I'm regularly contributing to the MAME Project and heavily interested in Coreboot/Libreboot, etc. And during the past year and a half I've been developing and maintaining the FontBakery project, a Quality-Assurance testsuite for font families. == LGM Brazil == Last month I've attended the Libre Graphics Meeting here in Brazil and had the opportunity to meet a few GIMP developers. Unfortunately no-one from the Inkscape team was there this time, other than the couple of Brazilian past contributors (myself and Aurelio Heckert). == Variable Fonts == Dave Crossland brought to my attention that there's an opportunity for the "big four" libre graphics programs that heavily rely on typography (Inkscape, GIMP, Scribus and LibreOffice) to implement support for OpenType Font Variations (a.k.a. "variable fonts") before the proprietary graphics applications do so. It seems that while the major web-browsers are all already jumping into the "variable fonts" technology, the proprietary graphics tools are not so fast. The underlying free software libraries already provide the support for that. Harfbuzz did implement support on its January release, providing a new API for OpenType variable fonts. I wonder if anyone here is interested in getting involved in the implementation of support for that in Inkscape. == My plan for Variable Fonts in Inkscape (and perhaps GIMP) == With that in mind, I am planning to spend a full day per work-week dealing with this. I have started to do so last week. I spent last Thursday setting up my development machine to properly build GIMP and Inkscape from source. I know Inkscape is moving into git at some point very soon, but since it seems it did not happen yet, I decided to use git-bzr to have my own local git tree, where I feel more comfortable working. Then I built several dependency libraries needed to build these projects. GIMP still fails to build, but I already got Inkscape-devel built and running. Nice to see the recent improvements someone did on the measurement tool I implemented years ago. Thanks a lot! After that, I read the relevant portions of the text-handling code in Inkscape sources (most of it on the src/libnrtype/ directory). I see that it relies on Pango for setting up font description data-structures based on the user's font selection. And, if I got it right, Pango uses HarfBuzz+Cairo as its underlying layout & rendering backend. So, my first thought is that we may add a variable fonts "bridge-API" on pango that redirects the calls to the underlying harfbuzz hb_ot_var_* API. Or the other alternative would be to entirely migrate Inkscape code into using harfbuzz directly (ditching pango usage). Please correct me if I misunderstood things here, but it seems to me that both approaches could work, while the first is a quick and dirty hack while the second would be the nicer way of doing things even though it would require a larger coding effort. I'm copying Behdad Esfahbod in this thread as he is the developer of both Pango and HarfBuzz and may be interested in commenting on this. Happy Hacking, Felipe "Juca" Sanches

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UniConvertor
by Tavmjong Bah 23 May '17

23 May '17

Hi, Does anybody have UniConvertor working anywhere? Fedora 25 includes UniConvertor 2.0 which seems to fail do to a missing dependency (sk1libs). Tav

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Re: [Inkscape-devel] Update to window rotation.
by Jean-François Lemaire 23 May '17

23 May '17

I too use an Intuos tablet but I disabled the touch feature because I hate it. I hope modest stylus users like myself won't be forgotten. Cheers, JFL

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telegram inkscape
by Jabier Arraiza 22 May '17

22 May '17

Hi all anyone has get the t.me/inkscape from telegram direction. Its cool if can delete the acount and the url reserved and send to inkscape board to manage it. Whith this inkscape community has the best link to telegram services we want to add in the future. Thanks so much in advance.

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Devanagari font rendering not correct
by Raghavendra Kamath 18 May '17

18 May '17

Hi, I noticed that the Devanagari (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devanagari) font and possibly other indic scripts with overlapping ligatures and diacritics, Don't render correctly in inkscape. The part where the elements overlap leave a hole, and there is a gap in horrizontal bar at the top. If I remember correctly this is recent problem after .92 (I will try to get older inkscape version and test this). I have also filed a bug report here -> https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/1691631 You can see a screenshot where the same word is written in same font in inkscape and libreoffice here -> https://launchpadlibrarian.net/320136836/inkscapevslibreoffice-devanagari.p… Notice the gap in the top horizontal line and also the holes where the top diacritics intersect with the horizontal lines. I kindly request others to test and check if this problem is present in other scripts where there are overlapping elements, and if they encounter same problem please add comment to the bug report. This gives a problem for people using inkscape for lettering comics or typesetting using these scripts. Thank you -- Raghavendra Kamath Illustrator raghukamath.com

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Stable 0.92.1 and gcc-7
by Ken Moffat 17 May '17

17 May '17

I know that trunk has been cleaned up for gcc-7, but some of us prefer to build rleases. The following patch (backported from trunk, boy, do I hate bazaar ;) fixed the errors I was getting. Now, I don't have all the possible deps, so it might be that there are other problems I haven't seen, but maybe this will help someone. ĸen -- I live in a city. I know sparrows from starlings. After that everything is a duck as far as I'm concerned. -- Monstrous Regiment

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Re: [Inkscape-devel] Any chance we can make some docs material? (targeting the moon)
by Maren Hachmann 17 May '17

17 May '17

Hi, sorry for the delay. I've been trying things out a bit, and I feel I haven't seen enough yet, but I won't have time tomorrow, so posting anyway now. So, it seems that what we still need for a manual (any kind) is a platform to create it (not only write, but also output to different formats). I have had a chance to look at 3 different platforms on my list, and I'm trying to outline the pros and cons, as I perceive them, please add yours to the list. There are many more platforms in existance (see also: https://github.com/PharkMillups/beautiful-docs#generating-docs), and if anyone here has some experience with them, please add. ************* - Gitlab Wiki + X, as suggested by Martin. WHAT: An online Wiki on gitlab with a source code editor, associated with a gitlab project. PROS: - custom-made to suit the project's individual needs (no specifics yet) - Preview functionality CONS: - only (limited set of) Markdown, RDoc or AsciiDoc - limited formatting options, formatting not so much about 'roles' of formatted text, but more about 'looks' - the backend isn't written yet - no option for branches via interface (so we could start writing for trunk, and continue fixing for stable) - no direct translation support - support for the backend depends upon a single individual, no user community - no WYSIWYG editor - no GUI access to git repo, for managing where to put uploaded files etc. - no GUI for undoing a change (like in a 'normal' Wiki), or looking at a diff EXAMPLE (frontend): https://gitlab.com/inkscape/inkscape-web/wikis/home ************* - Gitlab Editor + Sphinx / readthedocs: WHAT: A git repository with an online source code editor and documentation update on readthedocs.org on save (i.e. commit). PROS: - available quickly (didn't know how it works exactly, but got it all up and running with test content within an evening) - uses git and reStructured Text - allows to have branches, so devel version features can be documented when they are coded - supports translations (not entirely sure how, though, haven't tested it yet, wanted to send this email instead. E.g. Django docs are translated. Fallback to English if no translation of a document. I think they use different branches.) - free theming, separately for each output format - free hosting, can also use our own domain name with readthedocs.org, e.g. docs.inkscape.org - after installing some programs, tool chain runs locally - preview via gitlab editor or local editor - same toolchain can be used for developer documentation (includes code documentation from docstrings) - extensible via plugins (haven't had a chance to take a closer look yet or test any) - I think it's possible to add a 'edit this page on gitlab' link to each page, to get new contributors, even when using readthedocs.org (not tested, but read that others did similar things) - extremely wide range of export formats via plugins - infinite hierarchy nesting - syntax highlighting (e.g. for command line usage instructions, or extension writers) - video embedding (not tested) CONS: - learning curve for admin (theming, plugins,...) - learning curve for editors (syntax, workflow) - no WYSIWYG editor, only preview (incomplete, because doesn't support all sphinx stuff) EXAMPLE: - repository: https://gitlab.com/Moini/inkscape-extensions-multi-bool/tree/master/docs - rendered documentation: http://inkscape-multi-bool-extension.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html ************* - Booktype: WHAT: A web portal for creating books, hosted by friends of the Inkscape project. PROS: - available right now, no further setup required - best interface by far, easy and intuitive to use - team functions, user roles, chat - prevents concurrent editing - wide range of export and import formats - support for themes/settings for specific export formats (e.g. different font sizes etc.) - free hosting and maintenance via flossmanuals(fr) - community of experienced documentors CONS: - confinement to django database for version control, more difficult to get data out of it again for editing - no direct translation support (make a copy of the book, copy changes over after doing a comparison in the history) - limited versioning support (only the latest one can be edited) - we'd need to ask someone to add CC-By-SA licence (currently, the options I got were CC-By, GPL. I guess this would be quick and easy to solve.) EXAMPLE (rendered documentation): https://www.flossmanualsfr.net/initiation-inkscape/ ************* All of them would be FLOSS, have support for internal linking, allow to insert images and allow editing via browser. ************* I wish it were possible to combine the ease of use of the booktype frontend with the portability, branch support, sustainability and versatility of the gitlab/sphinx/readthedocs backend... (In German that's called the 'eierlegende Wollmilchsau' - egg-laying wool- and milk-giving pig...) For the sphinx option, I believe I'd be able to take on the first setup and some of the tasks that come with customization and extending, as well as basic maintenance. For Booktype, anyone of the documentation writers could do that easily. Regards, Maren

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Offer to help put inkscape on windows store
by Marc Jeanmougin 12 May '17

12 May '17

Hi all, I recently discussed on IRC with dwcares from Miscrosoft who wants to help us simplify precesses on windows. Here is his email: === David Washington from Microsoft here. Earlier this afternoon I had conversation with Marc about potentially publishing the Inkscape app to the Windows Store, the app store for Windows 10 PCs. The Windows Store now supports publishing Win32 Desktop apps with little or no code change using the Windows Desktop Bridge. Taking advantage of the Windows Desktop Bridge and Distributing through the Windows Store also provides simplified options for automated updates, easy install and uninstall, and provides a new distribution path for folks who may have not found Inkscape before. Our team has identified Inkscape as a top desktop app that we’d love to see in the Windows Store. Given this we have some resources to help with the process of getting this ported using the Windows Desktop Bridge and published to the Windows Store. The process itself is lightweight, and our team is equipped help walk you through getting it ported and published. We’ve done some early investigation on the Inkscape binaries and we haven’t identified any issues getting it published. If this is something that seems interesting to you, we can get together on the phone and talk through the details for the next steps of getting this published. If you’d rather make progress in email/IRC, we’re happy to accommodate what works for your team. We’re prepared to work with you on getting this published as early as next week. I look forward to working together. I’ve included some folks from my team who will be helping you. Thanks much, David Washington Microsoft | Developer Experience | 206-605-2062 === Eduard, Nicolas or Partha, iirc you're the ones doing stuff on windows, could you take it from here if it seems interesting ? Thanks, -- Mc

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Hackfest lodging
by C R 12 May '17

12 May '17

So, now that we have some solid dates, I can help whoever needs it to get lodging. There are several reasonably priced locations that are just a few steps from the venue. Please send me an email if you want help getting a room. Please include your budget, what days you're attending, whether you require a single room, or whether you'd like to save more money and share. I'll do my best to reserve the space we need in the same part of the hotel. Thanks! -C

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moderators needed for the website
by brynn 12 May '17

12 May '17

Hi Friends, Thanks to Martin for creating the most amazing moderation system I've ever seen, for the website. Now that it's ready, volunteers are invited to join the website Moderation Team. Moderators work together to make decisions about each reported item (image, comment or member). No particular skills are needed. The biggest qualification is to care about maintaining the website as a beautiful and safe place for members to show their Inkscape work and interact. Most days you would only need to spend 15 to 20 minutes or less, although in the beginning, a little more time will probably be needed to become familiar with the system. And visit as many days as you can. The more moderators we have, the less time we each have to spend moderating. If you're interested in helping, please go to Community tab > Teams page (https://inkscape.org/en/teams/) and click on "Moderation Team". On the next page, click to request to join the team. (Sorry, I don't know exactly what the text is, for that link, but it will be regular size text, and orange color). After that, we'll contact you, and get you started. Thanks for your interest in contributing to the Inkscape Project :-) All best, brynn

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