seems that inkscape doesn't like to install on an up-to-date vanilla system. it relies too much on distro defaults.
first, python is not found because the path searched at is not existing. it is not mentioned in any file on my system. python-config doesn't spit it out either:
configure:9578: g++ -o conftest -g -O2 -fopenmp -Werror=format-security -Wall -Wformat -Wformat-security -W -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -Wl,-z,relro conftest.cpp -lgc /opt/development/python-2.5/lib/python2.5/config/libpython2.5.so -lpthread -ldl -lutil >&5 g++: /opt/development/python-2.5/lib/python2.5/config/libpython2.5.so: No such file or directory
the point is that "python2.5/config/" is a redundant fiction.
also, i re-installed poppler with support for the unsupported xpdf headers. inkscape still didn't compile. then i turned off poppler support, which was also confirmed in the configuration overview. however, it is still used. and, the way it is used seems to be targeting at an older version:
extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp: In member function 'void PdfParser::opSetExtGState(Object*, int)': extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp:812: error: no matching function for call to 'GfxColorSpace::parse (Object*)' /usr/include/poppler/GfxState.h:182: note: candidates are: static GfxColorSpace* GfxColorSpace::parse(Object*, Gfx*) extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp: In member function 'void PdfParser::opSetFillColorSpace(Object*, int)': extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp:1012: error: no matching function for call to 'GfxColorSpace::parse (Object*)' /usr/include/poppler/GfxState.h:182: note: candidates are: static GfxColorSpace* GfxColorSpace::parse(Object*, Gfx*) extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp:1014: error: no matching function for call to 'GfxColorSpace::parse (Object*)' /usr/include/poppler/GfxState.h:182: note: candidates are: static GfxColorSpace* GfxColorSpace::parse(Object*, Gfx*) extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp: In member function 'void PdfParser::opSetStrokeColorSpace(Object*, int)': extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp:1035: error: no matching function for call to 'GfxColorSpace::parse (Object*)' /usr/include/poppler/GfxState.h:182: note: candidates are: static GfxColorSpace* GfxColorSpace::parse(Object*, Gfx*) extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp:1037: error: no matching function for call to 'GfxColorSpace::parse (Object*)' /usr/include/poppler/GfxState.h:182: note: candidates are: static GfxColorSpace* GfxColorSpace::parse(Object*, Gfx*) extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp: In member function 'void PdfParser::opSetFillColorN(Object*, int)': extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp:1104: error: no matching function for call to 'GfxResources::lookupPattern (char*)' /usr/include/poppler/Gfx.h:113: note: candidates are: GfxPattern* GfxResources::lookupPattern(char*, Gfx*) extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp: In member function 'void PdfParser::opSetStrokeColorN(Object*, int)': extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp:1148: error: no matching function for call to 'GfxResources::lookupPattern (char*)' /usr/include/poppler/Gfx.h:113: note: candidates are: GfxPattern* GfxResources::lookupPattern(char*, Gfx*) extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp: In member function 'void PdfParser::opShFill(Object*, int)': extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp:1546: error: no matching function for call to 'GfxResources::lookupShading (char*)' /usr/include/poppler/Gfx.h:114: note: candidates are: GfxShading* GfxResources::lookupShading(char*, Gfx*) extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp: In member function 'void PdfParser::doImage(Object*, Stream*, GBool)': extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp:2510: error: no matching function for call to 'GfxColorSpace::parse (Object*)' /usr/include/poppler/GfxState.h:182: note: candidates are: static GfxColorSpace* GfxColorSpace::parse(Object*, Gfx*) extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp:2595: error: no matching function for call to 'GfxColorSpace::parse (Object*)' /usr/include/poppler/GfxState.h:182: note: candidates are: static GfxColorSpace* GfxColorSpace::parse(Object*, Gfx*) extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp: In member function 'void PdfParser::doForm(Object*)': extension/internal/pdfinput/pdf-parser.cpp:2770: error: no matching function for call to 'GfxColorSpace::parse (Object*)' /usr/include/poppler/GfxState.h:182: note: candidates are: static GfxColorSpace* GfxColorSpace::parse(Object*, Gfx*)
i now tried the compilation process several times, always getting stuck, and always getting stuck after about half an hour. possibly you should port inkscape to "go" to make it break faster.
also, if anybody wants to help me in this case, your surname should not be alexandre. many thanks.