2011/2/2 Jon Cruz <jon@...18...>:
The first warning was that until an even release is made with the feature we want, it is *technically* ok for them to change or remove any APIs up until the last minute.
I don't want to argue with your premises, as I also agree we should wait some time before releasing a version of Inkscape that depends on Cairo 1.12, but I want to make two clarifications. 1. We do not use any API newly introduced in 1.11. We just need it for a substantial rendering bugfix. 2. The development version can start depending on 1.12 before that version of Cairo makes its way into distros. Installing a newer version of a library is very easy, and you only need it to improve the rendering quality, not to make Inkscape work at all. Developers not focusing on the rendering subsystem should be able to work with 1.10.
The main need for compatibility is those with a business-oriented or LTS approach. By keeping more compatible with such stable releases, we can target professional use of Inkscape and move away from the "just a toy" trap. We get *many* requests from those who want to either install an additional newer Inkscape version or to grab a newer PPA or such of an updated Inkscape. (and keep in mind that we had made changes to allow for easy parallel installation of multiple Inkscape versions).
My answer would be: if you have an LTS installation, use the LTS version of Inkscape. Library compatibility should be taken into account, but holding up major features because someone might want to use an old distro is just counter-productive.
The PPA route looks like the best compromise, and it's working well for other projects.
Regards, Krzysztof