trunk/pages/index.html

title: Skencil, a vector drawing program

<h2>Latest news</h2>

<p>
<!--
 <b>2005-:</b> <a href="news.html#newsIDx"
        ></a>
        <br />
-->
 <b>2005-09-20:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID15"
        >Build notes for Mac OS X</a>
        <br />
 <b>2005-07-12:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID14"
        >New Binaries and request for packaging help</a>
        <br />
 <b>2005-06-19:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID13"
        >New stable version, Skencil 0.6.17</a>
        <br />
 <b>2005-03-10:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID12"
        >Experimental binary packages for 0.6.17pre3</a>
        <br />
 <b>2005-01-20:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID11"
        >Waratah plant drawing new in gallery</a>
        <br />
 <b>2004-12-06:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID10"
        >German Manual updated</a>
        <br />

</p>

<p><a href="news.html">More news...</a></p>

<h2>Introduction to Skencil</h2>

<p>Skencil is a Free Software interactive vector drawing
appliction. Known to run on
<a href="platforms.html">GNU/Linux and other
UNIX-compatible systems</a>, it is a flexible and
powerful tool for illustrations, diagrams and other
purposes.</p>

<p>A somewhat unique (for a drawing program) feature of
Skencil is that it is implemented almost completely in a
very high-level, interpreted language,
<a href="links.html">Python</a>. Python is powerful,
object-oriented and yet easy to use.</p>
<hr />


<p>Just a few highlights about Skencil's features</p>

<ul>
  <li>B&eacute;zier Curves</li>

  <li>Transformed text and images</li>

  <li>B&eacute;zier curves, rectangles and ellipses can
  be used as guides</li>

  <li>Gradient fills</li>

  <li>Blend groups</li>

  <li>Writes EPS files</li>

  <li><a href="features.html#N2">Text along a
  path</a></li>

  <li><a href="features.html">many more...</a></li>
</ul>


<h2>Status</h2>

<p>The current stable release is 0.6.17. Skencil is quite
usable already, even for production use, in my opinion.
The low version number is mainly due to lack of some
important features such as good text support.</p>

<p>The 0.6.x series will likely see minor improvements
over time, but no major changes to the core. There may be
more improvements in the import and export filters,
though.</p>

<p>Real development takes place in the unstable 0.7.x
<a href="devel.html">developer series</a>. Among the
major goals of this series is a port to GTK+, better text
support and a multi document interface.</p>

<p>The 0.7.x series of Skencil also supports more operating systems
(including Microsoft Windows) because GTK+ is ported to many platforms.</p>


<h2>Features</h2>
<p>In addition to the standard features (rectangles, ellipses, curves, text
etc.) that you expect from a vector drawing program, Skencil also has some
more advanced features like possibility to bend text along a path. See the
<a href="features.html">features page</a> for a comprehensive list of
features.</p>

<h2>Requirements</h2>

<p>Apart from the sources of Skencil, you need some
additional software. See the
<a href="download.html">download page</a> for details
on what software and where you can get it.</p>

<p>For Skencil to work properly with transformed text,
you also need an X-server capable of scaling and
transforming fonts. (XFree86 does support this.
Otherwise, you need X11R6 as far as I know).</p>

<p>Skencil currently supports only TrueColor visuals with
depths of 15, 16, 24 or 32 bits and 8-bit PseudoColor
visuals.</p>

<h2><a name="N2" id="N2">Contact &amp; Mailing
list</a></h2>

<p>There's a mailing list for all Skencil-related topics.
You can subscribe to it via the web-interface at
<a href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/sketch-list">
http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/sketch-list</a>
or by sending a mail with the word subscribe in the
subject to
<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=subscribe">
[email protected]</a>.</p>

<p>You can also
<a href="mailto:[email protected]">contact
me directly</a>, although I'd prefer to discuss things on
the mailing list.</p>

<p>If you want to report bugs, please have a look at the
<a href="http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=100828&amp;group_id=828&amp;func=browse">
bug tracker</a> first.</p>

<p>New versions are announced on the mailing list, on the
SourceForge
<a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/sketch">Skencil
page</a> and on
<a href="http://freshmeat.net/">freshmeat</a>.</p>

<h2>License</h2>

<p>Skencil itself is published under the terms of the
<a href="LGPL">GNU Library General Public License
(LGPL)</a>. Some of the code distributed with Skencil is
not directly part of Skencil and is distributed under a
Python-style license.</p>

<p>I've put it under the LGPL, because many parts of
Skencil can be used as a library (and are used by Skencil
that way), and the LGPL is less restrictive than the
normal GNU General Public License when it comes to
distributing an LGPL'ed library with software covered by
a different license.</p>
1	jpaalasm	606	title: Skencil, a vector drawing program
2
3			<h2>Latest news</h2>
4
5			<p>
6			<!--
7	bernhard	629	<b>2005-:</b> <a href="news.html#newsIDx"
8			></a>
9	bernhard	626	<br />
10	jpaalasm	606	-->
11	bernhard	641	<b>2005-09-20:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID15"
12			>Build notes for Mac OS X</a>
13			<br />
14	bernhard	637	<b>2005-07-12:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID14"
15			>New Binaries and request for packaging help</a>
16			<br />
17	bh	634	<b>2005-06-19:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID13"
18			>New stable version, Skencil 0.6.17</a>
19			<br />
20	bernhard	631	<b>2005-03-10:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID12"
21			>Experimental binary packages for 0.6.17pre3</a>
22			<br />
23	bernhard	629	<b>2005-01-20:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID11"
24			>Waratah plant drawing new in gallery</a>
25			<br />
26	bernhard	626	<b>2004-12-06:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID10"
27			>German Manual updated</a>
28			<br />
29	jpaalasm	606
30			</p>
31
32			<p><a href="news.html">More news...</a></p>
33
34			<h2>Introduction to Skencil</h2>
35
36			<p>Skencil is a Free Software interactive vector drawing
37			appliction. Known to run on
38			<a href="platforms.html">GNU/Linux and other
39			UNIX-compatible systems</a>, it is a flexible and
40			powerful tool for illustrations, diagrams and other
41			purposes.</p>
42
43			<p>A somewhat unique (for a drawing program) feature of
44			Skencil is that it is implemented almost completely in a
45			very high-level, interpreted language,
46			<a href="links.html">Python</a>. Python is powerful,
47			object-oriented and yet easy to use.</p>
48			<hr />
49
50
51			<p>Just a few highlights about Skencil's features</p>
52
53			<ul>
54			<li>Bézier Curves</li>
55
56			<li>Transformed text and images</li>
57
58			<li>Bézier curves, rectangles and ellipses can
59			be used as guides</li>
60
61			<li>Gradient fills</li>
62
63			<li>Blend groups</li>
64
65			<li>Writes EPS files</li>
66
67			<li><a href="features.html#N2">Text along a
68			path</a></li>
69
70			<li><a href="features.html">many more...</a></li>
71			</ul>
72
73
74			<h2>Status</h2>
75
76	bernhard	638	<p>The current stable release is 0.6.17. Skencil is quite
77	jpaalasm	606	usable already, even for production use, in my opinion.
78			The low version number is mainly due to lack of some
79			important features such as good text support.</p>
80
81			<p>The 0.6.x series will likely see minor improvements
82			over time, but no major changes to the core. There may be
83			more improvements in the import and export filters,
84			though.</p>
85
86			<p>Real development takes place in the unstable 0.7.x
87			<a href="devel.html">developer series</a>. Among the
88			major goals of this series is a port to GTK+, better text
89			support and a multi document interface.</p>
90
91			<p>The 0.7.x series of Skencil also supports more operating systems
92			(including Microsoft Windows) because GTK+ is ported to many platforms.</p>
93
94
95			<h2>Features</h2>
96			<p>In addition to the standard features (rectangles, ellipses, curves, text
97			etc.) that you expect from a vector drawing program, Skencil also has some
98			more advanced features like possibility to bend text along a path. See the
99			<a href="features.html">features page</a> for a comprehensive list of
100			features.</p>
101
102			<h2>Requirements</h2>
103
104			<p>Apart from the sources of Skencil, you need some
105			additional software. See the
106			<a href="download.html">download page</a> for details
107			on what software and where you can get it.</p>
108
109			<p>For Skencil to work properly with transformed text,
110			you also need an X-server capable of scaling and
111			transforming fonts. (XFree86 does support this.
112			Otherwise, you need X11R6 as far as I know).</p>
113
114			<p>Skencil currently supports only TrueColor visuals with
115			depths of 15, 16, 24 or 32 bits and 8-bit PseudoColor
116			visuals.</p>
117
118			<h2><a name="N2" id="N2">Contact & Mailing
119			list</a></h2>
120
121			<p>There's a mailing list for all Skencil-related topics.
122			You can subscribe to it via the web-interface at
123			<a href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/sketch-list">
124			http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/sketch-list</a>
125			or by sending a mail with the word subscribe in the
126			subject to
127			<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=subscribe">
128			[email protected]</a>.</p>
129
130			<p>You can also
131			<a href="mailto:[email protected]">contact
132			me directly</a>, although I'd prefer to discuss things on
133			the mailing list.</p>
134
135			<p>If you want to report bugs, please have a look at the
136			<a href="http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=100828&group_id=828&func=browse">
137			bug tracker</a> first.</p>
138
139			<p>New versions are announced on the mailing list, on the
140			SourceForge
141			<a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/sketch">Skencil
142			page</a> and on
143			<a href="http://freshmeat.net/">freshmeat</a>.</p>
144
145			<h2>License</h2>
146
147			<p>Skencil itself is published under the terms of the
148			<a href="LGPL">GNU Library General Public License
149			(LGPL)</a>. Some of the code distributed with Skencil is
150			not directly part of Skencil and is distributed under a
151			Python-style license.</p>
152
153			<p>I've put it under the LGPL, because many parts of
154			Skencil can be used as a library (and are used by Skencil
155			that way), and the LGPL is less restrictive than the
156			normal GNU General Public License when it comes to
157			distributing an LGPL'ed library with software covered by
158			a different license.</p>
Name	Value
svn:eol-style	native
svn:executable	*
svn:keywords	Author Date Id Revision