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>2006-01-03:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID17"
        >New Softproof plugin (colour management);
        updated Debian packages and screenshots</a>
        <br />
 <b>2005-10-30:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID16"
        >New Gallery Image: Anna04</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	648	<b>2006-01-03:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID17"
12			>New Softproof plugin (colour management);
13			updated Debian packages and screenshots</a>
14			<br />
15	bh	644	<b>2005-10-30:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID16"
16			>New Gallery Image: Anna04</a>
17			<br />
18	bernhard	641	<b>2005-09-20:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID15"
19			>Build notes for Mac OS X</a>
20			<br />
21	bernhard	637	<b>2005-07-12:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID14"
22			>New Binaries and request for packaging help</a>
23			<br />
24	bh	634	<b>2005-06-19:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID13"
25			>New stable version, Skencil 0.6.17</a>
26			<br />
27	bernhard	631	<b>2005-03-10:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID12"
28			>Experimental binary packages for 0.6.17pre3</a>
29			<br />
30	bernhard	629	<b>2005-01-20:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID11"
31			>Waratah plant drawing new in gallery</a>
32			<br />
33	bernhard	626	<b>2004-12-06:</b> <a href="news.html#newsID10"
34			>German Manual updated</a>
35			<br />
36	jpaalasm	606
37			</p>
38
39			<p><a href="news.html">More news...</a></p>
40
41			<h2>Introduction to Skencil</h2>
42
43			<p>Skencil is a Free Software interactive vector drawing
44			appliction. Known to run on
45			<a href="platforms.html">GNU/Linux and other
46			UNIX-compatible systems</a>, it is a flexible and
47			powerful tool for illustrations, diagrams and other
48			purposes.</p>
49
50			<p>A somewhat unique (for a drawing program) feature of
51			Skencil is that it is implemented almost completely in a
52			very high-level, interpreted language,
53			<a href="links.html">Python</a>. Python is powerful,
54			object-oriented and yet easy to use.</p>
55			<hr />
56
57
58			<p>Just a few highlights about Skencil's features</p>
59
60			<ul>
61			<li>Bézier Curves</li>
62
63			<li>Transformed text and images</li>
64
65			<li>Bézier curves, rectangles and ellipses can
66			be used as guides</li>
67
68			<li>Gradient fills</li>
69
70			<li>Blend groups</li>
71
72			<li>Writes EPS files</li>
73
74			<li><a href="features.html#N2">Text along a
75			path</a></li>
76
77			<li><a href="features.html">many more...</a></li>
78			</ul>
79
80
81			<h2>Status</h2>
82
83	bernhard	638	<p>The current stable release is 0.6.17. Skencil is quite
84	jpaalasm	606	usable already, even for production use, in my opinion.
85			The low version number is mainly due to lack of some
86			important features such as good text support.</p>
87
88			<p>The 0.6.x series will likely see minor improvements
89			over time, but no major changes to the core. There may be
90			more improvements in the import and export filters,
91			though.</p>
92
93			<p>Real development takes place in the unstable 0.7.x
94			<a href="devel.html">developer series</a>. Among the
95			major goals of this series is a port to GTK+, better text
96			support and a multi document interface.</p>
97
98			<p>The 0.7.x series of Skencil also supports more operating systems
99			(including Microsoft Windows) because GTK+ is ported to many platforms.</p>
100
101
102			<h2>Features</h2>
103			<p>In addition to the standard features (rectangles, ellipses, curves, text
104			etc.) that you expect from a vector drawing program, Skencil also has some
105			more advanced features like possibility to bend text along a path. See the
106			<a href="features.html">features page</a> for a comprehensive list of
107			features.</p>
108
109			<h2>Requirements</h2>
110
111			<p>Apart from the sources of Skencil, you need some
112			additional software. See the
113			<a href="download.html">download page</a> for details
114			on what software and where you can get it.</p>
115
116			<p>For Skencil to work properly with transformed text,
117			you also need an X-server capable of scaling and
118			transforming fonts. (XFree86 does support this.
119			Otherwise, you need X11R6 as far as I know).</p>
120
121			<p>Skencil currently supports only TrueColor visuals with
122			depths of 15, 16, 24 or 32 bits and 8-bit PseudoColor
123			visuals.</p>
124
125			<h2><a name="N2" id="N2">Contact & Mailing
126			list</a></h2>
127
128			<p>There's a mailing list for all Skencil-related topics.
129			You can subscribe to it via the web-interface at
130			<a href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/sketch-list">
131			http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/sketch-list</a>
132			or by sending a mail with the word subscribe in the
133			subject to
134			<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=subscribe">
135			[email protected]</a>.</p>
136
137			<p>You can also
138			<a href="mailto:[email protected]">contact
139			me directly</a>, although I'd prefer to discuss things on
140			the mailing list.</p>
141
142			<p>If you want to report bugs, please have a look at the
143			<a href="http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=100828&group_id=828&func=browse">
144			bug tracker</a> first.</p>
145
146			<p>New versions are announced on the mailing list, on the
147			SourceForge
148			<a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/sketch">Skencil
149			page</a> and on
150			<a href="http://freshmeat.net/">freshmeat</a>.</p>
151
152			<h2>License</h2>
153
154			<p>Skencil itself is published under the terms of the
155			<a href="LGPL">GNU Library General Public License
156			(LGPL)</a>. Some of the code distributed with Skencil is
157			not directly part of Skencil and is distributed under a
158			Python-style license.</p>
159
160			<p>I've put it under the LGPL, because many parts of
161			Skencil can be used as a library (and are used by Skencil
162			that way), and the LGPL is less restrictive than the
163			normal GNU General Public License when it comes to
164			distributing an LGPL'ed library with software covered by
165			a different license.</p>
Name	Value
svn:eol-style	native
svn:executable	*
svn:keywords	Author Date Id Revision