If Inkcore existed tomorrow we do already have Inkscape and Inkview. There might be other applications like Synfig, Dia, interested in using it. there might even be someone interested in creating a raster graphics app since nowadays many raster apps have a vector engine underneath (Fireworks, Xara, Expression).

> I like the idea of lib’ification. And, I like the idea of inkdia, which would have to be renamed

If you had the enthusiasm an d resources to create inkdia you would probably be able to make big improvements to Dia just as easily.
if Inkcore existed I expect Dia would be close to first in line to use it or failing that some kind of Cairo canvas.

More than likely, this inkcore and inkscape ideas would be simultaneous with intent to get others to start their own ink____ or “whatever they want to name it” using inkcore.

Inkscape has been moving this way since we started the project, so this is really just the fruition of our refactoring efforts.

Right, the idea is to spin many apps out of this effort. Hopefully this will happen with the gimp. I mean in the end, how big can these apps really get?

I like the idea of lib’ification. And, I like the idea of inkdia, which would have to be renamed inkcharts or something so we don’t get hated on
Oh, at the same time, it should be noted that Inkscape has always maintained that doing everything is not the best strategy. Thus, hopefully what we can provide would allow dia and other apps to use inkcore if they so like…as building communities really takes time.

Splitting an entire project into two parts, though, with no promise of use of the first part; It feels kind of risky.

But I see a huge space of “visual applications” that don’t exist, because it takes so long to get a “base.”

I’ve often wished (but only wished,) for an application like EMACS, but on an infinite canvas, like we have with Inkscape, and capable of integrating graphics. Most of the controls would be based around text and view and positioning, rather than the InkScape focus on images, drawing, and so on.

The technical infrastructure would end up looking identical to Inkscape, but the keyboard bindings and user interface code would look extremely different.

Perhaps the thing to do is to do the Inkscape core thing, after you have a few applications riding on top of Inkscape?