Forked over usability and development direction. Became the standard open source vector editor.
Inkscape is a vector graphics editor that uses SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) as its native file format. It provides tools for creating and editing paths, shapes, text, clones, gradients, and more. It competes with proprietary tools like Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer in the vector graphics space.
Sodipodi was a vector graphics editor created in 1999 by Estonian developer Lauris Kaplinski, built on top of Raph Levien's Gill (GNOME Illustration Application). It was functional but idiosyncratic—Kaplinski had a clear vision for a general-purpose vector editor that didn't necessarily align with strict standards compliance or conventional UI design. He also maintained tight control over the project's direction.
By 2003, a group of four developers—Ted Gould, Bryce Harrington, Nathan Hurst, and MenTaLguY—had grown frustrated with the project's trajectory. They wanted full SVG standard compliance, a more accessible user interface, and a more open development process that welcomed third-party contributions. Initially, they tried to create a separate branch within Sodipodi, but the differences in vision were too fundamental for a branch to contain.
The four forked Sodipodi into Inkscape in November 2003. The name was a portmanteau of 'ink' and 'landscape.' The new team immediately made significant technical changes: they migrated the codebase from C to C++, adopted the gtkmm toolkit bindings, and completely redesigned the user interface. Most importantly, they committed to full SVG compliance—Inkscape would be an SVG editor first, with the file format driving the feature set rather than the other way around.
Sodipodi continued under Kaplinski's stewardship for a while but gradually faded as Inkscape absorbed the community's energy and attracted new contributors. Inkscape grew into the de facto open source vector graphics editor, often described as 'the GIMP of vector graphics.' It remains actively developed with a substantial user base.
Lauris Kaplinski begins developing Sodipodi, based on Gill
Four developers fork Sodipodi to create Inkscape
Codebase migration from C to C++ begins, UI redesigned
Inkscape 0.37 released, first major release with SVG compliance focus
Sodipodi development effectively ceases
Inkscape 1.0 released after 17 years of development
Inkscape became the standard open source tool for vector graphics editing, used by millions of designers, illustrators, and hobbyists. It filled a critical gap in the open source creative software ecosystem alongside GIMP and Blender, proving that community-driven development could produce professional-quality creative tools.
The fork validated the importance of standards compliance as a guiding principle. By committing to SVG rather than inventing a proprietary format, Inkscape ensured interoperability with the broader graphics ecosystem and attracted users who needed reliable SVG editing.