Inkscape 1.4.4 is a maintenance release with 20 crash fixes, ~20 bug fixes, 6 performance improvements, and Windows on ARM support.
Key Takeaways
Three startup crashes fixed, including crashes triggered by duplicate recent-file entries and graphics tablets on launch.
Performance improved in several hot paths: zooming on documents with many paths, copy-pasting objects with gradients, opening Layers/Objects dialog with large selections, and Gradient Tool editing.
Bridge release: opens and converts Inkscape 1.5 multipage format (svg:view based) back to the pre-1.5 format, maintaining compatibility with older versions.
New Star/Polygon tool button rotates shapes to an upright position; color palette for Elementary OS added; keyboard shortcut for Paste on Page now configurable.
macOS known issue: extensions do not work when Inkscape is launched from the command line (CVE-2025-15523 mitigation added in 1.4.3).
Hacker News Comment Review
Commenters broadly agree Inkscape has matured significantly but flag persistent regressions: the calligraphy tool has been degraded since 0.92, with lower resolution and worse tablet handling, and no Devices panel to diagnose input issues.
Practical use cases discussed include vinyl cutters, Brother embroidery machines via Inkstitch, CAD-adjacent workflows with TinkerCAD, and zero-budget app icon production, showing the tool’s reach beyond pure illustration.
CMYK support, SVG formatting on save, and CAD-style constraints are the three most cited missing features; one commenter notes CMYK development has been active for roughly two years with a dedicated contributor.
Notable Comments
@tasuki: Inkscape reformats hand-crafted SVG on save, inserting line breaks between attributes rather than elements, with no minimal-diff save option.
@amelius: Calls for CAD-style geometric constraints as a missing feature.
@darknavi: Contributed a feature letting users set a default saved filename, ending the ubiquitous drawing.svg default.
