* fix a crash on Windows ("python.exe can't find msvcrt71.dll") by
providing that dll in the package;
* fix hang in page size widget
* on Mac OS X, removed problems with home folder path names
containing spaces;
* inkscape now finds libpng include headers on some systems where it
previously failed to do so
* several changes to allow compiling on glib-2.4 systems (e.g.
RHEL4);
* allow compiling on systems with incomplete boost library headers;
recognize if boost is too old
* inkscape now compiles with gcc-4.2.x.
* fixed a bug where stderr output from scripts was not shown
* fixed a bug affecting the recent files menu
* resolution information is now saved in exported PNG files
* fix some ODG export bugs
* fix dia import
* fix several include issues affecting building on Solaris
(there are still some more problems, at least under Solaris 8, and
similar ones on OpenBSD)
* added missing German version of the advanced tutorial and made
corrections to the calligraphy one; added missing Czech, German,
and Brazil-Portuguese tutorials to tarball; added missing German
keytable to tarball
* applied changes to the German and Spanish translations of Inkscape
strings
* interactivity improvements at high zooms
* fix for specifying CSS colors with percentages
* re-enabled old PDF exporter alongside the new one
* minor fixes to new PDF exporter (a major overhaul is still in the
works)
* fixup for invalid "s odipodi" namespace which has become
widespread in Inkscape documents
* Mac OS X packaging updates
* miscellaneous build fixes
changes:
* Layers dialog
* Outline mode, many performance improvements
* Native PDF export with transparency
* Clipping and masking support
* Configurable keyboard shortcuts, including optional Xara X
compatibility
* Docked color palette in the editing window
* Interactive indicator of the style of selection in the statusbar
* Innovative "node sculpting" and other improvements in Node tool
* Extensions are enabled by default and work on all major platforms
* Better SVG support: <switch> element, ICC color profiles for images
* Persistent rotation centers, Paste Size command
* New icons, redesigned preferences dialogs, rearranged menus, many
cosmetic improvements
* Hundreds of bugfixes and smaller features
* Flowed text: text objects that automatically reflow in any shape (not
only rectangle).
* Text selection: finally you can shift+arrow or drag over part of a
text and apply any style to the selected span.
* Gradient tool: a completely redesigned and much easier to use gradient
interface, with gradient handles displayed right on canvas.
* Effects are now usable from within Inkscape on all platforms; this
version ships with a collection of effects including path
interpolation, randomization, and various fractal algorithms.
* Color swatches: a standard facility in most graphic software, now in
Inkscape too.
* Colored clones: clones can now be painted differently from their
original.
* Tile tracing: the Tile Clones dialog can trace the existing image with
the tiling, producing a multitude of exciting effects.
* Grid arrange, baseline align, unclumping: new powerful ways to arrange
objects.
* Better PS/EPS export: gradient support, better text handling, a
command line option for batch export.
* Command line SVG analysis: use Inkscape from the command line to query
coordinates and dimensions of objects in an SVG file.
* Better SVG/CSS compliance: notably, internal CSS stylesheets are now
supported (read-only).
* OS X support: In addition to Linux and Windows, Inkscape 0.42 is
available as a fully self-contained dmg package for Mac OS X.
from the announcement:
The primary focus of 0.41 has been bug fixing.
[...]
A couple new features also found their way in. First, the black and
white tracing functionality introduced in 0.40 has been improved to also
allow conversion of color and grayscale images. Second, is the addition
of a new clone tiler facility which creates patterns, tesselations, and
other sorts of geometric tiling arrangements.
User requests and comments also stimulated a number of improvements to
units handling, extensions, the Invert Selection command, layers
selector, icon theming, and several new translations.
