8 ms·

I sure wish they'd make it run as a first class citizen on Mac, currently it uses XQuartz and I'm constantly having it open a file but I can't get to the window

I sure wish they'd make it run as a first class citizen on Mac, currently it uses XQuartz and I'm constantly having it open a file but I can't get to the windows: they flash, then go to some hidden desktop and you have to jump through hoops to try to get them to actually display. Horrible user experience and I have given up on recommending this to other because they all run into the same thing and get frustrated and give up.

sdfjkl 8y ago
On Mac there's Omnigraffle, which is excellent, although $$$.
macco 8y ago
Switch to Linux =) Pop OS is great for laptops. Joking aside, I wouldn't hold my breath for a decent mac version. Gtk is not really a cross plattform gui toolkit.
- zmmmmm 8y ago
  Somehow though, the windows version is great. It's only Mac that seems to have huge problems.
  - RayDonnelly 8y ago
    A lot of the credit for the Windows version should go to MSYS2. They provide all the libraries used here (including GTK).
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
jhasse 8y ago
I think Version 1.0 will drop the XQuartz requirement, have you tried it?
- ngrilly 8y ago
  Are you sure about this?
  - jhasse 8y ago
    No, sorry. I don't have a Mac to test. See https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/237953/install-inkscape-without-xquartz/237955#237955 https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/237953/install-ink...
- kyle-rb 8y ago
  I built based on the current 1.0 source linked from the post, and it still seems to use XQuartz, unless there's some special flag I have to enable when building.
dddddaviddddd 8y ago
> there is always room for developers, too, especially those who can help with preparing the upcoming Inkscape 1.0 to be usable on MacOS. As few Inkscape volunteer developers use a Mac, the project needs someone who knows how to automatically package a .dmg file, to enable Mac users to test the alpha version, along with Mac equipment to run continuous integration jobs.
- pcmaffey 8y ago
  I would pay for a packaged Mac version that dropped Xquartz and fixed the painful hidden windows issue mentioned in gp.
  - fao_ 8y ago
    There are plenty of freelance OS X developers out there that would be willing.
    - tkp 8y ago
      A recent mailing list post with some clues to get in touch and help : http://inkscape.13.x6.nabble.com/Inkscape-0-92-3-package-for-MacOS-td4982816.html http://inkscape.13.x6.nabble.com/Inkscape-0-92-3-package-for...
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
nicholascamera 8y ago
I work at a fab lab. We love Inkscape and I train many people to use it each week. Our workshops are exclusively Inkscape focused. Illustrator takes a back seat. On Mac, xQuartz is a bad sticking point. The unusual ctrl/cmd key swap is difficult to remember. The XQuartz preferences are difficult to parse and must be changed upon install — even I refer to the instructions on the Mac download page every time. A first class Mac app would make it a much easier sell. We still use v 0.91 as 0.92 moved from 90 dpi svg to 96 dpi svg, to conform to web svg. This can cause problems with our laser cutter software. More important, opening files authored in 0.92 in 0.91 can change the physical size of the drawings. I believe the sizes remain correct if defined in a physical measurement (ie anything but pixels), but some extensions generate svgs whose dimensions are nevertheless affected when opened in the older software. This issue, and the occasional crashing on windows when pasting an image copied from elsewhere, are the only problems I face with this excellent software. Bravo!
- justinclift 8y ago
  There have been the occasional Inkscape builds over the years which use the native macOS er.. window manager instead of needing an X server. Saying that because I used to use them, and they worked fine (for me). If you're ok with using a slightly older Inkscape release, you should be able to dig up a few builds that work. ;)
kyle-rb 8y ago
I often have that disappearing window issue when trying to use multiple monitors. My bizarre workaround is that the hidden window seems to flash while the main window is being minimized, so I hold shift when minimizing it to make it go in slow motion, giving me time to reposition the hidden window somewhere Inkscape can handle. There's also a MacOS setting "displays have separate spaces", under mission control; disabling it can help Inkscape in some of those cases, but I ended up toggling it back since some other apps had issues with it off. As for getting to a native version, does anyone know what that process is, and if there's a roadmap for doing it? Based on what I've read online, Gimp is based on GTK as well, and runs reasonably well on Mac, so I imagine it's doable.

sdfjkl 8y ago

On Mac there's Omnigraffle, which is excellent, although $$$.

macco 8y ago

Switch to Linux =) Pop OS is great for laptops. Joking aside, I wouldn't hold my breath for a decent mac version. Gtk is not really a cross plattform gui toolkit.

zmmmmm 8y ago
Somehow though, the windows version is great. It's only Mac that seems to have huge problems.
- RayDonnelly 8y ago
  A lot of the credit for the Windows version should go to MSYS2. They provide all the libraries used here (including GTK).
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]

jhasse 8y ago

I think Version 1.0 will drop the XQuartz requirement, have you tried it?

ngrilly 8y ago
Are you sure about this?
- jhasse 8y ago
  No, sorry. I don't have a Mac to test. See https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/237953/install-inkscape-without-xquartz/237955#237955 https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/237953/install-ink...
kyle-rb 8y ago
I built based on the current 1.0 source linked from the post, and it still seems to use XQuartz, unless there's some special flag I have to enable when building.

dddddaviddddd 8y ago

> there is always room for developers, too, especially those who can help with preparing the upcoming Inkscape 1.0 to be usable on MacOS. As few Inkscape volunteer developers use a Mac, the project needs someone who knows how to automatically package a .dmg file, to enable Mac users to test the alpha version, along with Mac equipment to run continuous integration jobs.

pcmaffey 8y ago
I would pay for a packaged Mac version that dropped Xquartz and fixed the painful hidden windows issue mentioned in gp.
- fao_ 8y ago
  There are plenty of freelance OS X developers out there that would be willing.
  - tkp 8y ago
    A recent mailing list post with some clues to get in touch and help : http://inkscape.13.x6.nabble.com/Inkscape-0-92-3-package-for-MacOS-td4982816.html http://inkscape.13.x6.nabble.com/Inkscape-0-92-3-package-for...

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

nicholascamera 8y ago

I work at a fab lab. We love Inkscape and I train many people to use it each week. Our workshops are exclusively Inkscape focused. Illustrator takes a back seat. On Mac, xQuartz is a bad sticking point. The unusual ctrl/cmd key swap is difficult to remember. The XQuartz preferences are difficult to parse and must be changed upon install — even I refer to the instructions on the Mac download page every time. A first class Mac app would make it a much easier sell. We still use v 0.91 as 0.92 moved from 90 dpi svg to 96 dpi svg, to conform to web svg. This can cause problems with our laser cutter software. More important, opening files authored in 0.92 in 0.91 can change the physical size of the drawings. I believe the sizes remain correct if defined in a physical measurement (ie anything but pixels), but some extensions generate svgs whose dimensions are nevertheless affected when opened in the older software. This issue, and the occasional crashing on windows when pasting an image copied from elsewhere, are the only problems I face with this excellent software. Bravo!

justinclift 8y ago
There have been the occasional Inkscape builds over the years which use the native macOS er.. window manager instead of needing an X server. Saying that because I used to use them, and they worked fine (for me). If you're ok with using a slightly older Inkscape release, you should be able to dig up a few builds that work. ;)

kyle-rb 8y ago

I often have that disappearing window issue when trying to use multiple monitors. My bizarre workaround is that the hidden window seems to flash while the main window is being minimized, so I hold shift when minimizing it to make it go in slow motion, giving me time to reposition the hidden window somewhere Inkscape can handle. There's also a MacOS setting "displays have separate spaces", under mission control; disabling it can help Inkscape in some of those cases, but I ended up toggling it back since some other apps had issues with it off. As for getting to a native version, does anyone know what that process is, and if there's a roadmap for doing it? Based on what I've read online, Gimp is based on GTK as well, and runs reasonably well on Mac, so I imagine it's doable.