Libre Arts
librearts.org · Group blog · on HN since 2021
Libre Arts covers free and open source creative software, including graphics, audio, CAD and related Linux tools.
What HN saysHN commenters cite it as a source on topics like SVG mesh gradients, DWG support in free software, and the CLAP audio plugin standard.
21HN people shared it
7linked it in comments
39stories submitted
160story points
6 months agolast shared
2021people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1Libre Arts – Looking back at 2021, looking forward at 20224 people · 8 points · first shared 2022 · discussion on HN
- 2Gimp 2.99.143 people · 3 points · first shared 2022 · discussion on HN
- 3Common Sense about Audacity2 people · 11 points · first shared 2021 · 9 comments on HN
- 4Libre Arts2 people · 5 points · first shared 2021 · discussion on HN
- 5RIP Igor Novikov, founder of sK1, a CMYK-capable free/libre vector graphi (cont)2 people · 5 points · first shared 2021 · discussion on HN
- 62021: what’s coming in free/libre software1 people · 66 points · first shared 2021 · 2 comments on HN
- 7Audio editors for Linux that are not Audacity1 people · 13 points · first shared 2022 · discussion on HN
- 8Meet Anagram, a Linux-powered bass FX processor1 people · 7 points · first shared 2025 · 1 comments on HN
- 9FreeCAD 1.0: new features and the larger picture1 people · 5 points · first shared 2024 · 3 comments on HN
- 10Ultimate Guitar launches Muse Group and acquires Audacity1 people · 3 points · first shared 2021 · discussion on HN
- 11JUCE7 delivers LV2 and ARA support1 people · 3 points · first shared 2022 · discussion on HN
- 12Gimp and Ongoing CMYK Work1 people · 3 points · first shared 2022 · discussion on HN
- 13Streamlining Inkscape for the Masses1 people · 3 points · first shared 2022 · discussion on HN
- 14Libre Arts Weekly-ish recap – 26 October 20221 people · 2 points · first shared 2022 · discussion on HN
- 15Mayo: The Free/Libre 3D CAD Files Viewer1 people · 2 points · first shared 2023 · discussion on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
brulard · 2025-06-02
This is not supported in SVG. There was a Mesh Gradient feature planned for SVG v2.0, but AFAIK that was removed from the draft. It's a shame. Here is an article discussing that. (2018, mind you)
https://librearts.org/2018/05/gradient-meshes-and-hatching-to-be-remov…
EDIT: I assumed this is SVG renderer, but now i think it may not be bound by SVG limitations.
rurban · 2023-02-13
Still struggling from this famous fallout:
https://librearts.org/2012/01/whats-up-with-dwg-adoption-in-free-softw…
I'm the maintainer, the FSF owns the code, and I'm very fine that it's GPLv3. Others not so, but we don't care. GPLv3 is the only possibility.
PaulDavisThe1st · 2022-06-16
A more even-handed write up at librearts:
https://librearts.org/2022/06/introducing-clap/
and from the same author, just last week, an LWN overview of CLAP:
https://lwn.net/Articles/893048/
and from the same author a few weeks before that, and overview of the state of audio plugin APIs with a particular focus on the Linux situation:
https://lwn.net/Articles/890272/
Vedor · 2022-05-22
LibreCAD is a fork [0] of QCAD Community Edition. It looks very similar, but it is actually a separate piece of software.
The biggest difference I see between these two is UI and the pace of development. LibreCAD is still being worked on, but the latest stable release was in 2016. Last patch for QCAD has been released four days ago.
Personally, I prefer QCAD to LibreCAD. Both are quirky to use, but QCAD is at least a little bit less quirky. If you are coming from AutoCAD, then both will be equally confusing.
[0] Maybe not literally, README file available in LibreCAD repo declares that "LibreCAD is a 2D CAD drawing tool based on the community edition of QCAD." On the other hand, Libre Arts article [1] calls it fork.
[1] https://librearts.org/2013/03/librecad-vs-qcad/
app4soft · 2021-11-29
SolveSpace[0] is a free & opensource 2D/3D CAD app based on own solid geometry kernel & geometric constraints solver (`libslvs`).[1]
`libslvs` partially used for FreeCAD (Assembly3 Workbench) & Blender (Geometry Sketcher) add-ons.[2]
Try latest SolveSpace 3.x 'nightly' builds for Linux, macOS & Windows.[3]
[0] https://solvespace.com
[1] https://librearts.org/2013/08/solvespace-released-under-gpl/
[2] https://twitter.com/app4soft/status/1464273608465948682
[3] https://git.io/SolveSpace3x
bergie · 2021-01-21
There has been quite a lot of IoT automation / rule engine stuff done in NoFlo in the last couple of companies I’ve worked at, but obviously I can’t really go into specifics there.
Then there was this startup way back when:
https://www.cloudamqp.com/blog/2017-05-31-work-queues-in-rabbitmq-for-…
https://librearts.org/2014/10/artificial-intelligence-designs-websites…
On the front-end side, Flowhub uses NoFlo for state management, a bit similarly to how you’d use Redux:
https://github.com/noflo/noflo-ui
buovjaga · 2022-11-19
More details: https://librearts.org/2022/11/gimp-2-99-14/