Why did Inkscape split from Sodipodi?
Inkscape started as a code fork of Sodipodi. The main reasons were differences in objectives and in development approach. Inkscape’s objective is to be a fully compliant SVG editor, whereas for Sodipodi SVG is more a means-to-an-end of being a vector illustration tool. Inkscape’s development approach emphasizes open developer access to the codebase, as well as using and contributing back to 3rd party libraries and standards such as HIG, CSS, etc. in preference to custom solutions. Reusing existing shared solutions helps developer to focus on the core work of Inkscape. For background, it may also be worth reviewing Lauris’ Sodipodi direction post from Oct 2003, and his thoughts on SVG, licensing, and the value of splitting the project into two independent branches.
