Highlights from the latest Inkscape release: http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Release_notes/0.48

• Multipath editing: you can now drag select a group of path nodes and edit them together. This was not possible in earlier releases.
• Windows command line improvements
• Improved stability: expect fewer crashes when importing files.
• SVG text now supports baseline-shift: now you too can enjoy superscript and subscript text.

Multipath editing is the big win here. This is the kind of feature Inkscape needed to be a serious alternative to the mainstream tools.

Inkscape has been a key part of my graphics work. Paired with Raphaël, you have a very powerful toolset for cross platform (optionally animated) vector graphics on the web.