InkScape is a great, an absolutely amazinh program. It has a huge flexibility to draw all kinds of vector graphics. And its code is very mature and well developed (I guess).

I am searching for a way to implement the features of Microsoft Visio into a OpenSource program. I know that the Dia project from the GNOME desktop just wants to achieve that, but Dia is even not half as good as Visio when it comes to create charts with a minimum of work, and a maximum of flexibility. And second: I am not sure how many active developers maintane the Dia Project.

This are the reasons why I am now focussing on InkScape, which has
1. has a huge community, which has already done a great work, and will probably do this in the future
2. has a huge flexibility in creating vector graphics, which is needed to create charts due to resize etc. stuff
3. has a nice Look&Feel; it just feels good to work with InkScape, and it is very simple. Dia is much harder to use
4. is a good fundament, to build and implement new software on top of it, for example as new plug-ins

So this is my new idea: implement a plug-in for InkScape which imports all the functionality, which is needed to create any kind of chart or diagram with a minimum of work and a maximum flexibility. Just like it is possible with Visio.
Am I the first how had this idea?

Is it possible to implement a such feature? Does InkScape has already a plug-in system, or does this extra feature needs to be implemented in a fork of InkScape?

I think InkScape is a solid basis to create a working environment, which has the same (or even) better capabilities to compete with Microsoft Visio. For example, it should be simple to create a database of various predefinded icons, patterns and elements, which are just looking godd (shadow, nice border, etc.). For example the database should contain predefined patterns for UML-diagrams, or Flow-Charts and so on.

I want to know what the InkScape developers think of my idea. Is this the right to place to come in discussion with the developers? Or do I have to use the mailing list?

This is prodominently a 'user' a forum, so whilst there are a couple of developers registered here, the best place to communicate with developers is on the developers mailing list.

Having said that, I believe strongly in focusing on one purpose when developing a product. A product that attempts to fulfill too many roles will likely do poorly at all of them.

You want charting capabilities, others have requested CAD features, more have asked for photo manipulation. I think Inkscape should stick to general drawing/logo/clipart design. You won't find people asking to include Inkscape-like drawing features into Visio or Dia.

Flow-charts are often requested in Inkscape, search through the bugs and requests you'll find more info there.

Inkscape development is volunteer based, when a programmer wants to he/she works on some part of code, usually it's something they need in their own work. If you want a feature implemented you are encouraged to dive into it yourself, that's how lots of Inkscape features were made.

As far as I can tell Inkscape is very flexible, you can make an extension for it that does what you like, it can be implemented in Inkscape by default so it's shipped with the installation, or you can have it separate from Inkscape and only people who want to download it and use... I think it's a good chance that Inkscape will improve in the flow-chart area, you just need someone who can and is willing to do the work.

...what the flow chart is, exactly? /me thinks of a bad kind of a mindmap.. Examples and sketches to be here.

But, in general - SVG charting is the thing that should be done with XML+XSLT, not by SVG only.
Open the SVG template - edit it - call the plugin that would merge SVG + XSLT templates together in some /tmp/uglyname.xslt file to run it upon source data, no?

Other side is, XSLT may have a commentary/markup that can be read by the plugin to describe and show some input fields, that does another half of the trick. Is it the way or you think of some mods to clone tool?

And yes, the one charting thing that is mostly required in-code - is an ability to group a set of elements liquidly, making the group of paths and objects to be resized 'weirdly' - getting objects of same size but longer links/paths between. Or there is such a thing already?

P.S. For a once-per-life works - you don't code, you ddraw them like in this tut. And, http://flare.prefuse.org/demo thus (warning, Microsoft inside!) would give some hints to someone, supposely..