Greetings everyone; I’m a total newbie with much optimism about synfig. After much looking at the various options available I felt it has the most to offer. Looks like my learning curve might be a little tougher but after playing with some of the tools last evening I think I can learn this easier than I first imagined. I use Mepis Debian Gnu Linux OS updated to Sid with experimental snapshots. Have used and been learning Linux since 2003. I also just installed inkscape and will be learning to it at the same time. My first impression is this is a nice forum and reminds me of Mepislovers forum where I participate regularly, hope to learn a lot here and meet everyone over time. 
Welcome - pull up a chair and make yourself at home 
Chris
yes - welcome - a newbie myself to synfig - maybe we can swap notes as we progress?