Press Release: The World Wide Web Consortium Releases First Working Draft of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) specification

Dear Friend of W3C,

please find attached W3C's latest press release, where W3C asks for public
comments on a working draft on Scalable Vector Graphics. The purpose of this
publication is to encourage public comments and contributions. SVG is
written in XML, which up to now has mainly been used for text. This draft is
the first step in the development of a vendor-neutral, cross-platform and
ubiquitous Web-specific format for XML vector graphics.

Let me also take the opportunity to introduce W3C's new spokesperson, Janet
Daly, who is happy to answer your questions from her base at MIT, leaving me
room to concentrate on Europe. To contact her, please mail her at
janet@w3.org or call her at MIT, +1.617.253.5884.

Best regards,

Josef Dietl
     _________________________________________________________________

 The World Wide Web Consortium Releases First Working Draft of Scalable
Vector
                         Graphics (SVG) specification

W3C Members Collaborate on Dramatic Improvement to Web Graphics

   Press Release at http://www.w3.org/Press/1999/SVG-WD
   Testimonials at http://www.w3.org/Press/1999/Testimonials-SVG-WD

   Contact
          Josef Dietl, <[2]jdietl@w3.org>, +33 4.92.38.79.72

   America --
          Janet Daly, <[3]janet@w3.org>, +1.617.253.5884

   Europe --
          Ned Mitchell, <[4]ned@ala.com>, +33 1 43 22 79 56
          Andrew Lloyd, <[5]allo@ala.com>, +44 127 367 5100
     _________________________________________________________________

   http://www.w3.org/ -- 11 February, 1999 -- Leading the Web to its full
   potential, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) today released the
   first public working draft of the [6]Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)
   specification. The purpose of this publication is to encourage public
   comments and contributions. SVG is written in [7]XML, which up to now
   has mainly been used for text. This draft is the first step in the
   development of a vendor-neutral, cross-platform and ubiquitous
   Web-specific format for XML vector graphics.

   Current members of the W3C SVG Working Group are key industry players
   who brought their graphical and Web expertise to the design of this
   specification. In alphabetical order: Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Corel,
   HP, IBM, Inso, Macromedia, Microsoft, Netscape, Quark, RAL, Sun, and
   Visio.

   Following W3C's practice, the SVG Working Group provides a public
   mailing list ([8]www-svg@w3.org) for comments in addition to the
   feedback channels defined by the W3C Process.

The Web needs Vector Graphics

   Many Web graphical assets start out in some vector format. This makes
   them easier to draw and to edit, and allows them be resized, cropped
   and reused, then printed at different resolutions.

   "Today, Web designers have to pick a width and height in pixels and
   save their work in some image format like JPEG." said Chris Lilley,
   W3C Graphics Activity Lead and Chair of the SVG Working Group. "SVG
   will let the designer keep that vector flexibility and superior
   quality for delivery on the Web."

   The same SVG graphic can be used multiple times on a page, but at
   different sizes, styled to use different colors and textures, or
   cropped to emphasise relevant features - all with one SVG image
   download. And that page will print with high resolution and the
   correct colors.

The XML advantage

   XML, developed by W3C, is a format for representing structured
   documents and data. SVG is written in XML and therefore benefits from
   XML's strengths, ongoing developments and increasing popularity. Any
   existing XML parser can read this new format; interchange will be
   easy.

   [9]Style sheets, which are used today to adjust the presentation of
   text in XML and HTML, will be equally applicable to SVG. Webmasters
   are used to changing a few stylesheets to give their whole site a
   makeover; now this will freshen the graphics along with the text,
   keeping a harmonious and integrated look.

   The [10]Document Object Model (DOM), which is used by scripts and
   programs to manipulate XML documents - for example, to acheive
   animation effects - can immediately be used on SVG graphics.

   Site management tools, which find and manipulate hyperlinks, will work
   just as easily on SVG files as they do with existing XML documents,
   thanks to the use of the emerging XLink and XPointer specifications.
   Because text in the graphics is kept as text, rather than a "picture
   of text", existing search engines will find SVG graphics and
   accessibility for the visually challenged is greatly improved.

   SVG is expected to find uses in advertising, sales support materials,
   and other types of graphics design; organization charts, company
   logos, network and flow diagrams, and other sorts of business
   communications.

Cooperation Ensures Ubiquity

   A new format is no use if it is not widely supported in authoring
   tools and browsers. By building on existing Web specifications and by
   harnessing the expertise of key players among the W3C Membership in
   the graphics creation and Web browsing fields, W3C is ensuring that
   SVG is an open, vendor neutral format that content creators can easily
   use and depend upon for graphics delivery over the Web.

   Further information on SVG can be found at
   [11]http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/
     _________________________________________________________________

About the World Wide Web Consortium [W3C]

   The W3C was created to lead the Web to its full potential by
   developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its
   interoperability. It is an international industry consortium jointly
   run by the [12]MIT Laboratory for Computer Science (MIT LCS) in the
   USA, the [13]National Institute for Research in Computer Science and
   Control (INRIA) in France and [14]Keio University in Japan. Services
   provided by the Consortium include: a repository of information about
   the World Wide Web for developers and users, sample code
   implementations to embody and promote standards, and various prototype
   and sample applications to demonstrate use of new technology. To date,
   over 300 organizations are [15]Members of the Consortium.

   For more information about the World Wide Web Consortium, see
   [16]http://www.w3.org/

References

   1. http://www.w3.org/Press/1999/Testimonials-SVG-WD
   2. mailto:jdietl@w3.org
   3. mailto:janet@w3.org
   4. mailto:ned@ala.com
   5. mailto:allo@ala.com
   6. http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-SVG
   7. http://www.w3.org/XML/Activity
   8. mailto:www-svg@w3.org
   9. http://www.w3.org/Style
  10. http://www.w3.org/DOM/Activity
  11. http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/
  12. http://www.lcs.mit.edu/
  13. http://www.inria.fr/
  14. http://www.keio.ac.jp/
  15. http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Member/List
  16. http://www.w3.org/
  17. http://www.w3.org/Press/1999/Testimonials-SVG-WD

Received on Thursday, 11 February 1999 11:37:24 UTC