SVG and the promise of smaller size

One of the benefits of SVG being touted is smaller
file size when compared to bitmapped formats. But 
in general, SVG files are not necessarily smaller.

There are many examples on this site:
  http://indy.cs.concordia.ca/svg/examples/index.html
The examples are available in GIF as well as SVG
formats. In most cases the GIF files are smaller!

Of course the SVG format has advantages such as
zoomability, and printing at high resolution. But
clearly file size is not one of the advantages.

There are instances where SVG files may be smaller.
For example, if the graphic is large in dimension, 
but only contains a simple circle, the SVG file is
likely to be smaller than the corresponding GIF.

Promising smaller size will lead to disappointment
when those promises are not realized. It is important
to set expectations correctly, or web designers will
try SVG once and then throw it away.

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Received on Friday, 15 October 1999 12:36:15 UTC