Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)

SVG Tiny 1.2 Published as a W3C Recommendation

2008-12-22: Yesterday, W3C announced the publication of the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) Tiny 1.2 specification as a W3C Recommendation. SVG Tiny 1.2 is a format suitable for everything from mobile devices to embedded multimedia systems to desktop browsers. It is already deployed widely on mobile phones and other devices around the world, where it is used both to browse Web content and as the main user interface for the device. Scalable Vector Graphics is used as both a Web-viewable interchange format and as an interactive multimedia platform, and is a key part of the sustainable Web.

New Features and Ease-of-Use

SVG Tiny 1.2 includes several improvements to the language, and key new features that SVG authors have been waiting for. Multimedia features such as synchronized interactive audio, video, and animation allow authors to create compelling content across platforms and devices, using open standards. The MicroDOM (or uDOM) gives developers more control than ever over scripted behaviors, with easier and more intuitive programming interfaces, and builds on DOM interfaces to include standardized keyboard support. Accessibility, internationalization, and localization are built into the language from the ground floor, and this specification improves upon those capabilities and adds clearer guidelines for using them. SVG Tiny 1.2 also includes attributes for semantic Web technologies such as RDFa, Microformats, and other metadata formats to allow authors to add meaning to their visual message. And as ever, text is SVG is not just an image, but is searchable and selectable, and SVG Tiny 1.2 makes it easier to use with the inclusion of auto-wrapping text fields and editable text, as well as custom fonts.

Extensible and Durable

SVG Tiny 1.2 will be followed by a set of SVG specification modules that extend its capabilities, including more advanced graphical and layout features, and tighter integration with other key Web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript. SVG Tiny 1.2 will serve as the core for these independent modules, allowing the language to quickly grow to meet author, developer, and user needs. As an open standard and a W3C Recommendation, authors and users can depend on backwards compatibility with earlier versions of the language, and forwards compatibility with future versions, so content is stable and robust.

Wide Support for SVG

As an open standard, SVG is well-supported in the majority of modern browser, with active development and rapid improvement in both interoperability and performance. The SVG Tiny 1.2 specification, intended at first chiefly for mobile devices, is seeing wider deployment among all classes of browsers and devices, with features from SVG Tiny 1.2 implemented in mainstream browsers. Professional authoring tools, both commercial and open-source, allow authors to easily create rich graphical content that can be shared and reused. For more details about industry support, see the SVG Tiny 1.2 testimonials page, which will be updated independently.

The SVG Working Group, with Erik Dahlström (Opera Software ASA) and Andrew Emmons (W3C Invited Expert, formerly of BitFlash) as current co-chairs of the group, and Chis Lilley (W3C) and Nandini Ramani (Sun Microsystems) as past chairs, have created a more precise specification and more complete test suite to ensure interoperability, and to improve the experience for all users of Scalable Vector Graphics, and are committed to continue on this course. Implementors and other interested parties are invited to join the SVG Working Group to take SVG to the next level.

2008-12-16: Amaya 11 released

Amaya is distributed under the W3C software license and translated in about fifteen languages. You can download the binary release or build Amaya from the sources.

2008-11-25: GEMï 1.5 released

GEMï is a cross-browser application manager with multiple windows system and gui. It can also be described as a WOS. Besides the usual features like scroll bars, resize, move, collapse and restore, the windows have individual multiple zoom functions and hand tool. Menus allow basic file management, printing, file info, etc. Other features are: dialogs; windows tabs; thumbnails; colorpicker (new version 1.1); preferences; online help. Preferences can be saved (remote).

Some of the new and visible features in GEMï 1.5

• Multi function Lens Tool
• Hand Tool
• Linear/step zoom type selection in preferences (saved)
• Custom cursors (Safari and Google Chrome only)
• Windows arrangement in "Window" menu
• Minimize All and Restore All in "Window" menu
• Help extended

2008-11-25: Sketsa SVG Editor 6.0 Released

KIYUT just released Sketsa SVG Editor 6.0, a cross platform vector drawing application based on SVG. It features various tools for optimizing content creation, giving designers unsurpassed support for creativity. These tools include property palette, source editor, resources editor, SVG specific shape tools, transformation tools, and additional illustration tools. Sketsa uses SVG as a native file format.

2008-11-20: Build Dynamic Data Driven visual SVG Applications with 4D v11 SQL Release 3

4D just announced the release of its latest database software platform, 4D v11 SQL Release 3 (11.3). 4D v11 SQL not only supports SVG as a native language format but also provides all the tools for business application developers to create dynamic data driven visual interfaces using the power of SVG. 4D v11 SQL provides developers with over 100 high level commands to create rich, dynamic SVG driven user interfaces. See more at http://www.4d.com/products/4dsvg.html.

2008-11-12: inEvo's Flash SVG Editor live demo

A Live demo of the new Vector Graphics Editor from inEvo using just Flash is online.
It has gesture recognition and uses SVG natively. This new editor has many new innovating ideas for a more natural and easy sketch and drawing.
It's really fast as you can check out. SVG developers and designers can use it to do quick SVG scenes and drawings.

Soon, a new AIR application (for your desktop) will be released with this technology

2008-10-22: Requirements of Japanese Text Layout Draft Published

http://www.w3.org/News/2008#item175 says:

Participants from four W3C Groups -- CSS, Internationalization Core, SVG and XSL Working Groups -- as part of the Japanese Layout Task Force published an update of Requirements of Japanese Text Layout. This document describes requirements for general Japanese layout realized with technologies like CSS, SVG and XSL-FO. The document is mainly based on a standard for Japanese layout, JIS X 4051. However, it also addresses areas which are not covered by JIS X 4051. This draft contains most of the material which the task force intends to publish as a Group Note in December 2008. A Japanese version is also available. Learn more about W3C's Internationalization Activity.

2008-10-10: Mappetizer 1 Released

uismedia is pleased to announce Mappetizer 1.0. Mappetizer is a tool that gives you the opportunity to convert spatial data into the SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) format. You can then use these SVG files to publish them on the Web or on CD-ROM.

To create your maps you do not need any GIS software.
To display your maps you do not need any additional software on your web server.

Additional information about Mappetizer and the possibility to download an evaluation version are available under http://www.mappetizer.de

2008-09-21: New SVG Tool

2008-09-15: SVG Tiny 1.2 Republished as Last Call Working Draft

In response to changes made during Candidate Recommendation phase from implementor feedback, and to previous Last Call comments, the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) Working Group has published a new Last Call Working Draft of the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) Tiny 1.2 Specification. The SVG language defines the features and syntax for Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) Tiny, Version 1.2, a language for describing two-dimensional vector and mixed vector/raster graphics in XML. Its goal is to provide the ability to create a whole range of graphical content, from static images to animations to interactive Web applications. SVG Tiny 1.2 is a profile of SVG intended for implementation on a range of devices, from cellphones and PDAs to desktop and laptop computers.

This has been a long-awaited release, and it is expected that the specification will be a an official W3C Recommendation before the end of the year. It also signals the beginning of important new work on SVG that has been put on hold until this point.

2008-09-12: Ecrion XF Ultrascale 2008 is now available!

We are proud to announce the release of XF Ultrascale 2008, the world's fastest XSL-FO formatting engine available for download now.

2008-09-12: Sketsa SVG Editor 5.3.2 Released

KIYUT just released Sketsa SVG Editor 5.3.2, a cross platform vector drawing application based on SVG. It features various tools for optimizing content creation, giving designers unsurpassed support for creativity. These tools include property palette, source editor, resources editor, SVG specific shape tools, transformation tools, and additional illustration tools. Sketsa uses SVG as a native file format.

This is a major bug fixes release over the previous version.

2008-09-12: SVG 1.2Tiny: beta3 of test suite published

The third beta of the SVG Tiny 1.2 test suite has been released by the SVG WG. This includes 495 approved tests, most with many sub-tests. This is a subset of the 578 tests currently under development. Please see the SVG Working Group wiki for details of previous releases and for the current state of work.

An SVG Tiny 1.2 test fest will be held Sept 29 - Oct 2, 2008 in Ottawa, Canada.

2008-09-12: Tim Berners-Lee: MS IE "slow in supporting SVG."

Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the Web and Director of W3C, said in an interview, published on MSNBC that Microsoft Internet Explorer is behind all the other browsers since it has no SVG support (except via an unsupported plugin).

"If you look around at browsers, you'll find that most of them support scalable vector graphics," Berners-Lee said. "I'll let you figure out which one has been slow in supporting SVG."

The article goes on to explain for a general audience what SVG is, why it is important, and which other browsers support it (all of them, basically).

Those interested in specific details of SVG support - and how it has improved over time - should look at Jeff Schiller's SVG support table which includes versions of Firefox, Opera, Safari, Google Chrome, Konqueror and Batik - plus IE7 and IE8beta. Plugins (ASV, Renesis) are also graded.

2008-09-02: Rendering SVG with XSLT

2008-08-14: Interview with Ted Gould: SVG, Inkscape and Web Standards

2008-07-11: InputDraw new SVG Flash canvas demo

InputDraw is a reference widget to enable draw input on a Html Form or any site with ease and simplicity. This Flash component works with SVG but lacks on the scope enable as only Path elements are present. We are now working on a new version that will have a big set of SVG elements supported (maybe even bigger than what Firefox supports). We are showing a new version on the Blog where you can see several drawings or even write your own SVG draw. Zoom is also allowed so your can see the amazing of vector graphics.

2008-06-16: Opera 9.5 released

Opera Software just released the final public version of it's flagship Web browser, Opera 9.5.

Some highlights:

• Improved standards support: Including CSS3, SVG 1.1 Full and 1.2 Tiny, XSLT 1.0, HTML5 and more.
• Speed: Opera continues to lead in performance. Opera 9.5 makes dramatic speed improvements to the e-mail client, RSS feeds and the browser itself, so you can spend more time getting things done online.
• Opera Link: Your bookmarks, Speed Dial and even notes taken in the Opera browser can follow you anywhere. Opera Link keeps you synchronized between any Opera 9.5 desktop browser and Opera Mini, Opera's free browser for your mobile phone. In Opera 9.5 write a note - copy directions, create shopping lists or jot down anything you need to remember - and access it on any Opera 9.5 browser by simply logging in.
• Find anything: Enhanced address bar searches your entire browsing history, including the contents of each page.
• Security enhancements: malware protection, improved fraud protection, and support for Extended Validation SSL Certificates.
• Looking sharp: Opera makes a move to modernize its look and feel to a sharp new skin with clean lines and clear icons. The ‘New Tab’ button and other elements have been modified to make the switch to a better Web experience more intuitive. You may also select any of our platform-specific skins to help Opera’s appearance adapt to your operating system of choice.

Read the full changelog.

Opera 9.5 is available for Linux, Mac and PC computers and ships in more than 30 languages with additional languages soon available. Opera is free from www.opera.com.

2008-06-13: MapViewSVG 7 Released

uismedia is pleased to announce MapViewSVG 7, an extension for ESRI ArcGIS Desktop. MapViewSVG offers the possibility to publish ArcMap projects fast, easy and cost-efficient on Internet/Intranet, CD or DVD. MapViewSVG supports vector based object data and image data. Attribute data are stored as XML files or in a database and are dynamically linked to the geometric data. WMS- or ArcIMS server data can be included as well. Several query functionalities allow powerful possibilities in searching attribute data and their geometries.

Additional information about MapViewSVG and the possibility to download an evaluation version are available under http://www.mapviewsvg.com

2008-06-02: Introducing revecter: an SVG ECMAScript Framework

2008-05-28: Sketsa SVG Editor 5.2 Released

What's new:

• Improved Menu Mnemonics and Shortcut
  
• Updated to use Apache Batik (rev 659033)
  
• Updated to use Netbeans 6.1
  
• Fix DOM Editor NPE
  
• Fix Rotate Tool (constraint angle > 180 degree)
  
• Fix CanvasSelection when SVG node is removed
  
• Fix Save Menu disabled
  
• Other bug fixes and enhancements