Five years after becoming a web standard, scalable vector graphics (SVG) are poised to proliferate, according to Publish magazine. Mandatory support for SVG in 3G smartphones, and SVG support in forthcoming versions of Opera and Firefox browsers are driving the trend, the article suggests.

SVG has been compared to Macromedia Flash, in that it offers efficient, vector-based, interactive graphics. Like Flash, SVG can be used to create user interfaces for mobile devices (an area where Flash is seeing growing adoption). However, unlike Flash, SVG is a completely open standard, freeing browser makers to implement it as a core technology, which in turn frees users from the onus of installing plugins. It could also free device makers from the need to license Flash technology when implementing interfaces based on vector graphics.

So far, scant SVG content exists on the World Wide Web. However, growing SVG support in 3G smartphones, and in popular browsers, could change all that, the Publish article suggests. According to Matt Hicks, author of the article, SVG support is increasingly mandated for next-generation mobile devices by the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Program), a collaboration of telecom industry standards bodies. And, a version of the Opera browser supporting SVG is currently beta testing, while Firefox 1.1, expected in June, will also include SVG support.

Opera markets an embedded version of its browser, and last month announced a partnership with France Telecom and Orange to explore the use of its browser as a mobile phone user interface.

The Publish article can be found here. An IBM developerWorks article about using SVG in conjunction with XForms to create next-generation user interfaces can be found here. Tools to create SVG content under Linux, and galleries of SVG content, are available here. Additional information about licensing Flash for use in Linux devices can be found here.

 
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