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Re: [xml-dev] Re: SVG
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In a message dated 12/04/02 21:04:14 GMT Daylight Time, clbullar@ingr.com writes:
That said, the real problem is not having more than
one (Adobe) or two (batik) SVG viewers. That isn't
healthy.
Agreed, but it is only 7 months since SVG reached Rec status.
Mozilla is actively building native SVG support, although it won't make it into Mozilla 1.0. If AOL incorporates Mozilla 1.0 into its AOL browser then that will move Mozilla from geekdom to (arguably) the mainstream.
Even with RAND or royalty free, there
isn't much economic incentive to build a competing
free viewer, and without one, SVG belongs to Adobe.
Is there often an economic incentive in building a free anything? Other than Internet Explorer, of course?
It wouldn't suprise me to see MS produce SVG viewing capabilities, possibly native to IE. But I guess that would mean sidelining VML, which MS may be reluctant to do. But one positive point about MS is that they are realists. If they, as I think they ought, see SVG as a better strategic bet than VML they will change.
That isn't wrong; just uncomfortable.
Most of the free/open formats result in a single
viewer dominating the niche. I'd be
thrilled to see an MS SVG viewer but I can also
understand why they might not consider it a good
business move.
I have good reason to believe that MS have an SVG project underway. But I don't know enough to be clear whether it is adding SVG export facilities to .Net servers and/or adding SVG viewer capabilities to IE. It might even be adding SVG facilities for mobile platforms. Or all of those. :)
I assume MS isn't blind to the fragmentation of user agent platforms and SVG provides a solution to that problem. If MS can give Adobe a poke in the eye at the same time, well isn't that enough incentive for MS to develop a free SVG viewer? :)
Andrew Watt
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