New graphics model based on XML
C|Net | at | by Mike
The W3C recommended SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), advancing it from "candidate recommendation" status where it has spent the last 13 months having its tires kicked by the Web graphics world. The specification, first proposed in January 1999, is designed to make lightweight images that can fit any screen--from cell phone displays to large monitors.
Another goal of the technology is to integrate graphics more tightly with documents on the Web. Based on XML (Extensible Markup Language), a software method that lets anyone set up standard ways of describing digital documents, SVG can be included alongside data and text and manipulated by XML authoring tools. Because it's written in XML, SVG is better able to make graphics searchable and digestible by screen readers, a boon for Web authors struggling to comply with increasingly strict accessibility requirements for people with disabilities.