Google Brings SVG Support To IE

stelt writes "Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is in most graphical tools. It is used heavily in many big projects, such as KDE and Wikipedia. But Internet Explorer's lack of built-in support for SVG was keeping it away from mainstream use on the web. Google is fixing that now with a JavaScript drop-in named SVGWeb. They've posted a quick, one-minute overview, a longer and more detailed presentation, and you can read about it on the project page."

Lame.

[iYk6]

From the project page: "No downloads or plugins are necessary other than Flash ..."

Actual Link to the Demos

[Anonymous Coward]

The summary misses the actual link to the demos. Here it is:
http://codinginparadise.org/projects/svgweb/samples/demo.html

Re:An interesting link..

[D Ninja]

Interestingly enough, the "use your mouse to zoom" on that map does not zoom within Google Chrome.

Re:Incompatibility Problems

[Fallen Seraph]

Internet Explorer's lack of built-in support for SVG was keeping it away from mainstream use on the web.

Since when is IE NOT mainstream? They have over 90% of the market? I get it.. they don't follow the rules and IE sux and everyone should use firefox or opera but to call IE not mainstream is if nothing else a bit odd.

Ok, now try READING the summary instead of skimming it.
They're saying IE's lack of built-in support for SVG was keeping SVG from mainstream use.

Re:Lame.

[jopsen]

My concern is that many websites that use SVG will require Flash on all browsers, not just the ones using IE.

Quote from the quick start:

By default we use the Flash based renderer on Internet Explorer while using the native SVG support on other browsers like Firefox and Safari.

You can override this manually, but why would anyone do that for other purposes than debugging...?

Re:Incompatibility Problems

[Mad Merlin]

Since when is IE NOT mainstream? They have over 90% of the market?

Welcome to 2009, IE has ~60% usage and falling: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers [wikipedia.org]

Re:Incompatibility Problems

[Fallen Seraph]

Well for one thing, Google's plugin can automatically or programatically switch between embedding using flash and embedding it natively. Additionally, Adobe has discontinued their support for the SVG plugin for IE, since Adobe owns Flash now. This Google plugin also works on ALL browsers using JavaScript, and Flash for rendering. So the user doesn't have to install a separate plugin for SVG, like IE had to, and it brings more support for SMIL, which Firefox can't do natively yet, as well as the HTML5 audio and video elements, which Microsoft currently have no plans to support.

This has the potential to do things like allow you to use the HTML5 video tag indiscriminately, and have it render natively where it's supported, and have it default to Flash where it's not. And finally, if you've ever done a lot of work with SVG, you'd notice that the Adobe plugin often renders scenes in drastically different ways than native implementations. Basically, it was to SVG what IE6 was to the web: a broken implementation. Google's project is still in it's early incarnation and already surpasses the Adobe plugin. Hopefully in the next year or so, it'll match native implementations well enough to allow web developers to use SVG and SMIL, and not have to worry about legacy browser compatibility.

And if you'd watched the one minute video running through it, you'd know most of this :P

Re: from the particular to the general

[John Dowdell]

"Flash sucks bleep on Linux, because Adobe apparently hates Linux or something. "

No, your assumption is mistaken... in fact, Linux is becoming more important to Flash over the next year, as smartphones and televisions introduce new configurations.

For performance which is slower than other machines, first try checking for background processes or browser chokepoints... that's easier than checking for hardware which creates the difference.

Then look into the Player betas, feedback process. If we can make your slowdown happen in the shop too, then we'd want to try to ameliorate that situation within the common Player, thanks.

jd/adobe

Re:Incompatibility Problems

[Kagetsuki]

That's BS, the Adobe SVG viewer is terrible. Perhaps at the time it was good, but now it still remains basically the only SVG plug-in for IE and I have yet to see it render any SVG properly other than the SVGs created by Adobe software.... Not to mention if you include a script in your SVG the Adobe plug-in will immediately lock up or just crash on loading.

Re:Incompatibility Problems

[civilizedINTENSITY]

I always thought that Adobe implemented a poor SVG to prevent SVG competing with Flash.

Re:Incompatibility Problems

[noundi]

How long until Google or someone else hacks around this?

Given how often Microsoft updates IE for major changes *cough*, I'd say this won't be a problem, no.

IE 7 did minor but important changes, and IE 8 is something like an exception. Otherwise I think the lastr major engine/standards update was with, uh, IE 4?

IE 8 is MS trying desperately to hang on when browser benchmarking is this moments hot topic, with the competing browsers pushing new version with higher and higher benchmark scores. They have never release a follow-up browser so quickly before. There's nothing new and of value in IE 8 that hasn't already been seen in other browsers. What goes for IE 7, well let's be honest here, it can't be compared to IE 6 as calling IE 6 a browser should be prohibited by law.