Article:		SVG: A Sure Bet
Subject:		Anyone can create Flash files
Date:		2003-07-19 09:51:04
From:		cole batten
Response to: Anyone can create Flash files
you: " What if I wanted to use the specification to develop a product that did not output SWF...e.g. a competitive Flash reader?" me: "there are. one comes to mind http://www.swfxxl.com/ . the developer of which spoke at flash forward sf this year and called the normal flash player (but apologized in advance first) 'stupid' when it comes to fullscreen. thats why swfxxl exists. those wacky germans." you: "If I were Adobe I would vastly prefer to put my faith in the W3C where they have representatives and some degree of control (along with the rest of the community) rather than depending on the goodwill of Macromedia. I suspect that is why they are pouring so much effort into SVG." me: "does effort in this case equal $$$ to the w3c? also is the 'svg plugin', 'svg player, 'svg support' going to be a huge file size too like it is for the pc/mac/*nix? is that why the w3c likes that too? svg does have its place indeed. as icons supported by the os's gui."

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• Anyone can create Flash files
  2003-07-19 10:34:58 Paul Prescod [Reply]
  
  I asked: "What if I wanted to use the specification to develop a product that did not output SWF...e.g. a competitive Flash reader?"

  
  Cole responded with an example: "swfxx".

  
  But that doesn't answer my question. Am I supposed to presume that because a bunch of "wacky Germans" have either negotiated a special license with Adobe or violated the official Adobe license that I am also free to do so? Perhaps Adobe will allow me to succeed as long as I take no market share away from their plugin and then slap a lawsuit on me when I do. If you work for a corporation with corporate counsel, ask him if the fact that a German company is doing something against the license proves that it is safe for your company to do so.

  
  You ask: "does effort in this case equal $$$ to the w3c?

  
  

  Of course Adobe plays its W3C membership fees as all other W3C members do. But some of the people influencing the specification are invited experts who do not pay any fees.

  
  

  also is the 'svg plugin', 'svg player, 'svg support' going to be a huge file size too like it is for the pc/mac/*nix?

  
  

  On a very ordinary internet connection I downloaded the SVG plugin in less than a minute. But the vast majority of people who have the SVG plugin got it when they downloaded Acrobat Reader and surely did not notice the extra time.

  
  

  is that why the w3c likes that too?

  
  The W3C likes it because it is an open standard controlled by a community of implementors and users.

  
  

  svg does have its place indeed. as icons supported by the os's gui

  
  

  The hundreds of people at the SVG conference successfully using it for mission-critical business data would beg to differ with you. (e.g. the US Federal Reserve). Oh and by the way, a Nokia representative confirmed that they are working on an SVG implementation for their cell phones.