The W3C has published two new Recommendations: the long-awaited Scalable Vector Graphics 1.0 (SVG), and SMIL Animation.

SVG, an XML application for the representation of vector images, and has found early favor and deployment with software vendor Adobe. Adobe's Jon Ferraiolo served as editor of the specification. As well as in standalone scenarios, SVG has been used in combination with XSL-FO as a page layout technology. Some of its strongest opportunities are in cross-device display: SVG's scalability allowing for use on devices from high-resolution printers to tiny cell phone screens.

SMIL Animation is a SMIL 2.0 subset specifying animation functionality for XML documents. It is intended for use embedded in other languages such as XHTML or CSS to provide animation.

With XHTML 1.0, SVG 1.0 and SMIL 2.0 as Recommendations, and XForms in active development, the prospects for open-standards based rich multimedia and user interfaces on the Web look good. Subject, of course, to vendor implementation.