US Report: W3C acknowledges Vector Markup Language proposal

The World Wide Web Consortium yesterday formally acknowledged the submission of a Vector Markup Language proposal that will enable users to cut and paste vector graphics across applications without loss of quality.

The VML proposal, which is based on XML (Extensible Markup Language), was submitted jointly to the standards body by Autodesk, Hewlett-Packard, Macromedia, Visio and Microsoft.

VML will speed two-dimensional vector graphics downloads and allow authors to adjust an object's size and shape using a text or visual editor, according to the companies. VML graphics are scaleable and can interact with other Web page elements through full integration with the document. Hyperlinks can also be added to the VML elements.

The W3C, in the U.S. formally acknowledges proposals before issuing working drafts, proposed recommendations and, finally, recommendations.