[Boost-users] SVG Graphics - to be supported by IE9 - Boost GSoC project?

Subject: [Boost-users] SVG Graphics - to be supported by IE9 - Boost GSoC project?
From: Paul A. Bristow (pbristow_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-04-16 07:00:25

Some may remember that Jake Voytko worked on a SVG graphic plotting package during a 2007 GSoC - dubbed Boost.Plot.

In July 2009, I announced that this was available for people to 'try out' - it seems in a usable condition.

Although several people made some kind remarks about it, I sensed that the 'killer' feature was using SVG

SVG was *NOT supported 'out-of-the-box'* by Microsoft IE (including 8, to my surprise, and disappointment).

It now seems that Microsoft have 'seen' the light' and promise that IE 9 will provide good and portable support for SVG.

http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2010/03/18/svg-in-ie9-roadmap.aspx

They have finally realised the 'small is beautiful' applies to graphics - especially now that many are being displayed
on phones with limited speed links.  SVG graphics need a tiny amount of code, especially when compressed, and can be
expanded without 'going all pixelly'.  

Boost.Plot is special in that it is in C++ and it has a Boost license.

It allows you to add just a few lines of code to the end of your C++ program to take data from any STL container (all or
part) and produce a plot as a Scale Vector Graph (.svg) file.  So it is already suited to sending near real-time plots
to phones.

BUT while Boost.Plot provides zillions of functions to TechniColor your XY plots, it doesn't do much to help produce
other displays - even things as simple as pie charts.  And the underlying SVG interface functions are perhaps
rudimentary.

So I wonder if there is any enthusiasm for a Google Summer of Code project for NEXT summer 2011 to get this into a
reviewable state?

(Sadly I think we have just missed GSoC for this year).

Paul

PS A few demo plots are attached for your amusement.

The latest version is available on SVN

https://svn.boost.org/svn/boost/sandbox/SOC/2007/visualization/

Docs are available to build as html and pre-built as pdf (patience - 6
Mbyte!)

https://svn.boost.org/svn/boost/sandbox/SOC/2007/visualization/libs/svg_plot
/doc/pdf/svg_plot.pdf

 or http://tinyurl.com/coqlbg

(or ask if you want zips instead).

---
Paul A. Bristow
Prizet Farmhouse
Kendal, UK   LA8 8AB
[phone], mobile [phone]
pbristow_at_[hidden]