Monday, October 6th, 2008
SMIL 3.0 Reaches Proposed Recommendation
Category: Standards
3.0 has the following goals:
- Define an XML-based language that allows authors to write interactive
multimedia presentations. Using SMIL, an author may describe the temporal
behaviour of a multimedia presentation, associate hyperlinks with media
objects and describe the layout of the presentation on a screen. - Allow reusing of SMIL syntax and semantics in other XML-based
languages, in particular those who need to represent timing and
synchronization. For example, SMIL components are used for integrating
timing into XHTML [XHTML10] and into SVG
[SVG]. - Extend the functionalities contained in the SMIL 2.1 [SMIL21] into
new or revised SMIL 3.0 modules. - Define new SMIL 3.0 Profiles incorporating features useful within the
industry.
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So, it’ll be about 10 more years before it can be adopted enough so that we can start using it for real? Cool! I’ll check back.
(Seriously, though, congrats. Hope it’s widely adopted.)
mdmadph, you can actually already use it. For example SMIL “Animation module” is imported into and is used in SVG language implementations (however it works well only in Opera by that moment). Backbase Ajax framework has also an implementation of SMIL 2.1 “Animation” and “Timing and Synchronization” modules and is planning on implementing Transitions module.
SMIL is actually used more widely than you might think – every time you send an MMS on your mobile, that’s SMIL. That said, it really needs refactoring; hopefully 3.0 will sort out the host of issues SMIL currently enjoys.