Map Net visual representation of ODP

[engine]

I know a lot of you will find this visual representation of the web fun, as well as an interesting proposition.
Map Net [map.net]
Spidering is going on with lb1.antarcti.ca in my logs too.

This is a whole new way to set off surfing the web, visually. Image maps in the past have been rather clunky and limited, but this, is BIG. There's stacks of data which originates from ODP.

[tedster]

This is an interesting site for another reason -- on their inner pages they are using SVG files -- Scalable Vector Graphics. They are an early adopter of the open source Flash substitute that's integrated with XML.

You may need to download the Adobe plug-in to see SVG files, but it's well worth the time.

One of the coolest features of this kind of graphics file is the fact that the text is searchable. That has some far-reaching implications.

The W3C has been rather "methodical" (i.e. sort of slow) in developing the standard. But it's so very promising, I'm glad they are taking the time to do it right.

I also hear that Adobe Illustrator 9 allows SVG export. Here's the W3C page [w3.org] about SVG, with lots of good links.