[OSM-dev] SVG / Canvas progress report

[cjb at cjb.ie]

> In an applet, you can also render things to images on the client side
> for quite a big speed improvement (the OSM applet doesn't do this yet
> but I'd recommend the approach for track points at least, if not nodes
> and segments/streets too).  I don't know if you can do this with SVG,
> or if SVG has a concept of layers or anything else that would allow it
> to optimise the drawing - anyone?

Drawing order implicitly defines layering in SVG, that is to say if you
have overlapping items, the later one "wins". Variable transparency is
supported, as is the embedding of bitmaps.

I don't know if there's also any explicit layering support.

I gather Inkscape is a nice tool for giving a feel for what can be done in
SVG; I haven't used it myself, but I know several people who have.

cjb