ost of us are Adobe PDF users, or we create PDF files for other people to use. We rely on PDF as an essential method of capturing the technical elements and “look and feel” of our original documents.

But PDF files have a problem: They’re not a good solution for providing information on the Web. Many Internet users say PDF files are an annoyance or, worse, something to be avoided.

Users don’t like how long it takes for a PDF viewer to load in their browser. They don’t like to wait for fat PDF files to load. And they loathe the fact that text data in PDF files is often not searchable.

An alternative, even rival, to PDF files is emerging. It’s called “SVG,” which stands for scalable vector graphics. SVG is a standard overseen by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the same organization that manages HTML, XML and other Web standards.

SVG is endorsed by leading vendors, including Microsoft, Corel and (surprise!) Adobe. Until recently, SVG has been unduly relegated to vector graphic applications, such as mapping.

But publishing people are starting to recognize the power of SVG: its ability to represent pages in a fast, efficient, portable XML format that has the same high fidelity as a PDF file.

This is getting SVG a lot of attention from organizations that want better online use of their documents.

Frankly, readers don’t want to be bothered with PDFs. They take time to download. They’re slow to open. They’re not easy to read online. They require users to first download and install a PDF reader.

All of this results in users avoiding PDFs online, even when they contain valuable information. Look at many Web sites that rely on PDF files, and you’ll see myriad attempts to make PDFs usable.

Web site developers chop PDFs into smaller, bite-sized pieces (but this forces readers to open a virtual stack of pages). They offer bland HTML equivalents, or PDF-to-HTML conversions (such as the Google search engine now offers; unfortunately, data gets lost in the process).

Or they provide unreadable thumbnails of PDF pages. Other issues with PDF on the Web include:

• Lack of Activity Tracking

Web activity tracking and data mining tools are useless with PDF. This is critical when Web site revenue is tied to access, e.g., in catalogs, marketing materials or magazines.

• Lack of Flexibility

Users are forced to download entire PDF files, even when they need to access just one page. Granted, there are ways to address this issue, but it requires publishers target the Web when they generate PDF files. Most PDF files created by publishers are not distilled with Web viewing in mind.

• The Adobe Acrobat Reader

Can you say “fat and getting fatter?” Sure you can. Some major PC manufacturers no longer pre-install Adobe’s free Acrobat (i.e., PDF) Reader. This requires users to download and install an 8M (megabyte) to 13M program.

• The Acrobat Reader Window

Can you say “annoying?” Sure you can. Adobe’s Acrobat Reader splashes an array of windows, menus, toolbars and other controls on users’ screens. The options and preferences alone can take an hour to understand and configure. It’s distracting, and overkill for users who merely want to page through a document. And it’s potentially damaging for publishers, because it hijacks the user’s attention away from the publisher’s Web site, and into Adobe’s Acrobat Reader application.

• Limited Searching

Adobe limits PDF searching to the current document. Searching across multiple PDF files isn’t supported. Again, some third-party vendors, such as Google, are attempting to address this. But their efforts fall short, because text information embedded as graphics is invisible to search engines.

• Dynamic Display

Real-time manipulation of PDFs, such as showing a single page, editing or marking up, or adding links are virtually impossible tasks.

• Web Searching Hell

Users hitting Web search engines are often offered unreadable text equivalents of PDF files. And there’s no ability to jump directly to the required page. Rather, users are always referred to page one.

There are alternatives to PDF in addition to SVG, but none deliver the level of visual quality publishers demand. SVG, on the other hand, provides a visual experience equal to that of native PDFs.

There are several advantages of moving to SVG over PDF. Topping the list: SVG is an industry-standard XML file, rather than a proprietary PDF “binary blob.”

This is key to enabling publishers to add value to content through navigation, searching, dynamic linking, pop-ups and other enhancements that are tough or impossible to do with PDF.

Here are some other good reasons to consider replacing PDF with SVG:

• SVG uses PDF

Existing PDF files can be converted to SVG and value-added XML files that work with Adobe’s SVG Viewer. If the Viewer is not available, SVG can be rendered using the Adobe Graphics Server or similar technology.

• Quick Downloads

SVG pages can be served one at a time, or as a complete document. Each page is significantly smaller than their PDF page equivalents. Don’t send the whole file when one page will do!

• Adobe’s SVG Viewer

Adobe’s SVG Viewer is a slim 2M, easy-to-install plug-in that works on PCs, Macs and Linux boxes. The Viewer adds no clutter to the document screen. Only the content is displayed and navigable.

• Content Control

Web developers can leverage SVG with existing HTML and JavaScript skills. Value-added XML word indices and navigation tables can power search and hierarchical navigation. Dynamic text changes, control over printing, copying and forwarding of material is intrinsically supported.

• Traffic Tracking

Off-the-shelf Web auditing tools can provide detailed tracking reports for viewed information, including search criteria used, pages viewed, and off-site links. SVG fits into easily into existing Web log and Web tracking infrastructures.

• Enhanced Searching

Users and search engines can find information in context, and are channeled directly to the specific page. They will view the original layout when the SVG page opens in their browser. Local and remote search engines, and databases can be used to search across an entire document collection, in both SVG and XML formats.

Best of all, existing libraries of PDF files can be converted into SVG and XML formats. A growing number of products and services now offer conversions. Value-added services that leverage the XML aspect of SVG to incorporate dynamic features are also available.

This means your investment in PDF workflows and archives can be preserved. PDF files will likely continue to be the best way to send entire documents, especially for printing purposes. And now PDF has another use: as a source for creating SVG files for viewing content on the Web.