I never knew anything better than SVG; as to use of it in the Web, it is simply indispensable. That's why embedded SVG was included in HTML5 standard (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML5[
^],
http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/spec.html[
^],
http://dev.w3.org/html5/markup/[
^]), so it can be used without any browser plug-ins. It already works in all major browser I know except… IE :-(.
However, SVG can always be embedded with the
<object>
or the
<embed>
tag. For further detail, see
http://www.w3schools.com/svg/svg_inhtml.asp[
^].
Also, SVG can be created by JavaScript, but don't think this is the only was to do it.
If you have any problems with SVG, consider using 3-rd party Inkscape,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkscape[
^],
http://www.inkscape.org/[
^]. It is totally based on SVG and uses all its advanced feature.
Best thing is: it exports to XAML, so you can use the drawings in your WPF and Silverlight applications. However, XAML is not universally accepted on the Web beyond Silverlight; browsers require plug-ins. Also, XAML features are a subset of SVG features, so only a subset of all possible SVG drawings could be rendered with XAML.
So, I suspect, if you go away from SVG you will not simplify anything but will commit a crime against your business. However, if you really know something better, please let me know. I would be too excited to learn about this thing. Even if you simply know some flaw about SVG or its use in HTML, let me know as well. Chances are, I'll find the solution. So far, I managed to solve all the problems. I'm using SVG in HTML right now, by the way.
Good luck,
—SA