| Pronounced
jiff and
short for Graphic Interchange Format, GIF is a file extension and a
type of bit-mapped
graphics file introduced by
CompuServe in 1987
and today one of the most commonly used images on the Internet.
The original release of the GIF standard is known as the GIF87a
version. This standard was later replaced in 1989 when
CompuServe released an improved version known as GIF89a. This
improved version supported animation and transparent images. To the right is an
example of a GIF image of a small man holding up the
Computer Hope logo. |
 |
On December 24, 1994
Unisys and CompuServe announced
that they expected licensing fees for software that creates and
displays GIF images. This caused a lot of hysteria among
developers and website owners using GIF images because of
potential future GIF taxes, this hysteria lead to the development of the
PNG format. The Software Freedom Law
Center announced that after October 1,
2006 all significant patent
claims interfering with the employment of the GIF format will
expire and all users should have no concerns about using the
format.
- Additional information about file
extensions can be found here.
- If you're looking for a software program to create, modify,
or change an image into a GIF format see
document CH000760.
Also see: 1-by-1 GIF, GIF89a,
Graphic,
Interlacing, JPEG,
PNG,
Raster,
Transparent
|
|
| Resolved |
Were you able to locate the answer to your questions? |
|
|
