gif89

1 definition found

gif89 - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  Graphics Interchange Format
  GIF
  GIF89
  
     <graphics, file format> /gif/, occasionally /jif/ (GIF, GIF
     89A) A standard for digitised images compressed with the
     LZW algorithm, defined in 1987 by CompuServe (CIS).
  
     Graphics Interchange Format and GIF are service marks of
     CompuServe Incorporated.  This only affects use of GIF
     within Compuserve, and pass-through licensing for software to
     access them, it doesn't affect anyone else's use of GIF.  It
     followed from a 1994 legal action by Unisys against CIS for
     violating Unisys's LZW software patent.  The CompuServe
     Vice President has stated that "CompuServe is committed to
     keeping the GIF 89A specification as an open, fully-supported,
     non-proprietary specification for the entire on-line community
     including the World-Wide Web".
  
     Filename extension: .gif.
  
     File format (ftp://peipa.essex.ac.uk/ipa/info/file-formats).
  
     GIF89a specification (http://asterix.seas.upenn.edu/~mayer/lzw_gif/gif89a.html)
     .
  
     See also progressive coding, animated GIF.
  
     (2000-09-12)