graphics interchange format

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
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)