Graphics Interchange Format

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 .

GIF89a specification.

See also progressive coding, animated GIF.

(2000-09-12)