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GIF is NOW finally free - for real, with a final Unisys joke
Free Software Magazine ^ | 28 September 2006 | Tony Mobily

Posted on 09/28/2006 9:25:28 AM PDT by ShadowAce

I am sure a lot of you remember the great "GIF fiasco": more than a decade ago, Unisys decided to make money out of the most used image file format on the Internet: the GIF format. To be more precise, Unisys announced that they would go after developers of programs able to load and save GIF files (never mind the fact that even back then there was plenty of free software which wouldn't have been able to pay).

To make the short story shorter, the PNG file was invented as a reaction to Unisys' move; although it was never wildly successful, PNG did manage to make Unisys's threat very much irrelevant. Unisys took their time, but eventually realised that if they had seriously sued people over the GIF patent, the days of the GIF format would be over.

In the pre-SCO era, people were outraged and wondered if Unisys's CEO had gone insane (to me, he just looked like he had a very, very low IQ and a very big problem managing his company's finance and marketing). In our post-SCO era, we are just glad it didn't sue IBM in the hope that the Goliath company would get annoyed enough to buy out the moody David.

Anyway, things went well: PNG was created, Unisys' share price today looks pitiful (karma, anybody?), and people still happily use GIF files everywhere.

Dr. Jekyll

Not many people noticed that in just a few days the GIF format will definitely be free - forever. The GNU web site has a page on the GIF format. At the bottom of the page, you can see:

1. We were able to search the patent databases of the USA, Canada, Japan, and the European Union. The Unisys patent expired on 20 June 2003 in the USA, in Europe it expired on 18 June 2004, in Japan the patent expired on 20 June 2004 and in Canada it expired on 7 July 2004. The U.S. IBM patent expired 11 August 2006, The Software Freedom Law Center says that after 1 October 2006, there will be no significant patent claims interfering with employment of the GIF format.

The first of October 2006 is just about around the corner. So... well, it looks like the nightmare is definitely, without any doubt, over. I personally don't think that IBM (the holder of the last GIF patent) would ever sue anybody for using GIF, especially after investing several billion dollars on GNU/Linux and showing their declared friendliness towards free software (which would be directly affected by a law suit). But you never know with patents.

Mr. Hyde

However, if you really think it's over, and that you will never ever have to worry about GIF ever again... well, let me tell you, you are wrong. The nightmare is far from over. The nightmare is just about to start. I shivered when I saw this page. To me, it was absolutely devastating!

It says:

Unisys Corporation holds and has patents pending on a number of improvements on the inventions claimed in the above-expired patents. Information on these improvement patents and terms under which they may be licensed can be obtained by contacting the following: [...]

Oh my... Unisys has been improving the GIF format, without telling anybody what the improvements are! I honestly don't think the world can survive without those improvements. I am pretty sure Cheryl Tartler, the person dealing with sending out those improvements is swamped with requests and cannot send them out fast enough! In fact, I am pretty confident that's all she does all day long: sending Unisys's improvements to people once they've signed an NDA and paid their licensing fees. I am pretty sure this will help be an immense help to the downward trend of Unisys' shares. Millions, billions will come!

Err... OK, just in case somebody at Unisys is listening: "Hello! I am only joking!". It may look obvious, but you never know...

Conclusion

Finally, after the first of October, the GIF format will be completely free and nobody will ever be able to say otherwise - not even the most obstinate free software advocate. This will hopefully stop people complaining about us using GIF images here at Free Software Magazine for our banner ads...

And yes, this is a hint!


TOPICS: Technical
KEYWORDS: free; gif; unisys
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1 posted on 09/28/2006 9:25:29 AM PDT by ShadowAce
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To: rdb3; chance33_98; Calvinist_Dark_Lord; Bush2000; PenguinWry; GodGunsandGuts; CyberCowboy777; ...

2 posted on 09/28/2006 9:25:43 AM PDT by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: ShadowAce

Now if only IE would fully support PNGs.


3 posted on 09/28/2006 9:29:19 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (Peace begins in the womb.)
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To: ShadowAce

Aren't there software programs that convert gif's to bmp or tiff or jpg or crayola on the refrigerator formats?.......


4 posted on 09/28/2006 9:33:34 AM PDT by Red Badger (Is Castro DEAD YET?........)
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To: ShadowAce
I honestly don't see the point of GIF any more. It's limited to 8-bit color depth, and the files are bigger, hence slower to load, than JPEGs. Other than small animations, why would anyone stick with GIF?

(Yes, I understand the difference between lossy and lossless compression. I think the pitiful color depth and increased file size of GIF more than offset any minor visual quality issues of the JPEG format.)

5 posted on 09/28/2006 9:34:04 AM PDT by TChris (The United Nations is suffering from delusions of relevance.)
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To: TChris
It's limited to 8-bit color depth, and the files are bigger, hence slower to load, than JPEGs.

That's true for large photographs of real-world scenes, but not true for a lot of other graphic objects ... buttons and widgets for webpages, for example. And the 8-bit color depth is not much of a handicap for them, either.

6 posted on 09/28/2006 9:36:56 AM PDT by Campion ("I am so tired of you, liberal church in America" -- Mother Angelica, 1993)
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Comment #7 Removed by Moderator

To: ShadowAce

I wonder what the statute of limitations is for patent litigation. Perhaps SCO could buy the rights and start sueing folks after the patent expires and before the statute runs.

Any intellectual property lawyers out there who can tell if this would be viable? The former patent holder would probably be willing to make a fairly good deal on selling the expired rights.


8 posted on 09/28/2006 9:39:40 AM PDT by PAR35
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To: TChris
Yes, I understand the difference between lossy and lossless compression. I think the pitiful color depth and increased file size of GIF more than offset any minor visual quality issues of the JPEG format.)

Then you should also understand what lossy compression, like JPEG, does to graphic line art.

9 posted on 09/28/2006 9:48:03 AM PDT by Ol' Dan Tucker (Karen Ryan reporting...)
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To: ShadowAce
The Software Freedom Law Center says that after 1 October 2006, there will be no significant patent claims interfering with employment of the GIF format.

Perhaps SCO will take up the banner (pun intended).

10 posted on 09/28/2006 9:48:20 AM PDT by glorgau
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To: ShadowAce

PNG caught on, but whatever happened to MNG?


11 posted on 09/28/2006 9:50:21 AM PDT by mazack
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To: ShadowAce

STUPID UNIX TRICK:

[Where is Jimmy Hoffa?



Missing ]


12 posted on 09/28/2006 9:51:04 AM PDT by MikefromOhio ("...America has confronted evil before, and we have defeated it...")
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To: TChris

GIF's are also nice for cases where decent transparency is needed.


13 posted on 09/28/2006 9:56:11 AM PDT by BritExPatInFla
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To: ShadowAce
I had always thought that CompuServe had invented the GIF format.

As for PNG, it's coming on strong. Macromedia's Fireworks uses it as its native layers format, and Dreamweaver encourages its use.

14 posted on 09/28/2006 10:06:08 AM PDT by Rum Tum Tugger
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To: Ol' Dan Tucker
Then you should also understand what lossy compression, like JPEG, does to graphic line art.

I'm sure there are some specific uses where GIF excels. For most web graphic purposes though, it seems to me that JPG is the best option.

15 posted on 09/28/2006 10:07:29 AM PDT by TChris (The United Nations is suffering from delusions of relevance.)
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To: MikefromOhio

Another stupid *nix trick:

% wall "anything. Walls don't have eyes"

wall: can't read anything. Walls don't have eyes


16 posted on 09/28/2006 10:52:35 AM PDT by rzeznikj at stout (Boldly Going Nowhere since, er, I don't know when...)
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To: Red Badger
"Aren't there software programs that convert gif's to bmp or tiff or jpg or crayola on the refrigerator formats?......." Yes, I use one, ACD See, which used to be a free download, but for the full up version I think you have to pay. I got my copy in a bundle of software with a HP scanner, if memory serves. Nice program, very fast, and has several features superior to Adobe Photoshop Elements.
17 posted on 09/28/2006 11:05:53 AM PDT by Fatuncle (Of course I'm ignorant. I'm here to learn.)
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To: TChris
GIF was marketed for drawings. That it has limited utility in applications for which it was not designed is not a fault.
18 posted on 09/28/2006 11:08:55 AM PDT by Fatuncle (Of course I'm ignorant. I'm here to learn.)
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To: ShadowAce

but.... but.... but..... jpeg crunching is such a peaceful past time......


19 posted on 09/28/2006 11:12:21 AM PDT by JoeSixPack1 ( Press "2" to disconnect until you have learned to speak English)
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To: TChris
GIFs allow this:


20 posted on 09/28/2006 11:13:30 AM PDT by D-Chivas
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