animated gifs - impact on httpd access.log -Reply

[Thomas Dowling]

> ...The
> animated gif format was developed partially as a reaction to the
> incredibly negative impact fast-moving, multiple image push-pull
animation
> has on a server.
> 

A very minor quibble with this concise description of animated GIFs vs.
client-pull setups.  The capacity to contain multiple images is part of the
CompuServe GIF 89a specification and has been around since, well, 1989, and
"animated" GIFs simply run through the set of separate images they contain
according to some timing information in the file. The use of animated GIFs
really took off once Netscape starting supporting them, albeit buggily, in
Navigator 2.0.

Due to intellectual property problems, CompuServe has not been developing
the GIF spec since the end of 1994 at the latest.

<spout>
It seems somehow typical that Andreesen's minions would foist a hack like
animated GIFs on us and leave support for an actually useful format like
PNG dangling in the wind.  And I'm sure they'll find some reason to ignore
FlashPix, just because Billy G. is helping develop the format.
</spout>

Thomas ("Let's Not Even Mention Style Sheets") Dowling
tdowling at ohiolink.edu
Ohio Library and Information Network