The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
After an interesting conversation this morning, this may be of some interest to some of you.
If correct, this will have a huge impact on the internet and how we go about creating sites from a graphical point of view.
In summary... CompuServe designed the GIF format over 7 years ago and have been allowing software companies to use this for a small licence fee but allowing its distribution of gif format graphics feely over the internet.
Part of creating a gif is a technology called LZW compression, this was designed by a company called Unisys and many software houses failed to realise that this was part of the gif process...
CompuServe and Unisys announced just before Christmas that they will be asking for royalties from anyone who wishes to use the gif format either online or in software, this could have a major impact on the way we work from now on...
Some reports from the internet...
http://www.cloanto.com/users/mcb/19950127giflzw.html
http://www.i-m.com/archives/9501/0038.html
http://www.unisys.com/unisys/lzw/
One I have found more solid information, I will let you know.
If correct, this will have a huge impact on the internet and how we go about creating sites from a graphical point of view.
In summary... CompuServe designed the GIF format over 7 years ago and have been allowing software companies to use this for a small licence fee but allowing its distribution of gif format graphics feely over the internet.
Part of creating a gif is a technology called LZW compression, this was designed by a company called Unisys and many software houses failed to realise that this was part of the gif process...
CompuServe and Unisys announced just before Christmas that they will be asking for royalties from anyone who wishes to use the gif format either online or in software, this could have a major impact on the way we work from now on...
Some reports from the internet...
http://www.cloanto.com/users/mcb/19950127giflzw.html
http://www.i-m.com/archives/9501/0038.html
http://www.unisys.com/unisys/lzw/
One I have found more solid information, I will let you know.
It'll never work. Remember that guy who claimed he had interllectual property on hyperlinks?
Turbonutter wrote:
> But if you have any software that uses the LWZ compression then you must own a
> lisence for it by default, surely.
This is the confusing issue... in theory and from what I've read, if your gif is created in an app with an LZW licence you can distribute images created in this wherever as the licence covers this, but Compuserve are trying to bring in Licencing for the use of Gifs as it's their itellectual property?...
They tried it before years ago, kind of like BT trying to charge for WWW!!
> But if you have any software that uses the LWZ compression then you must own a
> lisence for it by default, surely.
This is the confusing issue... in theory and from what I've read, if your gif is created in an app with an LZW licence you can distribute images created in this wherever as the licence covers this, but Compuserve are trying to bring in Licencing for the use of Gifs as it's their itellectual property?...
They tried it before years ago, kind of like BT trying to charge for WWW!!
But if you have any software that uses the LWZ compression then you must own a lisence for it by default, surely.
Turbonutter wrote:
> Meh, there's been this problem with the GIMP for ages. However, it can be got round by just downloading the non-US version. I think it only applies to the US really.
Actually.. it's global!! Oddly enough the LZW engine is used in PDF's, TIFF's and Postscript too!
After doing some homework on this today, I'm not to worried about it, it boils down to licenced software again... On the plus side, it's pushing forward the support for PNG though!
> Meh, there's been this problem with the GIMP for ages. However, it can be got round by just downloading the non-US version. I think it only applies to the US really.
Actually.. it's global!! Oddly enough the LZW engine is used in PDF's, TIFF's and Postscript too!
After doing some homework on this today, I'm not to worried about it, it boils down to licenced software again... On the plus side, it's pushing forward the support for PNG though!
Meh, there's been this problem with the GIMP for ages. However, it can be got round by just downloading the non-US version. I think it only applies to the US really.
After an interesting conversation this morning, this may be of some interest to some of you.
If correct, this will have a huge impact on the internet and how we go about creating sites from a graphical point of view.
In summary... CompuServe designed the GIF format over 7 years ago and have been allowing software companies to use this for a small licence fee but allowing its distribution of gif format graphics feely over the internet.
Part of creating a gif is a technology called LZW compression, this was designed by a company called Unisys and many software houses failed to realise that this was part of the gif process...
CompuServe and Unisys announced just before Christmas that they will be asking for royalties from anyone who wishes to use the gif format either online or in software, this could have a major impact on the way we work from now on...
Some reports from the internet...
http://www.cloanto.com/users/mcb/19950127giflzw.html
http://www.i-m.com/archives/9501/0038.html
http://www.unisys.com/unisys/lzw/
One I have found more solid information, I will let you know.
If correct, this will have a huge impact on the internet and how we go about creating sites from a graphical point of view.
In summary... CompuServe designed the GIF format over 7 years ago and have been allowing software companies to use this for a small licence fee but allowing its distribution of gif format graphics feely over the internet.
Part of creating a gif is a technology called LZW compression, this was designed by a company called Unisys and many software houses failed to realise that this was part of the gif process...
CompuServe and Unisys announced just before Christmas that they will be asking for royalties from anyone who wishes to use the gif format either online or in software, this could have a major impact on the way we work from now on...
Some reports from the internet...
http://www.cloanto.com/users/mcb/19950127giflzw.html
http://www.i-m.com/archives/9501/0038.html
http://www.unisys.com/unisys/lzw/
One I have found more solid information, I will let you know.