Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!uwm.edu!bionet!parc!schneide
From: schneide@parc.xerox.com (Kris A. Schneider)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: When is a GIF not a GIF?
Message-ID: <1991Mar30.184820.7477@parc.xerox.com>
Date: 30 Mar 91 18:48:20 GMT
Sender: news@parc.xerox.com
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Organization: Xerox PARC
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Originator: schneide@arisia

Hi folks,

Bear with me while I ramble a bit and tell you what's lead up to this question.

I finally gained access to a Sun Sparc2 that writes wonderfully formatted 1.44M
DOS disks.  Now, with AFS (Apple File Exchange) running on my IIsi at home,
the advice of a former teacher has come alive - "Never underestimate the
bandwidth of a truck."  Well, I've only got a dinky ole Mazda, but it still
beats tar out of a 1200b modem!  Anyway, one of the things I've downloaded from
the Sparc2 onto disks are GIF files.  They display without problem using a tool
called xv on the Sparc2, however only some of them display on my Mac.  When
AFS opens one of the DOS disks, the icons for the GIFs that will eventually
display have simulated writing on them (kinda like a MacWrite doc).  The ones
that won't display just have a blank doc icon.  This doesn't change after
the files have been installed on the Mac's hard-drive.  BTW, I'm using both
Giffer and GifWatch (I think that's right...), and when I say files will or
won't display, I mean that neither application recognizes them as GIFs so
the option isn't even there to open them.

Ok, hope ya'll are still reading.  What I'm wondering is, is there some
significant piece of info that tells either the applications or the Mac that
they/it are/is looking at a GIF?  Is there some way to change the files that
aren't recognized so that they are?  I've heard myths and legends surrounding
this wonderful tool known as ResEdit, will this help, where can I find it?
Guess that's enough...  Thanks for any leads!

-Kris
schneide@arisia.xerox.com