Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!bionet!ames!killer!texbell!merch!cpe!hal6000!trsvax!johnm
From: johnm@trsvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: GIF File Format
Message-ID: <216100087@trsvax>
Date: 3 Apr 89 18:12:00 GMT
References: <1479@cooper.cooper.EDU>
Lines: 22
Nf-ID: #R:cooper.cooper.EDU:1479:trsvax:216100087:000:748
Nf-From: trsvax.UUCP!johnm    Apr  3 13:12:00 1989


>>Hi,
>>
>>I would like information on the format of .GIF files.
>>If there is any interest, I will post what I find out.
>
>    My understanding is that GIF is proprietary information of Compuserve, and
>that they don't let just anyone know the format.  In order to know it, you
>have to become a "GIF developer" and sign a non-disclosure agreement.
>
>					-- Don Porges
>					porges@inmet.com
>					{...mirror,ima}!inmet!porges

Wrong.

The only thing you get by becoming a GIF developer is access to another
message area and data library in the PICS section on Compu$erve.  This gives
you access to source code for a variety of decoders/encoders and whatnot.  The
specification for the file format itself is freely distributable.

John Munsch