On 19 Jan 2003 11:13:35 -0800, Brion Vibber brion=e+AXbWqSrlAAvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org wrote:
(For why GIFs are bad, see http://burnallgifs.org/ )
At present, when someone uploads a GIF image file to Wikipedia, they're told it's "not a recommended format". This isn't likely to stop anyone once they've got that far, so they'll probably just hit "Save anyway". Plus, we've got a zillion GIF files already uploaded from the olden days.
Would it be desireable to do automated conversion to PNG? Or at the least, offering a conversion along with that upload warning.
Pros:
- By eliminating the use of a patent-encumbered file format on our site,
we support the open/free-content ideals this project is built on.
- Wikipedia and Bomis avoid the potential of a Unisys lawsuit for
'contributory infringement' of their LZW compression patent for providing download of files that might be compressed with unlicensed software.
Cons:
- Animated GIFs can't be converted cleanly (or is that a pro? ;) (Note
that there is MNG, but it's not widely supported)
- Some browsers don't support transparency in PNGs correctly. These are
older versions, but still in use.
Like IE6? (Okay, it does one pixel transparency, but alpha-transparent PNG's can still look embarrasing).