Want a solo Tool gig around BDO 2011?

[Skullator]

Was just about to IMG that in too Lenny lol, great gif or greatest gif of all time?

[Lennysaurus]

This one is good too

[electric]

Whilst I agree with the content of said gifs, there is no such thing as a "great gif". They are the worst fucking things ever. Period.

[Lennysaurus]

Whilst I agree with the content of said gifs, there is no such thing as a "great gif". They are the worst fucking things ever. Period.

An interesting statement Mr. Goodwin.  I am intrigued, so please elaborate.

[Skullator]

If said individual in question has an older PC, I can see why he would think GIF's are a pain during web browsing sessions lol.

[electric]

It's not that my computing hardware is inadequate for viewing images of the Graphic Interchange Format, but rather that in the year 2010, over 20 years after the specification and implementation of the GIF file type was made publicly visible, it's very hard to believe there is still a need for it.

Let's look at the so called "features" of the GIF spec...

* Image transparency: Supported in the PNG file format since 1994, implemented in IE7 (the last major player in the browser market which halted transparent PNG's success) in 2006.
* Animation: Oh, you mean videos? I think there's a site for that...
* File size and compression: Contrary to popular belief, this benefit doesn't come when you have a 10 second frame by frame video "implemented" in GIF

Someone might argue that there is enough of an overhead with encoding videos and calling the worst browser plugin on the planet just to view videos to make that an unappealing option, but modern browsers are continually making the push to HTML5 which includes native video and audio decoders, and really, SOMEONE is out there turning videos with actually watchable frames into the 256 colour mess that is a 4mb GIF file. There's the overhead.

What I'm trying to say, is that using this archaic excuse for a file format (which has forever been a web developers second worst nightmare since the advent of the internet) is detrimental to both the general internet populous and human reasoning.

[HoneyBadger]

Ah. Foolish Wound Lenny. There is much you still do not understand.

[massi4h]

I think you should just DIE ONE THOUSAND DEATHS:

[Skullator]

Tell me then mr goodwin, from a business standpoint, why we should have to rely on youtube for all that we aim to do on our web pages?

What you fail to realize is that there IS a need for a .gif animation format, for these reasons:
- play inside a web browser (This is web design101)
- play on an OS right out of the box (This is microsoft graciously developing and adapting to the .gif format and making it run on all their OS's)
- play on a computer right out of the box (No codecs required, no media player required, just a browser or image viewer is fine)
- Infinite looping \ Set number of loops to play then stop.

If you expect an end user to be able to have codecs, web plugins and\or a decent media player on their computer, you have already over estimated them.
If you expect there isn't a need for animations etc to run right off your web site, without the need to link to somebody elses website which may or may not exist and offer the same functionality tomorrow, then you just don't have to think about web design much and should consider yourself lucky ;p

Not everyone can develop on flash yet.

Protip:
Best not to confuse one section of I.T with another. Artists shouldn't agree with web developers, and they shouldn't agree with networkers, and they shouldn't agree with programmers.
Best practice for each area is different, but there needs to also be ways to BRING EVERYTHING TOGETHER WITHOUT COMPATIBILITY ISSUES. Enter the .pdf document, the .gif animation, and the .avi video container and the .bmp still image.

I'm whiter than casper for a reason.

[electric]

Is there a need for a small, low footprint animation standard ? Yes.
Should that standard have been defined in 1987 ? No.
Should that standard be used and abused so horribly that it attracts scorn from the people who create and maintain the very medium it lives on ? No.

While I agree that there is a need for what GIF represents, there's absolutely no reason why it should be GIF.

[Skullator]

True, but remember that just because it was first designed in 87, doesn't mean that each microsoft OS since then hasn't completely overhauled the format.
Microsoft's monopolistic approach to the worlds computers helps define what a file extension can\can't do (Traditionally)
I can tell you that .gifs from 2010 will not run correctly on old OS's, and that gif's from today can do more than gif's from yesterday. Point there being the format itself isn't 'Doomed' or whatever, it can grow or adapt to the situation should the need arise, but the devs and powers that be need some clear direction on what's lacking before anything will happen.
Why fix what ain't broke? You'll break more stuff by doing so.

I don't like gifs much either, certainly not enough to defend them lol. Just killing some time at work..

[Rorooze]

GOD I LOVE GIFS SO MUCH

[samurai black]

gifs are amazing

[Lennysaurus]

This is now a GIF thread!!!

[redtie]