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List:       kde-core-devel
Subject:    Re: GIF write support
From:       Michael Matz <matz () ifh ! de>
Date:       2000-04-06 0:41:12
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On Wed, 5 Apr 2000, mosfet wrote:

> The configure option in Qt doesn't support write, and by "hundreds" of
> apps using it I am not just speaking about Linux apps. Think about all
> the applications on all the platforms that support GIF.

http://www.unisys.com/news/releases/1998/aug/08276545.html
Esp. note "The patent, which is licensed to more than 1,500 companies, "

They had sued some websites.
They sell even licenses (5000-7500 $) to webadmins if they want use GIFs
created with program not having an Unisys license. 
And they have licenses for programmers, were they can use LZW for saving
and loading GIFs, but are not allowed to _publish_ these GIFs.
Finally they have broad licenses for companies for products like web
authoring tools, where even the users of these tools are permitted to
publish the created GIFs.
Probably they have many other licenses too for sale.

> Has anyone considered *asking* UniSys? 

Not from KDE. You can try <LZW_INFO@UNISYS.COM>, but I think some other
free software tried it, and _if_ it succeeded it took months.

You were concerned with large GIFs if you implement the noncompressing
variant. Now, also compressed GIFs are not _that_ good compressed, and
1000x800 GIFs I would not like, if compressed or not ;)

At least the users of your software would have a reason to switch to PNG.
I know, it is not satisfying, but the legal problems are real, and Unisys
used their power in the past. So unless you ask and get a positive answer
I would recommend not to do anything with LZW.


Ciao,
Michael.

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