Re: Burn All GIFs Day (fwd)

[Angela Gunn <agunn@dorsai.org>]

[: hacktivism :]

Oh, crikey.
  

Nevermind the obvious FUD (get the facts at
http://slashdot.org/articles/99/08/31/0143246.shtml: Unisys is gunning for
software companies that make freeware that uses but doesn't license LZW
compression) -- how exactly do you burn a GIF? You're going to what, print
it out? Then you'll be burning a piece of paper, big deal. You're going to
burn a floppy? Then you're burning some plastic, big stinky deal. Perhaps
you'll consider tattooing a GIF on your ass before immolation, at which
point you might get some truly interesting media coverage. (Since the 5th
is also Guy Fawkes Day, you might consider stencilling your GIFs on the
side of a firework or two, but I like the other solution better.)
  

There is, of course, an interesting underlying issue here -- the
open-source movement and corporate control over patentable material such as
algorithms. There's also a question of what will become of the GIMP, an
interesting product all by itself. There is not, however, a threat to
non-profits of any stripe; no one wants $5000 from you. If you're
concerned, check with the company that created the software package you
used to create your site's GIFs; if they're licensed, of if you're using
freeware with an unlicensed version of LZW *but* your site is non-profit,
you're jake.
  

But spreading FUD is right out. Damn, two of these hysterical outbursts in
two days; is it my imagination or has this formerly-engaging list been
getting downright stupid? Or is the world such a happy place now that we
can frolic about with harebrained protests on non-issues? I could've
*sworn* there was still a dictatorship in Burma, oppression in Mexico, and
brutal prison conditions in the USA, but I guess that was a lie put forth
by Unisys and the US Postal Service to throw us off the scent...
  

Old enough to know how to pick her battles, but apparently still young
enough to be annoyed by those who don't --
AG.
  

At 05:45 PM 11/3/99 -0800, you wrote:
>[: hacktivism :]
>
>
>               !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>	       !!!THE TIME HAS COME TO BURN ALL GIFS!!!
>               !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>	         Burn All GIFs Day -- November 5, 1999
>		       http://burnallgifs.org/
>
>THE SCOOP:
>
>Unisys Corporation, owner of the patent for GIF technology, is asking
>for a FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR license fee from Web authors who use GIF
>files on their sites. We think this is outrageous. We want to send a
>message to Unisys and other big companies that the Internet can't be
>held hostage by proprietary standards and file formats. We're going to
>hold a LIVE PROTEST on November 5th at the Bay Area headquarters for
>Unisys raise awareness about creative freedom on the Web and to help
>people become aware of open options to closed-minded corporate
>computing.
>
>WHO WE ARE:
>
>Burn All GIFs is a project of the League for Programming Freedom
>(http://lpf.ai.mit.edu/). We're a group of Web makers and software
>creators who are concerned about everyone's right to make and use
>software without having to walk through the minefield of patent
>litigation. We want to end the burden of the LZW patent (the
>underlying technology for GIF files) by moving the Web away from GIF
>to other, more open standards (like JPEG and PNG).
>
>WHAT WE'RE DOING:
>
>As a group, we're not concentrating on convincing Unisys to drop its
>ridiculous licensing schemes for GIF. This hasn't worked in the past,
>and we don't expect it to work now. Instead, we want to make GIF files
>IRRELEVANT for modern life on the Web. To this purpose, we're:
>
>   * Encouraging the use of the Portable Network Graphics format (PNG
>     or "ping"), the W3 standard for Web graphics
>     (http://www.w3.org/Graphics/PNG/) as an alternative to GIF
>
>   * Writing and distributing software for converting GIF files to
>     PNG, including web2png, a utility that can convert an entire Web
>     site from GIF to PNG in minutes
>
>   * Spreading the word about why GIF is lame to the media, on the
>     Web, and in live protests
>
>WHAT YOU CAN DO:
>
>   * Come to Burn All GIFs Day! (directions below) It's going to be a
>     good time with interesting and creative people using the power of
>     a crazy scheme to draw attention to an important issue.
>
>   * Look into PNG as an alternative to GIF for your Web site. It's
>     supported by both major browsers, it's an excellent image format,
>     and it's just full of all kinds of good karma. With the tools you
>     can find at http://burnallgifs.org/ and elsewhere, it's real easy
>     to clean your Web site of GIF technology.
>
>   * Fly the "Burn All GIFs" banner on your site, to show that you're
>     not using GIFs any more.
>
>   * There's more! See http://burnallgifs.org/ for more ways to get
>     involved.
>
>THE EVENT:
>
>In the San Francisco Bay Area, we'll be converging on the Brisbane
>offices of Unisys Corporation at 5PM on November 5th, 1999.  The
>meeting point will be on the public trail facing Pier 5 of the
>Brisbane Marina, near Unisys. Directions to the site can be found at:
>
>      http://burnallgifs.org/brisbane/
>
>[Other regional groups will also be meeting at their regional Unisys
>headquarters; see the burnallgifs.org site for details.] We'll have
>GIF conversion software and other cool stuff to pass out to
>people. Bring your least favorite GIF file on floppy or paper to
>symbolically "burn" at the home of GIF.
>
>MORE INFORMATION:
>
>More information about the GIF controversy, Burn All GIFs, links to
>recent media articles about GIF, patent problems, and software freedom
>can be found at this URL:
>
>      http://burnallgifs.org/
>
>               !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>	       !!!STAND UP FOR THE WEB -- BURN A GIF!!!
>               !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>
>
>The_12hr-ISBN-JPEG_Project                     since 1994 <<<
>
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>
>
>
>
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