[chimera-dev] FYI - gif support to be delayed

[Greg Couch]

Enclosed is what the gd developers have posted on their web site.  If
we want to support gif files (or more likely compressed tiff files),
we also need to wait.

	- Greg
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UPDATED GIF INFORMATION, 06/17/03: Many have asked whether gd will
support creating GIF files again after June 20th, 2003, when the
well-known Unisys LZW patent expires. Although this patent exires in
the US soon, this patent does not expire for another year in the rest
of the world. Since I have no way of limiting distribution of
GIF-creating code to US users only, I have opted to follow the same
policy that the ImageMagick authors are following: GIF creation will
not reappear in gd until the patent expires world-wide on July 7th,
2004. I realize this situation is frustrating for many; please direct
your anger and complaints toward the questionable patent system that
allows the patenting of such straightforward algorithms in the first
place. Thank you!