Re: <nettime> Burn All GIFs Day

[Angela Gunn <agunn@dorsai.org>]

[This burn-all-GIFs nonsense turned up on the [:hacktivism:] mailing list
yesterday and was debunked as follows.]
  

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. 
  

[end excerpted response]
  

At 05:39 PM 11/3/99 -0800, you wrote:
>               !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>	       !!!THE TIME HAS COME TO BURN ALL GIFS!!!
>               !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>	         Burn All GIFs Day -- November 5, 1999
>		       http://burnallgifs.org/

<....>

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