Re: [Phpgroupware-developers] The GIF issue

[Loic Dachary]

Bob Schader writes:
 > So I guess that the GNU Project is NOT the same as GNU software?
 > There apparently can be GNU software that does not meet the standards
 > of the GNU project?

        The boycott is not on software that manipulates GIF files. It is
on GIF files. A software that can manipulate GIF files in a way that does
not infringe the patent is not contradictory to the GNU policy. A software
that includes GIF files contradicts the GNU policy to boycott GIF files.

        It's similar to boycotting Amazon because of the one click
patent. Let's say it is possible to use Amazon without using the
patented piece of software. Simply boycotting the use of this feature
would not be an effective boycott. For instance the FSF could sell
books thru Amazon & ask people on their own pages (www.gnu.org) to
avoid the use of the patented piece of software. That would be
considered a rather hypocritical and ineffective boycott since most
people would likely be unaware of the warning and use the patented
software to buy FSF books anyway.

        In a similar way, the boycott of GIF could have been on
compressed GIF only, saying ok to GIF files not falling under the
patent. That would have been very ineffective since most people have
no way or no time to check this. Instead it was decided to not use
any GIF files in the GNU project. 

        The boycott could have been extended to GIF file manipulation
software, regardless of the fact that they infrige the patent or
not. I'm not sure if it would have made a difference though. And the
boycott (burn all gif & all) was pretty effective since you can now
hardly find someone who is not aware of the problem and many people do
avoid distributing GIF files.
        
        Another important side effect of the boycott is to remind people
of the software patent threats. 

        I hope this is clearer.

 > Bob
 > 
 > ----- Original Message ----- 
 > From: "Loic Dachary" <address@hidden>
 > To: <address@hidden>
 > Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2002 6:51 AM
 > Subject: Re: [Phpgroupware-developers] The GIF issue
 > 
 > 
 > Bob Schader writes:
 >  > Dan,
 >  > 
 >  > I looked into this gif issue tonight, and found the following statement on
 >  > http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/gif.html :
 >  > 
 >  > Decoding GIFs is a different issue. The Unisys and IBM patents are 
 >  > both written in such a way that they do not apply to a program which 
 >  > can only uncompress LZW format and cannot compress. Therefore we 
 >  > can and will include support for displaying GIF files in GNU software.
 > 
 > The point is to boycott GIF files. This is what the GNU project
 > does, in addition to finding/providing technical means to avoid the
 > patent problems. 
 > 
 > Cheers,
 > 

-- 
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