Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Tech Etymology: Animated GIF - The Atlantic

Tech Etymology: Animated GIF - The Atlantic

I knew it! I was right!! GIF is pronounced with the soft 'g'.

From the article:

In the '80s, before the Internet was commonplace, CompuServe released a graphics display bulletincalled CompuShow. In version 8.33 (fQ&A.DOC), the FAQ section on GIFs begins: "The GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), pronounced 'JIF,' was designed by CompuServe and the official specification released in June of 1987." In their very own document, the GIF's creators indicate their preference for the soft-j.

1 comment:

  1. Just like the prefix giga is with a soft g but the vast majority of people don't know it :)

    ReplyDelete