This is very sad news that will move the entire Web. The famous computer scientist Stephen Wilhite has just died at the age of 74.
And if his name is not necessarily put forward, his creation, the “ Graphic Interchange Format “, universally known under the name of GIF, remains today a means of communication used in the four corners of the planet.
The GIF, a web revolution as entertaining as it is unpronounceable
The COVID-19 pandemic got the better of Stephen Wilhite, according to a confirmation from his partner, Kathaleen, obtained by The Verge. One of the most revolutionary computer scientists of the past fifty years has passed away at the age of 74. And if he retired about twenty years ago to practice various passions such as camping and model railroading, his legacy still has very good years ahead of him.
By creating the GIF in 1987 to provide moving images of reasonable quality despite the low Internet speeds of the time, Stephen Wilhite, employee at CompuServe, had no idea that he had just developed a communication tool that will achieve international success. Because the GIF knows no, or very few, borders, and today allows billions of humans to illustrate their thoughts and their words with these animated images, sometimes accompanied by a text.
Their often humorous and sarcastic aim is perfect for many uses. But if there is a debate that Stephen Wilhiste tried, in vain, to conclude, it is that of the pronunciation of his creation. Disputing the very recommendable Oxford English Dictionarywhich accepts two forms of pronunciation, Wilhiste tells the New York Times in 2013 : ” they’re wrong, it’s a light “G” pronounced “jif”, end of story “.
Source: The Verge
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