VisibleGif

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Categories and questions

"I'm trying to decide"

^ What are the benefits of using VisibleGif?

You can be assured that you have implemented the GIF images on you web site to the highest possible implementation standards. You benefit in lower storage costs and lower network transmission costs. Your customers and visitors benefit in shorter download times and lower local storage usage. The Internet community benefits overall in that less resources are used making more available for other work.

^ Why should I choose VisibleGif?

VisibleGif puts you in control. You can clearly see the internal structure of the GIF image file. You can make decisions whether to apply optimisation rules or not. You can generate optimised GIF images. VisibleGif hides nothing.

^ How much does VisibleGif cost?

This is described in the schedule of fees and charges. Please be sure to read the license information.

^ How has VisibleGif been written?

VisibleGif has been designed, built and tested to the higest software development standards. It has undergone extensive userbility and operability testing including capacity and performance testing. VisibleGif is a robust and resilient software product. VisibleGif has been written in the Java programming language. It aims to exploit the features of the various Java Virtual Machines and so may need upgrades from time to time.

VisibleGif does not include any time expiry mechanism. In line with policy it has been written without any network access capabilities. WhyWaitForever does not believe it is right for programs to secretly make network connections to gather or distribute usage information. VisibleGif does not amend any registry entries or other operating system related configuration information. VisibleGif is entirely contained in the single installation folder.

^ What about support and maintenance?

WhyWaitForever runs this web site which is the main source for support and information about VisibleGif usage. WhyWaitForever can be emailed and will provide email support as resources permit.

From time to time a new version of the software might be released and will be made available on this web site. Purchasers should download the latest version and email WhyWaitForever for a replacement password.

^ Aren't all GIF images implemented the same?

No. Consider an image perceived as "a red image". At first look it appears to comprise a single shade of red but up close it might contain multiple shades of red. A close visual inspection might reveal this detail. Now consider the implementation. The internal colour table might contain only the single shade of red. It might contain only the multiple shades of red. Unfortunately the colour table might contain all shades of red, green and blue even if they are never used. A visual imspection will not reveal this only a product like VisibleGif can reveal this detail.

^ How common are inefficiently implemented GIF images?

Unfortunately inefficiently implemented GIF images are very common. There are a number of reasons for this. One reason is that some image editor software have been implemented using algorithms that it is claimed avoid using patented technology. These can produce large GIF files. Some image editor software have optimisation strategies that are designed for the production of printable media. Again these produce large GIF files. Versions of the same image editor software can produce variable results. The patented compression algorithm is complex and includes elements such as "variable bit length" compression which may not have been implemented in the image editor software.

^ Are you willing to prove your claims before I buy and for free?

Yes and for free. If you E-mail VisibleGif a cross-sample of GIFs (a maximum of ten) VisibleGif will return E-mail to you the optimised versions as soon as resources permit. If your Gifs are already produced using Gif optimisation software and no improvements are possible VisibleGif will say so. In this case you may still want to purchase VisibleGif for asset management and security management reasons.

^ Why can't I try before buying?

This software is designed for use by developers who use images in their work and understand the importance of optimised implementations. The web site provides examples as to the software's capabilities. WhyWaitForever is willing to prove the product before purchase (please see previous question). WhyWaitForever is constrained by its licensing agreement in what it can do in this area.

^ Do I need to be a computer programmer to use VisibleGif?

No. If you can create or amend images using image editing software you should be able to use VisibleGif.

^ Do I need to know about the structure of a GIF file?

VisibleGif can be used with very little understanding of the structure of a GIF file. It does help to have a basic knowledge of the structure. This can be gained by reading the VisibleGif documentation. All computer files comprise a series of bytes organised as blocks of bytes. Usually there is a header block at the start, a variable number of content blocks and a trailer block at the end. VisibleGif allows you to view and amend these blocks. In a short time GIF image files can be understood and optimised with ease.

^ Do I need to be concerned about GIF technology patents?

VisibleGif uses GIF related technology patented by Unisys. WhyWaitForever is in discussions with Unisys over a licensing agreement. It is expected that any GIF images produced by VisibleGif can be freely used.

^ What do I need to know about images and copyright?

Copyright should be respected. VisibleGif is a software tool that allows images to be manipulated. It should be used on images where copyright ownership is clearly understood. WhyWaitForever has a policy that images are only used where copyright is not in dispute or able to be disputed. In practice keep records of original work undertaken and original versions of images so in a copyright dispute your claim can be supported.

"I'm going to download"

^ What happens when?

Decide where on your hard drive you will install VisibleGif. This is usually "C:\visibleg".
Download and unzip
Register and pay the fee.
Email WhyWaitForever to confirm you have downloaded and paid.
WhyWaitForever will Email back to confirm your Email has been received. If confirmation of payment has already been received the password will be sent with the email confirmation.
If the password has not previously been sent, once confirmation of payment has been obtained the password will be emailed.

"I downloaded and installed"

^ Why did nothing happen when I ran for the first time?

Check that the "visibleg.exe" file is the same size as that of the version on the web site.

Launch an MSDOS (or Command) prompt window. Change the directory (cd c:\...\visibleg) to the folder containing VisibleGif. Run the "visibleg.exe" program. Check the messages produced.

^ What does the message "Unable to start the application - a newer Java Virtual Machine must be installed" mean?

The VisibleGif executable program requires the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine to be installed. Normally this is installed when the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser is installed. Please visit the Microsoft Java web site to download and install the most recent version of the Java Virtual Machine consistent with the version of your web browser software.

"I ran VisibleGif"

^ Why has my GIF file size changed when I did not optimise?

If you run "analyse" followed by "generate" the GIF image size should not change if the original GIF file was implemented to conform to the GIF format standard. Most GIF processing software is tolerant to the presence of blocks of bytes whose block "identifier" code is not recognised yet contains a correct "byte count" and a correct "block terminator code". VisibleGif "analyse" only converts the blocks to XML that it recognises. Unrecognised blocks are disgarded. There is some discussion as to whether this should be an option able to be set by a developer email us with your thoughts.

Some GIF presentation software is more fault tolerant to errors in a particular GIF file format than others. Some "GIF" image editing software have departed in some respects from the format standard knowing that the non standard "variants" will be ignored. VisibleGif enforces the GIF standard.

Any discrepancies should be investigated and the "unexpected" block looked at in some detail. There may be security implications.

"I'm going to de-install"

^ How do I de-install?

VisibleGif does not believe in artificial means of lock-in. VisibleGif does not read or change any registry entries or any other operating system configuration files. Just delete the VisibleGif installation folder.