Created in 1987 by CompuServe, its use has been massive, despite its shortcomings : it supports only 256 colors; its compression is inefficient; it has no sound and its latest specs were released over 20 years ago. So what explains its longevity and popularity?
In its beginnings, when we connected to the Internet with slow screeching modems, the GIF became popular thanks to its compression that, despite its defects, allowed fast downloads impossible with similar formats. Making them was simple and fast with programs like Photoshop , and it allowed animations, so it was used as one of the first systems to put moving images online. In addition, the format found its perfect market niche: animated advertising banners.
The GIF seemed doomed to a slow extinction, but in recent times it is experiencing a second youth due to the popularity of very short video clips on services such as Tumblr or Vine (the video app for Twitter), to which it is perfectly adapted , thanks to its features: it is much easier to create than videos, it runs automatically and is compatible with all browsers and operating systems.
