Power to the people gif4/15/2023 ![]() ![]() Wilhite worked for CompuServe, the first online service provider in the U.S., and developed the Graphics Interchange Format in 1987. ![]() Yes, I am a man on a mission.īut enough about me, let’s talk about our old friend GIF. Perhaps it is not too late to save a few other unsuspecting souls from blindly wandering down the dark path of mispronunciation. I now feel morally obligated to rectify this by repenting and shining the light of truth on this subject. And for this, I offer my sincerest of apologies. Methinks it was the latecomers to the party that started saying it incorrectly, and we seasoned veterans did not do a very good job in passing along our sage wisdom. So for me and my comrades, it was never even a question. In fact, it was fairly well known that the GIF development team at CompuServe had a saying: “Choosy developers choose GIF,” which was a play on the slogan of a memorable peanut butter commercial at the time: “Choosy mothers choose Jif.” This was certainly to tout their superior graphics format, and whether it was intentional or not, it elucidated the intended pronunciation of their new creation. Not once did I ever hear of someone even think about using a hard “G.” But I have been programming since the ’80s, working in web development and design since the birth of the World Wide Web, have wasted countless hours painstakingly creating GIFs pixel by pixel, and spent a fair amount of time in those early days interacting with other developers face-to-face, over IRC, in Usenet groups, on BBSs, and through various other forums. There are plenty of vocal advocates (pun intended) on both sides of the debate, and I have seen many a temper flare over this issue. Though some would beg to differ, the pronunciation is not a hill to die on. I mean, who’s going to argue with its creator? Until he sells the naming rights like a Major League Ballpark, shouldn’t he get to decide how it is voiced? My name is spelled M-A-R-K, but what if I told you it’s actually pronounced “Steve?” Yes, it would be quite odd and confusing, but it’s my name, so it’s my choice. It is a soft ‘G,’ pronounced ‘jif.’ End of story.” “The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations. It’s understandable that one might be tempted to entertain a hard “G” sound considering that GIF is an acronym for “Graphics Interchange Format” and not something like “Giraffe Incubation Foundation” or “Gelatinous Inscription Factor.” But if you still feel compelled to pronounce it incorrectly, you will earn the disfavor of its inventor, Steve Wilhite.
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