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1987 – Compuserve releases the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) standard. Using 256 colors, it could greatly reduce pictures for the web. Photos in the GIF format would look pixelated and posturized, though.

“‘GIF’ ™ is CompuServe’s standard for defining generalized color raster images. This ‘Graphics Interchange Format’ ™ allows high-quality, high-resolution graphics to be displayed on a variety of graphics hardware and is intended as an exchange and display mechanism for graphics images. The image format described in this document is designed to support current and future image technology and will in addition serve as a basis for future CompuServe graphics products.” – From the Official text of GIF standard.

GIF files are used to this day, mostly for animation purposes. Google Chrome, for example, allows you to post animated gif files, which brought a flood of “Google over Facebook” shorts.

Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for May 28

• Steve Jobs is removed as General Manager of Macintosh Division
• Yahoo! completes Acquisition of Geocities
• 3DO gaming filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy
• Time Warner separates from AOL.
• The first graphene-based circuits to break the gigahertz barrier