Mr. Wilhite is mostly known by those who really, really know their History of Computer Science or the Internet but he was the person responsible for creating the .GIF. Sadly, he passed away on March 14th from CV-19-related complications. Such a pisser too. He and his wife were just about to enjoy more of their retirement visiting nearby spots they loved to visit.
Steve Wilhite created the animated graphic format in 1987 while working for CompuServe; I always remembered in the mid-Nineties, anything with the .gif suffix meant it involved someone on that odd service. Most I encountered weren’t animated (or worked), they just had a lower number of colors in their pallet unlike a .JPEG.
Back when he worked there, getting online in the Eighties required a modem and those were extremely pokey since 14K was the best you could buy. With dial-up, compression and speed were critical. Until AOL’s decision to charge a flat fee, you paid by the minute so only crazy or wealthy people bothered to stay connected over a long period. As cable and DSL made their way into being standard, making 4K TV feasible, the .GIF evolved into what I call a form of shorthand to communicate jokes, emotion or whatever you just don’t feel like spelling out.
According to NPR, he stayed at CompuServe until 2001 (hard to believe they were still around by then), when a stroke forced him into early retirement. Steve never stopped enjoying his hobbies: computer programming and model railroads. In 2013, he received a life-time achievement Webby, the Oscars® of Internet accomplishments. During his acceptance speech, he pronounced his creation “JIF,” as in the peanut butter. I’m not sure if he was messing with us because Webster has the hard G sound (GUH, rhymes with DUH) as the first way, and I remember another NPR show trying to clear the air by saying it with the G not J sound. He wasn’t a very public guy, adding to the debate. It wouldn’t be the first time a creator lost control of how something they’re involved got pronounced. Recently, I learned how the infamous Massachusetts governor blamed for the term Gerrymandering, Elbridge Gerry, his surname was pronounced “Gary” not “Jerry” even though the famous singer behind “Baker Street” is Gerry Rafferty.
Thanks for everything Steve! The Internet is a horrible cesspool today thanks to “social” media, spam, trolls and the megaphone it gave to ignorant dumbasses like our least favorite uncle or aunt. However, you gave the world something useful, fun and creative. Something the Internet promised when it was opened up to the public in 1992. In your honor, I posted a favorite GIF I once created. An endless loop of St. Reagan being punched in the last movie he appeared in, before he went on to destroy California and later, the US and the world.
