On Sun, 4 Feb 2001 15:11:14 -0500 (EST), Steve <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Then you have to decide proprietary/licensed graphics format
> vs. free/open graphics format. I choose open. True, at this
> moment in time, more browsers support the proprietary gif formats
> than support png, but png is philosophically more acceptable to
> me because anyone at all may create a png graphic, while gifs are
> only legally able to be created by license.
Hello Steve:
I also have heard that gifs may be created legally only by license.
If that were so, then why are there so many publicly available freeware
programs out there that are capable of producing gifs? If the
purported licensing authority did in fact have the power to do anything
about this situation, then we would be seeing the authors of these
programs being dragged into court and their download sites being closed
down. Anyone can claim the legal authority to require you to buy a
license from him to do anything. You can flagrantly challenge his claims
to authority. Whether he has the power to back up his claims to such
authority is another question. Authority cannot exist without support
from the powers that be. The powers that be will be kicked out or forced
to step down or turned around unless they have the support of the people.
I realize of course that in many cases it might take a long time for the
people to eventually get their way, especially in totalitarian regimes
where the citizens are denied the right to bear arms.
Sam
-- This mail was written by user of The Arachne Browser - http://arachne.cz/
