RIP: Stephen Wilhite, the creator of GIF has died

Stephen Wilhite, one of the lead inventors of GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) has succumbed to Coronavirus to COVID-19.

Stephen Wilhite

Rest in peace Stephen Wilhite

To those who don't know, GIF (pronounced at JIF) was created in the late 1980s as a way to distribute "high-quality, high-resolution graphics" in color at a time when internet speeds way slower compared to what we have today.

Now, GIFs is now widely used for reactions, messages, and jokes. It's a very popular animated image format on the internet.

In the Times interview, Wilhite said that one of his favorite GIFs is the dancing baby meme, which went viral before "memes" and "going viral" is a thing.

The obituary page of Wilhite notes that he remained a very humble, kind, and good man even with all his accomplishments. During his time at CompuServe, Wilhite was described as a hard worker who had a major influence on the company’s success.

Rest in peace internet legend.

Via: The Verge