Steve Wilhite
| Steve Wilhite | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship |
 United States |
| Nationality |
American |
| Fields | Computer science |
| Institutions |
CompuServe AOL |
| Known for | GIF |
| Influenced | Graphics Interchange Format |
| Notable awards | Webby Lifetime Achievement [1] |
Steve Wilhite of CompuServe was the engineering lead on the team that adapted the GIF file format, which went on to become the de facto standard for 8-bit color images on the Internet until PNG became a viable alternative.[2]
Biography
Wilhite remained on the CompuServe/AOL payroll into the first decade of the 21st century, working on a variety of CompuServe systems. These included CompuServe's wire protocols, such as CompuServe Host-Micro Interface (HMI) and CompuServe B protocol for the CompuServe Information Manager (CIM), new service features in the early 1990s, Web chat software in the late 1990s, and investigating Web community models until his departure after being disabled by a stroke.[3] He has since partially recovered.
Prior to work with CompuServe Information Manager he ran a team that created compilers and run-time systems for use on the DECsytem-10 computers that were the major computing platforms used by CompuServe. Most notable were the Fortran and BASIC compilers and run-time systems and a substantial library called "BTOOLS" to support BLISS programming.
Wilhite's name comes up frequently in debate over the pronunciation of the GIF acronym.[3] “The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations,” Mr. Wilhite said. “They are wrong. It is a soft ‘G,’ pronounced ‘jif.’ End of story.”[3]
References
- ↑ "Special Achievement". International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- ↑ "Confusion reigns on the Web over GIF patent claims". Network World. IDG Network World Inc. 9 January 1995. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- 1 2 3 O'Leary, Amy (21 May 2013). "An Honor for the Creator of the GIF". Bits - The New York Times, Technology. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2013-05-22.