Stephen Wilhite, Creator of the Animated GIF, Dies at 74. As looping animations became a staple of the internet, the pronunciation of ‘GIF,’ short for graphics interchange format, was a frequent subject of debate.
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Who is Stephen Wilhite?
Stephen E. Wilhite, a computer programmer who was best known for inventing the GIF, the looping animations that became a universal language for conveying humor, sarcasm and angst on social media and in instant messages, died in Cincinnati on March 24. He was 74.
Stephen Wilhite, one of the lead inventors of the GIF, died last week from COVID at the age of 74, according to his wife, Kathaleen, who spoke to The Verge. He was surrounded by family when he passed. His obituary page notes that “even with all his accomplishments, he remained a very humble, kind, and good man.”
Stephen Wilhite Cause of Death
Stephen Wilhite Cause of Death – Cincinnati
Stephen Wilhite worked on GIF, or Graphics Interchange Format, which is now used for reactions, messages, and jokes, while employed at CompuServe in the 1980s. He retired around the early 2000s and spent his time traveling, camping, and building model trains in his basement.
Who invented the GIF?
Steve Wilhite, The inventor of the Gif file has revealed that the world has been mispronouncing his creation. Steve Wilhite, who invented the Gif file in 1987, told the New York Times that the word is pronounced “jif” not “giff”. “The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations. They are wrong.
While there have been long-standing debates about the correct pronunciation of the image format, Wilhite was very clear on how he intended for it to be said. In 2013, he told The New York Times, “The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations. They are wrong. It is a soft ‘G,’ pronounced ‘jif.’ End of story.”a