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. The logic behind this pronunciation comes from what GIF stands for: Graphics Interchange Format. Over the last decade, GIF posts have become the main tool for many social media users for sharing animated jokes and expressing their emotions. They were introduced in the 1980s as a way to distribute "high-quality, high-resolution graphics" in color at a time when internet speed was tremendously slow compared to the speed they are at today. He told The Daily Dot in 2012 that the first one he ever created was "a picture of a plane. He would figure out everything privately in his head and then go to town programming it on the computer.. His obituary page notes that even with all his accomplishments, he remained a very humble, kind, and good man.. Wilhite was working at CompuServe in 1987 when he invented the GIF. / Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. They called the format and they created a GIF, short for Graphics Interchange Format, "I saw the format I wanted in my head and then I started ____55____ (program)," Wilhite told . Steve Wilhite, inventor of the GIF file format, poses in 2013 at the Webby Awards in New York City. Stephen E. Wilhite, the computer programmer best known for inventing the GIF, the looping animation format that became a universal language for conveying humor, sarcasm and angst . When we had the house built, we actually had a whole section in the basement for his train room. The Webby Awards is truly saddened to hear about the passing of Steve Wilhite. Stephen Wilhite was an American computer scientist who worked at CompuServe and was the Engineering Lead on the team that adapted the GIF image file format in the 1980s from the earlier Unisys-owned . In 1987, Steve Wilhite invented the GIF while working as a programmer for CompuServe. In 2013, Wilhite settled the debate over the pronunciation of "GIF," which is actually pronounced like the peanut butter brand "Jif." Stephen Wilhite poses with an award backstage at the Webby . All Rights Reserved, By submitting your email, you agree to our. The internet community is mourning the death of Steve Wilhite and many have taken to Twitter to pay touching tributes. Why do people pronounce GIF wrong? The inventor was reportedly surrounded by his family at the time . Be the first one to comment on this story. Stephen . GIFs creator Steve Wilhite, has passed away at the age of 74 after contracting Covid-19, his family confirmed in a statement. The pronunciation of the acronym has long been a debate with Wilhite telling the New York Times in 2013 that the Oxford English Dictionary accepts both the soft "G" sound, as is often used . . The image format probably should have faded into the sunset long ago . He mostly enjoyed life offline, as detailed in previous . Those using the hard "G . "I saw the format I wanted in my head and then I started programming," he told The New York Times in 2013, saying the first image was an airplane and insisting that the file had only one pronunciation - a soft "G," like Jif peanut butter. Our texting experience leaped to a whole new level wth GIFs Stephen Wilhite was inventor of GIF (Graphic Interchange Formats) in the 1980s n passed away at age of 74 #RIP #StephenWilhite #ThoseWhoMadeOurInternet pic.twitter.com/OpBkZaB3cX, The GIPHY team is sad to hear of the passing of Stephen Wilhite, the creator of the GIF file format.GIPHY was built on a sincere love for the GIF and we are indebted to the creativity and vision of Mr. Wilhite pic.twitter.com/CTPS895wCQ, Stephen Wilhite, the creator of the #GIF, has passed away #RIP pic.twitter.com/QH5PQ7oS32, In other news, Hilary Duff's 'deep love' for Aaron Carter as she reflects on their teen relationship. Computer scientist and creator of the GIF, Stephen Wilhite, has died at the age of 74 due to complications from COVID-19. He died of Covid, his wife, Kathaleen, confirmed. Wilhite developed the same while working at CompuServe in the 1980s. So heres to you, Mr. Wilhite. The debate around the pronunciation of 'gif' was supposedly settled in 2013, when creator Stephen Wilhite revealed it is supposed to be said with a 'soft G', like the word 'magic' or the start of 'jiffy'. That year . Wilhite on how to pronounce "GIF" Wilhite retired in 2001 after having a stroke the previous year, the New York Times reported in 2013. pic.twitter.com/uTZr85QxEA. "JIF". And then the next day he started coughing badly, his wife Kathaleen Wilhite told NPR. In 2013, before he received a a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award, he told The New York Times that for years people had not been properly pronouncing the name of his creation. JIF per the inventor of GIF Steve Wilhite. Stephen Wilhite and his wife, Kathaleen, at the 17th Annual Webby Awards in 2013 in New York. He was 74 years old. Stephen Wilhite, the creator of the 'GIF', died earlier this month at the age of 74 after battling COVID-19 According to . Mar 24, 2022. But in 2013, Steve settled the debate once and for all during his acceptance speech of his lifetime achievement Webby Award, revealing that GIF is pronounced with a soft g. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for The Webby Awards. From Old Dutch *gift, from Proto-West Germanic *gifti, from Proto-Germanic *giftiz . ", Steve Wilhite created the Graphics Interchange Format in 1987 at Compuserve, He pronounced the issue closed at the Webby Awards. March 23, 2022. So, will a widely covered "speech" in front of some of the Web's most influential folks finally be the turning point? Watch video below: How to Pronounce Steve Wilhite (GIF Creator) Watch on. Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images for The Webby Awards, 2012, GIF was pronounced word of the year. Dan Avery. Stephen Wilhite, the inventor of the internet-popular short-video format, the GIF, has died. Stephen Wilhite played a GIF as his acceptance speech, which emphasized the format's. His death, at a hospital, was confirmed on . Wilhite was working at CompuServe in 1987 when he invented the GIF. Stephen Wilhite poses with an award backstage at the Webby Awards in New York City on May 21, 2013. They are wrong. Some still use a hard "g" when they use the word. But in the past couple of years, the Web has remembered how much fun it is to watch ridiculous things happen over and over again. On Tuesday, he received a Webby Award for it and delivered his five-word acceptance speech (that's all the Webbys allow) by flashing a GIF on the big screens at the Cipriani Wall Street in New York. He was 74. Wilhite died last week, according to an obituary from an Ohio funeral home. The creator of the gif, Stephen Wilhite, has passed away. Per his obituary, Wilhite received a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award in New York in 2013 for his invention, during which he reiterated the correct pronunciation of GIF via, naturally, a GIF that . Though debates have raged over the pronunciation of the format, Wilhite himself stated that GIF was pronounced with a soft 'g' or 'jif.' "The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations. Years later, it became social media's primary method of conveying emotion and memetic communication. We take a look at the real pronunciation of GIF as once revealed by Steve himself. Stephen Wilhite, thank you for giving us the gift of the GIF, wrote another user. However, Wilhite told The New York Times the correct manner of pronouncing 'GIF' in 2013: While receiving a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for the invention of the image format, he reiterated the correct pronunciation. It was a long time ago.". He pronounced the issue closed at the Webby Awards. He was honored with a lifetime achievement award by the Webby Awards in 2013, NPR reported. It's pronounced 'jif'. It has always and will always be jif to me, said one Twitter user. They're pronounced like a brand of peanut butter. Stephen Wilhite, a computer programmer who invented the GIF, the humble but versatile file format that became an Internet mainstay, helping people share charts, photographs and viral . Thanks for creating the image format that made downloading color images over dial-up bearable before it turned into one of the internets own languages. In 2012, GIF was pronounced word of the yearby the Oxford American Dictionary, thanks to its resurgence in popularity among bloggers, especially on Tumblr and other sites. I guess this thread would be a good place to memorialize Stephen Wilhite, the creator of the GIF, who passed away earlier this month from Covid-19. The creator of the GIF, Stephen Wilhite, passed away after contracting COVID-19. Steve Wilhite passed away on March 14th after becoming ill with Covid-19. By Amanda Holpuch and Neil Vigdor. He came up with the idea of making the short animated files while working for CompuServe in the 1980s. Steve Wilhite, left, received a Webby Award from Tumblr's David Karp for his invention of the animated GIF format. The creator of the GIF, Stephen Wilhite, passed away after contracting COVID-19. However, Wilhite retired in the early 2000s and spent his time traveling, camping, and building train models in his basement. The word gift derives from the same source and the words were not formally distinguished until early modern Dutch. Stephen Earl Wilhite (March 3, 1948 - March 14, 2022) was an American computer scientist who worked at CompuServe and was the engineering lead on the team that created the GIF image file format in 1987. His wife, Kathaleen, told The Associated Press Thursday that he died of COVID . His obituary says: Even with all his accomplishments, he remained a very humble, kind, and good man.. Stephen Wilhite, the computer programmer who created the GIF and insisted users pronounce it with a soft "g," was 74. Steve Wilhite created the Graphics Interchange Format, or GIF, while working for Compuserve in 1987. In 1987, while Stephen Wilhite was working for CompuServe, he led a team of engineers who revolutionized ____54____ people could share video clips on the internet. We were so honored to recognize him with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his invention that revolutionized communication & has such an impact on digital culture to this day. The creator of the GIF, Stephen Wilhite, has passed away at the age of 74 from COVID. Are you a hard 'g' GIF-er, or do you pronounce it like the peanut butter, Jif? Stephen Wilhite died last week from COVID at the age of 74. They fell out of favor as more advanced graphics technology emerged. March 23, 2022 4:00 PM. Hilary Duff's 'deep love' for Aaron Carter as she reflects on their teen relationship, {{#media.media_details}} {{#media.focal_point}}. He is also survived by his 11 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The format later became the subject of a patent . Not Jraphics. Oxford Dictionary states both pronunciations are correct. Although GIFs are now being used solely for internet memes these days, that was not the reason why such an image format was created. It is a soft 'G,' pronounced 'jif.' End of story." . Stephen E. Wilhite, the computer programmer best known for inventing the GIF, the looping animation format that became a universal language for conveying humor, sarcasm and angst on social media and in instant messages, died on March 14 in Cincinnati. Wilhite on how to pronounce "GIF" Wilhite retired in 2001 after having a stroke the previous year, the New York Times reported in 2013. 11. In 2013, Wilhite received Lifetime Achievement Award at the Webby Awards for his invention and his contribution to internet culture. His wife, Kathaleen, told CNN that Wilhite died from complications of COVID-19. 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