Presenting APNG: Like MNG, Only Better

An anonymous reader writes "It's fair to say that most people love PNG images (or at least hate GIFs). However, the one advantage GIFs have over PNGs is that they can be animated. There is, of course, an animated version of PNG, MNG, but few programs can view these images (mainly because the MNG decoder is so large that the likes of Mozilla refuse to include it). But there may be an answer coming: Vladimir Vukicevic and Stuart 'Pavlov' Parmenter (of Mozilla fame) have put together a specification for APNG (Animated Portable Network Graphics)." (Read more below.)

"Unlike MNG, APNG is not a separate file format, but rather an extension to PNG. Thus, APNG images are just normal PNG images (with the .png extension) but can be animated. The system is fully backwards-compatable, so any program that can open a PNG image will be able to open an APNG image (though non-APNG viewers will only show the first frame). Vitally, the decoder just adds an extra few kilobytes onto a standard PNG decoder. APNG support is in the process of being checked into Mozilla. Hopefully, other programs will follow suit."

Comments

Too bad we can't use it

[Anonymous Coward]

IE won't support it until 2012, and even then, it'll only support half the features.

Re:Too bad we can't use it

[john_smith_45678]

and even then, it'll only support half the features

You optimist ;P

Re:Too bad we can't use it

[It'sYerMam]

Never heard of ink and paper than? Naa, too bad.

Animations

[Seft]

Haven't they realised that animated GIFs only serve to irritate?

We don't like bloat now do we

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

the MNG decoder is so large that the likes of Mozilla refuse to include it

Yeah, and a damn good thing too, otherwise we'd have a browser that's so huge and bloated that...

Nevermind...

What is the greater of two evils...

[nerd256]

...no alternative to animated gifs or no IP fines for annoying dancing lemmings and flashing "under construction" pictures?

?$!@...@!$?

Size?

[Anonymous Coward]

...(mainly because the MNG decoder is so large that the likes of Mozilla refuse to include it)

So large that even Mozilla won't include it, you say?

Uh huh.

Ooookay...

*eyes >10MB binary while whistling*

animated?

[carpe_noctem]

However, the one advantage GIFs have over PNGs is that they can be animated.

Surely I am not the only one here to disagree with this statement.... !

Re:Stupid Question

[Anonymous Coward]

That's great and all, but what about those of us who don't live in Michigan? I mean, we need a file format we can use for our weather, too.

Microsoft Extended Sequential Series

[slashname3]

Microsoft recognizes that a new animated image format was needed (after seeing it mentioned on /.). As such they have announced the release of a new standard, Microsoft Extended Sequential Series (MESS).

MESS will be incorporated into Longhorn and will be one of the major enhancements to the Microsoft operating system. The MESS graphics format will permit content providers to render highly complex images on a users system. The MESS format allows use of Active X components which permits all kinds of interesting effects on a users system.

When asked about using existing standards executives at Microsoft responded that no other standard in this area exists. Patents have been applied for covering this novel concept and will be agressively defended. Anyone trying to duplicate the intelectual property of Microsoft would be better off using MESS as long as they pay the royalties due Microsoft or they may find them selves in an even bigger MESS.

Executives were then asked about possible security implications of the new MESS protocol. Executives replied that security is a number one priority and that an updated SP3 patch is currently in the works that will address all security issues. The only thing holding up SP3 release is final release of SP2 patch 1 that is needed to address security issues caused by various linux distributions.

Re:Love PNG and hate GIF? Most people?

[typobox43]

I refuse to consider you a fellow geek if you suggest getting out of the house.

Re:Don't hate it

[jericho4.0]

Your original posting? Oh! You're that Anonymous Coward character.

Re:Don't hate it

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

A more correct term is idempotent - take the output of a process (e.g. image compression), use it as the input for the next iteration of the exact same process and you will still get the exact same output. Repeat ad infintum. So, gif/png compression is idempotent. JPEG is not idempotent.

Not to be confused with omnipotent which means the ability to get anything -- male, female, animate, inanimate -- pregnant. If you're omnipotent, the condom gets pregnant.