[comp.sys.apple] ftp help

DOUG@ECL.PSU.EDU ("Douglas H. Hughes") (03/19/89)

Can anyone tell me exactly what a GIF file is for? I downloaded one and
unarchived it, and now it's just sitting on my disk in binary doing
nothing.. something tells me that it won't be very useful for me.. Am
I right? I have an enhanced apple//e. The archive in particular was
35.1.1.43. I believe.. What do all of the prefixes for the files me..
I've been able to figure out a few.. like ut. = utility.. and do. = doc
and now I know that gi. = gif... but the rest of them are pretty meaningless
Could someone upload a sort of thesaurus for these terms and post it?
I'm sure that there are a lot more people like me who haven't had as much
experience with the ftp sites, and don't know what they mean. Thanks for 
any and all help.. (once again.) :-)
bitnet:        Doug@psuecl.bitnet
internet:    doug@ecl.psu.edu  or  doug%psuecl.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu
UUCP:        psuvax1!psuecl!doug

lwv@n8emr.UUCP (Larry W. Virden) (03/19/89)

What is useful?  You ask what use a GIF file is.  Obviously if no one thought
that they were of any use, they wouldnt exist on an archive.  GIF files are
a machine independant format to store graphic pictures.  There are several
programs available to display GIF.  But as for use - well, one could use
them in documents if your word processor permits mixing of words and graphics.
They could be used as backgrounds for games.  And they can be used as desktops
on some machines.

-- 
Larry W. Virden	 674 Falls Place, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 (614) 864-8817
75046,606 (CIS) ; LVirden (ALPE) ; osu-cis!n8emr!lwv (UUCP) 
osu-cis!n8emr!lwv@TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU (INTERNET)
The world's not inherited from our parents, but borrowed from our children.

gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn ) (03/20/89)

In article <8903181900.aa01309@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> DOUG@ECL.PSU.EDU ("Douglas H. Hughes") writes:
>Can anyone tell me exactly what a GIF file is for?

It's a popular "universal format" for storing images such as one would
display on a PC.  There are some Apple II programs that can display (or
convert to standard Apple format) such files.  SHRCONVERT is one.