[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] What is GIF??? And how can I see them???

matsuda@linc.cis.upenn.edu (Kenjiro Matsuda) (09/20/90)

Ok, so this is definitely a novice question, as I see most of the people in the
newsnet seem to know what I am asking about...    

So what is GIF?   I see that people get "picture files" through ftp and watch
them somehow on their machine.  But does it require some special programs? Can
I do it on Mac if I download it?  

Oh, yes, this reminds me of another novice question!  When doing ftp, I
sometimes get a response that the file I am trying to get is not a plain file,
and thus I cannot get it.  Oftentimes, such files have an extension like ".Z"
or something.  How can I get them?  Do I have to decode them once I got htem?
If so, how can I do it?  

Please send suggestions/answers to: MATSUDA@LINC.CIS.UPENN.EDU

Thank you!

--- Ken Matsuda