File talk:Blue dot 7px.png
This is the discussion/talk page for: Image:Blue dot 7px.gif.
Created
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The image file Image:Blue_dot_7px.gif was created on 25-April-2008 by long-term editor User:Wikid77 (me) to display a blue-dot as a map-locator symbol. -Wikid77 08:55, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
Format
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This file is purposely maintained in GIF format (most international GIF-related patents have expired) to allow enlargement beyond original size, on English Wikipedia, which would reshrink oversized PNG images, a few seconds after enlargement (as of 14Nov07). Using PNG-format might lose the ability to stay enlarged, at an oversized magnification, or fail to render transparent areas on English Wikipedia (see below: More PNG troubles). Also GIF images typically display 3x times faster than resized PNG images. -Wikid77 08:55, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
More PNG troubles
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26-April-2008: During November 2007, a PNG-format image when oversized (larger than original) only enlarged temporarily in English Wikipedia, then reverted after a few seconds to the maximum size of the original PNG-format file. However, a GIF-format file would retain its oversized enlargement dimensions (in English Wikipedia) and report total size as the size of the original GIF image, in a reliable manner (Google logos have been GIF images for years).
Reshrinking oversized images is one in a long string of troubles with PNG files, which were found to be 4x-21x times larger/slower than similar JPEG files (on Commons or the wikipedias). During 2007, thousands of files were forced into PNG format, deleting the original file-formats, or deleting files totally if PNG conversion was difficult. Then, the size information was blocked, with the disabling of the right-click menu (on English Wikipedia), so that PNG images could not be "Open(ed) in New Window" on English Wikipedia. Then (November 2007), PNG-format images could not be enlarged beyond the original size in English Wikipedia (but could on Wikimedia Commons). Then in February 2008, downloads of PNG images could not be stopped on English Wikipedia, when stopping the browser display of a webpage. Finally (April 2008), transparent areas of PNG images failed to render the background on English Wikipedia. Plus, there were other problems with PNG images, beyond those 8 issues. -Wikid77 08:55, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
