2000.10.10 10:39 "Re: IFD / Image data ordering", by Andreas R. Kleinert

RFC 2301 mandates a *profile* of TIFF which must be used by conforming TIFF writers and which is fully compliant with the TIFF 6.0 specification. The reason for the forward reference only rule is so that the TIFFs are usable by limited memory devices which cannot buffer entire files prior to processing. Such devices are expected to become commonplace in the Internet Fax appliance market and one of RFC 2301's goals is not to prohibit such devices.

Since when are limited memory devices supposed to be little-endian in the first place?