1999.11.27 06:12 "Re: Alternative to LZW (was Re: tiffcp)", by Tom Lane

At one point Tom had convinced me that PNG was going to take over the world and that I should go do something else--so I did :-).

Did I say that? It wasn't the conclusion I meant to convey, if so (and for sure it has not been borne out by events). PNG aimed to replace TIFF for what you might call the "basic Internet" class of applications, but we (the PNG group) had no intention of trying to replace TIFF across its full spectrum of applications. Indeed, most of whatever appeal PNG has over TIFF comes from the fact that it isn't trying to be all things to all people --- it has a much narrower focus than TIFF.

There is plenty of life left in TIFF, I think, but it desperately needs an updated official spec. How might we cause that to happen?

regards, tom lane
organizer, Independent JPEG Group
member, PNG development group