X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: fbb9d,25fb686ac46c0d5d X-Google-Attributes: gidfbb9d,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-01-29 03:10:59 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!lios!news.gweep.ca!not-for-mail From: Brian Inglis Newsgroups: rec.arts.ascii Subject: Re: [DIS] A little history question Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 11:10:58 +0000 (UTC) Organization: Systematic Software Lines: 73 Sender: robomod@lios.aq2.gweep.ca Approved: rec-arts-ascii-moderator@gweep.ca Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: localhost Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT X-Trace: lios.aq2.gweep.ca 1043838658 2917 127.0.0.1 (29 Jan 2003 11:10:58 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@lios.aq2.gweep.ca NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 11:10:58 +0000 (UTC) X-Original-Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 11:10:20 +0000 (GMT) X-Trace-PostClient-IP: 68.147.131.211 X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 X-Gweep-Cleanmime: quoted=25% miswrapped=04% Xref: archiver1.google.com rec.arts.ascii:270 On Mon, 27 Jan 2003 08:01:54 +0000 (UTC), google@inio.org (Ian Rickard) wrote: >CJRandall wrote: >> what kind of published document ? on-line or printed ? >Printed would be the only improvement over what I have now. I already >have the google archive of the original posting of the source code in >Feb. '94, along with a binary that someone compiled and posted a few >weeks later. I haven't gotten around to asking if either of those is >admissable, but I doubt it. > >> curious ... what is significant about October 1996 ? >That date is one year prior to the file date of US Patent #6,137,498, >which I'm hoping to use Gifscii as prior art against (specifically the >first two claims). If you google (Advanced Groups Search / Sort by Date / End Date 1991-12-31) for ascgif.c you get some earlier references from comp.graphics in 1991: http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=08K602Gt04Dv01%40JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com and one poster mentions pbmplus which with gif in google returns the 1989 links to alt.sources by Jef Poskanzer; includes giftoppm.c: http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=13617%40well.UUCP includes ppmtogif.c: http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=13621%40well.UUCP which mentions Unix compress as the source of Lempel-Ziv compression code. Old versions of Unix hardcopy manuals and documents are probably around in AT&T/Lucent/Bell/univ. archives. A further google on Lempel-Ziv-Welch brings back references to PC ARC and Kermit LZCOMP/DECOMP from 1986, CP/M CRUNCH from 1987, and compress from 1988. One interesting quote from 1987 is in: http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=377%40ames.UUCP "Now many of us know that Sperry was called Sperry Gyroscope during WW2, so Hastings' interest in the "gyroscopic particle" theory is believable. And Sperry has been involved with respectable research since (e.g. Unix buffs should realize that the Welch in Lempel/Ziv/Welch was able to popularize the LZ algorithm embodied in 'compress' only after a Sperry research center was disbanded -- a neat way to bring heretofore proprietary work into the public domain)." and going further back with "Lempel-Ziv" and "Welch" brought up a version of compress from net.sources in 1984: http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=1131%40utah-gr.UUCP which contains the reference: Algorithm from "A Technique for High Performance Data Compression", Terry A. Welch, IEEE Computer Vol 17, No 6 (June 1984), pp 8-19. HTH Thanks. Take care, Brian Inglis Calgary, Alberta, Canada -- Brian.Inglis@CSi.com (Brian dot Inglis at SystematicSw dot ab dot ca) fake address use address above to reply abuse@aol.com tosspam@aol.com abuse@att.com abuse@earthlink.com abuse@hotmail.com abuse@mci.com abuse@msn.com abuse@sprint.com abuse@yahoo.com abuse@cadvision.com abuse@shaw.ca abuse@telus.com abuse@ibsystems.com uce@ftc.gov spam traps