From a2cc34e441bc5e09c2f930de2126beb782c2b47e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Declan Chidlow Date: Thu, 2 May 2024 19:32:33 +0800 Subject: [PATCH] Update JPEG XL article --- .../JPEG_XL_And_Googles_War_Against_It.md | 37 +++++++++---------- config/pages/blog/blog.html | 2 +- docs/blog.html | 2 +- .../JPEG_XL_And_Googles_War_Against_It.html | 36 +++++++++--------- docs/blog/feed.rss | 37 +++++++++---------- 5 files changed, 56 insertions(+), 58 deletions(-) diff --git a/blog/feed/documents/JPEG_XL_And_Googles_War_Against_It.md b/blog/feed/documents/JPEG_XL_And_Googles_War_Against_It.md index 228b627..420d6d6 100644 --- a/blog/feed/documents/JPEG_XL_And_Googles_War_Against_It.md +++ b/blog/feed/documents/JPEG_XL_And_Googles_War_Against_It.md @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ - + @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ @@ -29,11 +29,11 @@ Yet these formats aren't quite as ubiquitous as they once were, and we've seen m ## A Brief History -Since we've had computers, we've been trying to display images on them. We started by using characters and symbols to bodge things together in terminals. This obviously wasn't ideal and merely means to an end. The first actual image formats to see any form of popularity included [TGA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truevision_TGA), [PICT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PICT), and [BMP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMP_file_format). +Since we've had computers, we've been trying to display images on them. We started by using various text characters and symbols to bodge things together in terminals. This obviously wasn't ideal and merely means to an end. The first actual image formats to see any real popularity included [PCX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCX), [TGA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truevision_TGA), [PICT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PICT), and [BMP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMP_file_format). -Early formats were rudimentary. They largely lacked compression and weren't widely supported. It was an era when every piece of software rolled their own format and interoperability wasn't a priority. This was an issue, and as the need for greater compatibility grew, some proper standards formed. Of these, the main that prospered are GIF, JPEG, and PNG. +However, these early formats were rudimentary. They largely lacked compression and weren't widely supported. It was an era when every piece of software rolled their own format and interoperability wasn't a priority. This was an issue, and as the need for greater compatibility grew, some proper standards formed. Of these, GIF, JPEG, and PNG are probably the best known and relevant today. -GIF, short for Graphics Interchange Format, is messy. It released in the '80s, uses the simple Lempel–Ziv–Welch compression algorithm, and is limited to a meagre 256 colour palette. Sure, it looks pretty bad, but it's managed to stick around thanks to its great software support and animation capabilities. +GIF, short for Graphics Interchange Format, is messy. It released in the '80s, uses the simple Lempel–Ziv–Welch compression algorithm, and is limited to a palette of a meagre 256 colours. In today's landscape, it looks pretty rough, but it's managed to stick around thanks to its great software support and animation capabilities. JPEG, also referred to as JPG and short for Joint Photographic Experts Group, came out in the early '90s. While it does have a lossless variant, it is largely used as a lossy format. However, the degree of compression can be controlled, unlike many other formats, which allows users to select the trade off between quality and size. It's great compression and early debut led to it becoming the most widely used format. @@ -41,31 +41,31 @@ An attempt was made to supersede JPEG with the very retro futuristic sounding, b During the '90s, following GIF's widespread adoption, the Unisys Corporation, which owned the patent on the Lempel–Ziv–Welch compression algorithm used by GIFs, attempted to enforce its licensing. This ultimately led to much discourse, and a more open, improved alternative was developed. It was aptly unofficially dubbed "PNG's Not GIF", which, of course, abbreviates to the recursive acronym PNG, though officially, it stands for "Portable Network Graphics". The format spread due to its free, open nature, and good support for transparency by means of an alpha layer. -These three standards all got secure footing in the web and defined themselves as _the_ image formats for many years. They weren't perfect, but they've worked and seen great support. +These three standards all managed to secure footing early in the web's life and defined themselves as _the_ image formats for many years. They haven't been perfect, but they've generally worked and seen great support. ## A New Age -It isn't all sunshine and roses for them, though. As GIF, PNG, and JPEG have aged, the world has moved around them. Back when these formats were devised, computing power was a scarce resource. Many devices didn't hold the power to compress things on the fly without performance implications, and the web was in its infancy. +It isn't all sunshine and roses for these ageing formats, though. The world has moved around them. Back when these formats were devised, computing power was a scarce resource. Many devices didn't hold the power to compress things on the fly without performance implications, and the web was in its infancy. -Over the past 30 odd years, our devices, software, and knowledge of them have come a long way, yet those ageing formats still remain. That's why, in recent years, we've seen a shift to new formats. Ones that aren't limited to compression algorithms of the '90s, and are instead both more optimised and more usable. +Over the past 30 odd years, our devices, software, and knowledge of them have come a long way, yet these ageing formats still remain. That's why, in recent years, we've seen a shift to new formats. Ones that aren't limited to the compression algorithms of the '90s, and are instead more optimised and usable in the modern age. ### Enter WebP -In 2010, two years after the release of their Chrome browser, Google announced WebP. They proceeded to develop and refine it until its eventual stable release in 2018. The goal was simple. Make a format with the same quality as JPEG, with the transparency of a PNG, and the animation of a GIF, that's small. +In 2010, two years after the release of their Chrome browser, Google announced WebP. They proceeded to develop and refine it until its eventual stable release in 2018. The goal was simple. Make a format with the quality of a JPEG, the transparency of a PNG, and the animation of a GIF, in a small package. -As expected for a Google product, it very quickly gained support in Chromium, even before its stable release. Safari and Firefox didn't adopt support until after its stable release, but it now sees complete browser support. Once all browsers got support, Google very quickly began working to snuff out other formats. They made changes such as updating PageSpeed Insights to suggest that sites serve images as WebP files. +As expected for a Google product, it very quickly gained support in Chromium, even prior to its stable release. Safari and Firefox didn't adopt support until after its stable release, but it now sees complete browser support. Once all browsers received support, Google very quickly began working to snuff out other formats. They made several changes, such as updating PageSpeed Insights to suggest that sites serve images as WebP files rather than competing formats. ### Announcing AVIF -About a year after WebP's introduction, a competing standard, AVIF, had its first full release. The intention was for the format to succeed WebP, and while it did implement features such as HDR, which wasn't present in WebP, it also lacked features such as multi page support. Realistically, this places it in no man's land. It's not clearly better than the standards it's competing against. +About a year after WebP's introduction, a competing standard, AVIF, had its first full release. The intention was for the format to succeed WebP, and while it did implement features such as HDR, which weren't present in WebP, it also lacked features such as multi page support. Realistically, this places it in no man's land. It's not objectively better than the standards it's competing against. AVIF also uses AV1 video compression. As you might imagine, videos and still images call for different styles of compression. Video is most concerned with compressing information throughout multiple frames, whereas image compression is a lot more concerned with compression within a single picture. -That said, AVIF managed to see quick adoption. In August of 2020, Chromium received support, with Firefox enabling support in October 2021 and Safari implementing support throughout 2022. +That said, AVIF managed to see quick adoption. In August of 2020, Chromium received support, with Firefox enabling support in October of 2021 and Safari implementing support throughout 2022. ### Introducing JPEG XL -JPEG XL is a rather new format, having been finalised in 2021. It's created by the same group as the original JPEG, and is intended as a catchall image format. Looking at [Wikipedia's Comparison of Graphics File Formats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_graphics_file_formats), it's evident that it trumps every other raster image format. +Having been finalised in 2021, JPEG XL is a rather new format, and a good one at that. It's created by the same group as the original JPEG and based off of [Google's Pik proposal](https://github.com/google/pik) and [Cloudinary's FUIF](https://github.com/cloudinary/fuif).
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ JPEG XL is a rather new format, having been finalised in 2021. It's created by t
-Some of it's many features include: +Looking at [Wikipedia's Comparison of Graphics File Formats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_graphics_file_formats), it's evident that it trumps every other raster image format. Some of its many features include: - Choice of lossy or lossless compression. - Perfectly reversible, lossless conversion from JPEG with ~20% savings. @@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ Some of it's many features include: From reading those points, you may have gathered that it does everything that could be expected of a format and does it well. Given that it excels in every context, you might expect that it'd be the de facto standard, yet, alas, it sees minimal browser support. -So, why were WebP and AVIF picked up so quickly when JPEG XL wasn't? Well, as you may have surmised from the article's title, it's down to Google. +So, why were WebP and AVIF picked up so quickly when JPEG XL wasn't? Well, as you may have surmised from the article's title, it's largely down to Google. ## Google's Exploitation of Their Dominance @@ -121,19 +121,19 @@ JPEG XL, however, **is** better than WebP in every quantifiable way and would ob Interestingly, Firefox, which receives a pretty decent amount of funding from Google, quietly dropped focus on implementing JPEG XL support and now state that they are "neutral" on the matter, although the flag is still present in the nightly version of the browser. Safari, which is developed by Apple separately from Google, managed to implement JPEG XL support with no issues, and it's available in WebKit without limitation. -Many forks of Chromium and Firefox also include support with no ill effect. Firefox based browsers simply enable the flag, and Chromium based browsers just use the implementation prior to removal. Some of the forks with support include [Thorium](https://thorium.rocks), [Waterfox](https://www.waterfox.net), and [Pale Moon](https://www.palemoon.org). The code is written and working, and both use external implementations, so the cited "maintenance burden" is really nonexistent. +Many forks of Chromium and Firefox also include support with no ill effect. Firefox based browsers can simply enable the flag, and Chromium based browsers can use the implementation prior to removal as a jumping off point. Some of the forks with support include [Thorium](https://thorium.rocks), [Waterfox](https://www.waterfox.net), and [Pale Moon](https://www.palemoon.org). The code is written and working, and both use external implementations, so the cited "maintenance burden" is more or less nonexistent. ### Why WebP? So, Google sabotaged JPEG XL in favour of their own format, WebP. The question is, _why?_ Well, I think that's pretty clear. Google wants control, and JPEG XL could take that away from them. They already have unrivalled control over the web, so why not expand that just a bit more? -Should Google decide they need to make some alterations to the format to benefit themselves, there is nothing standing in their way. They've got control over the standard and can make tweaks if needed. Especially the sort of business minded tweaks that are employed to better align with stakeholder interests. +Should Google decide they need to make some alterations to the format to benefit themselves, there is next to nothing standing in their way. They've got control over the standard and can make tweaks if needed. Especially the sort of business minded tweaks that are employed to better align with stakeholder interests. Google could also stop supporting the format outside their products and services, leading to them faltering and falling out of compatibility. This could lead to fragmentation and compatibility issues in non-Google software, potentially pushing users to move to Google's offerings where support is offered. ## Taking Action -It may seem futile, but I believe that if we raise awareness of the issue and put enough public pressure on Google and, to a lesser extent, Mozilla, they will begin to support JPEG XL. Use browsers that support the format, or toggle on the flag if possible. Spruik the benefits of the format wherever you can attract attention, and start using it in the [various software that already supports it](https://jpegxl.info/why-jxl#software_support). The more demand, the more adoption we'll see. +It may seem futile, but I believe that if we raise awareness of the issue and put enough public pressure on Google and, to a lesser extent, Mozilla, they will reconsider their stance. Use browsers that support the format, or toggle on the flag if possible. Spruik the benefits of the format wherever you can attract attention, and start using it in the [various software that already supports it](https://jpegxl.info/why-jxl#software_support). The more demand, the more adoption. This is an effort that is worth fighting for. Google has trampled innovation far too many times in the pursuit of control for us to allow them to do it again. We must condemn this behaviour and fight these monopolistic practices at every turn to prevent stifling progress in the name of corporate control. @@ -159,4 +159,3 @@ If you liked this article, then do consider sharing it, both for my own benefit - diff --git a/config/pages/blog/blog.html b/config/pages/blog/blog.html index 738c132..38b4375 100755 --- a/config/pages/blog/blog.html +++ b/config/pages/blog/blog.html @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@

Blog

Essay

JPEG XL And Google's War Against It

-

| 1997 words | 7 minute read

+

| 2044 words | 7 minute read

 diff --git a/docs/blog.html b/docs/blog.html index 491a1b0..1dc654a 100644 --- a/docs/blog.html +++ b/docs/blog.html @@ -59,7 +59,7 @@

Blog

Essay

JPEG XL And Google's War Against It

-

| 1997 words | 7 minute read

+

| 2044 words | 7 minute read

 diff --git a/docs/blog/JPEG_XL_And_Googles_War_Against_It.html b/docs/blog/JPEG_XL_And_Googles_War_Against_It.html index 9fd7b8b..bef7cf9 100644 --- a/docs/blog/JPEG_XL_And_Googles_War_Against_It.html +++ b/docs/blog/JPEG_XL_And_Googles_War_Against_It.html @@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ - +
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@

    • -
  • 1997 words
    • +
  • 2044 words
  • 7 minute read
@@ -79,32 +79,32 @@

There is no doubt you're familiar with GIFs, PNGs, and JPEGs. These image formats have been the way to display images on computers for decades. Chances are you see hundreds, if not thousands, of them every day while you browse the web.

Yet these formats aren't quite as ubiquitous as they once were, and we've seen many competing standards materialise in the past few years. Perhaps most promising is JPEG XL, yet its innovation seems to go unrecognised and its adoption is stifled. But why? To get a full picture, I think it's best we start with the advent of displaying images on computers.

A Brief History

-

Since we've had computers, we've been trying to display images on them. We started by using characters and symbols to bodge things together in terminals. This obviously wasn't ideal and merely means to an end. The first actual image formats to see any form of popularity included TGA, PICT, and BMP.

-

Early formats were rudimentary. They largely lacked compression and weren't widely supported. It was an era when every piece of software rolled their own format and interoperability wasn't a priority. This was an issue, and as the need for greater compatibility grew, some proper standards formed. Of these, the main that prospered are GIF, JPEG, and PNG.

-

GIF, short for Graphics Interchange Format, is messy. It released in the '80s, uses the simple Lempel–Ziv–Welch compression algorithm, and is limited to a meagre 256 colour palette. Sure, it looks pretty bad, but it's managed to stick around thanks to its great software support and animation capabilities.

+

Since we've had computers, we've been trying to display images on them. We started by using various text characters and symbols to bodge things together in terminals. This obviously wasn't ideal and merely means to an end. The first actual image formats to see any real popularity included PCX, TGA, PICT, and BMP.

+

However, these early formats were rudimentary. They largely lacked compression and weren't widely supported. It was an era when every piece of software rolled their own format and interoperability wasn't a priority. This was an issue, and as the need for greater compatibility grew, some proper standards formed. Of these, GIF, JPEG, and PNG are probably the best known and relevant today.

+

GIF, short for Graphics Interchange Format, is messy. It released in the '80s, uses the simple Lempel–Ziv–Welch compression algorithm, and is limited to a palette of a meagre 256 colours. In today's landscape, it looks pretty rough, but it's managed to stick around thanks to its great software support and animation capabilities.

JPEG, also referred to as JPG and short for Joint Photographic Experts Group, came out in the early '90s. While it does have a lossless variant, it is largely used as a lossy format. However, the degree of compression can be controlled, unlike many other formats, which allows users to select the trade off between quality and size. It's great compression and early debut led to it becoming the most widely used format.

An attempt was made to supersede JPEG with the very retro futuristic sounding, but ultimately ill fated, "JPEG 2000". It had some neat features and functionality, such as being able to compress specific sections independently, but never saw widespread adoption.

During the '90s, following GIF's widespread adoption, the Unisys Corporation, which owned the patent on the Lempel–Ziv–Welch compression algorithm used by GIFs, attempted to enforce its licensing. This ultimately led to much discourse, and a more open, improved alternative was developed. It was aptly unofficially dubbed "PNG's Not GIF", which, of course, abbreviates to the recursive acronym PNG, though officially, it stands for "Portable Network Graphics". The format spread due to its free, open nature, and good support for transparency by means of an alpha layer.

-

These three standards all got secure footing in the web and defined themselves as the image formats for many years. They weren't perfect, but they've worked and seen great support.

+

These three standards all managed to secure footing early in the web's life and defined themselves as the image formats for many years. They haven't been perfect, but they've generally worked and seen great support.

A New Age

-

It isn't all sunshine and roses for them, though. As GIF, PNG, and JPEG have aged, the world has moved around them. Back when these formats were devised, computing power was a scarce resource. Many devices didn't hold the power to compress things on the fly without performance implications, and the web was in its infancy.

-

Over the past 30 odd years, our devices, software, and knowledge of them have come a long way, yet those ageing formats still remain. That's why, in recent years, we've seen a shift to new formats. Ones that aren't limited to compression algorithms of the '90s, and are instead both more optimised and more usable.

+

It isn't all sunshine and roses for these ageing formats, though. The world has moved around them. Back when these formats were devised, computing power was a scarce resource. Many devices didn't hold the power to compress things on the fly without performance implications, and the web was in its infancy.

+

Over the past 30 odd years, our devices, software, and knowledge of them have come a long way, yet these ageing formats still remain. That's why, in recent years, we've seen a shift to new formats. Ones that aren't limited to the compression algorithms of the '90s, and are instead more optimised and usable in the modern age.

Enter WebP

-

In 2010, two years after the release of their Chrome browser, Google announced WebP. They proceeded to develop and refine it until its eventual stable release in 2018. The goal was simple. Make a format with the same quality as JPEG, with the transparency of a PNG, and the animation of a GIF, that's small.

-

As expected for a Google product, it very quickly gained support in Chromium, even before its stable release. Safari and Firefox didn't adopt support until after its stable release, but it now sees complete browser support. Once all browsers got support, Google very quickly began working to snuff out other formats. They made changes such as updating PageSpeed Insights to suggest that sites serve images as WebP files.

+

In 2010, two years after the release of their Chrome browser, Google announced WebP. They proceeded to develop and refine it until its eventual stable release in 2018. The goal was simple. Make a format with the quality of a JPEG, the transparency of a PNG, and the animation of a GIF, in a small package.

+

As expected for a Google product, it very quickly gained support in Chromium, even prior to its stable release. Safari and Firefox didn't adopt support until after its stable release, but it now sees complete browser support. Once all browsers received support, Google very quickly began working to snuff out other formats. They made several changes, such as updating PageSpeed Insights to suggest that sites serve images as WebP files rather than competing formats.

Announcing AVIF

-

About a year after WebP's introduction, a competing standard, AVIF, had its first full release. The intention was for the format to succeed WebP, and while it did implement features such as HDR, which wasn't present in WebP, it also lacked features such as multi page support. Realistically, this places it in no man's land. It's not clearly better than the standards it's competing against.

+

About a year after WebP's introduction, a competing standard, AVIF, had its first full release. The intention was for the format to succeed WebP, and while it did implement features such as HDR, which weren't present in WebP, it also lacked features such as multi page support. Realistically, this places it in no man's land. It's not objectively better than the standards it's competing against.

AVIF also uses AV1 video compression. As you might imagine, videos and still images call for different styles of compression. Video is most concerned with compressing information throughout multiple frames, whereas image compression is a lot more concerned with compression within a single picture.

-

That said, AVIF managed to see quick adoption. In August of 2020, Chromium received support, with Firefox enabling support in October 2021 and Safari implementing support throughout 2022.

+

That said, AVIF managed to see quick adoption. In August of 2020, Chromium received support, with Firefox enabling support in October of 2021 and Safari implementing support throughout 2022.

Introducing JPEG XL

-

JPEG XL is a rather new format, having been finalised in 2021. It's created by the same group as the original JPEG, and is intended as a catchall image format. Looking at Wikipedia's Comparison of Graphics File Formats, it's evident that it trumps every other raster image format.

+

Having been finalised in 2021, JPEG XL is a rather new format, and a good one at that. It's created by the same group as the original JPEG and based off of Google's Pik proposal and Cloudinary's FUIF.

Image stating 'Your browser supports JPEG XL' or 'Your browser doesn't support JPEG XL' depending on browser support.
-

Some of it's many features include:

+

Looking at Wikipedia's Comparison of Graphics File Formats, it's evident that it trumps every other raster image format. Some of its many features include:

From reading those points, you may have gathered that it does everything that could be expected of a format and does it well. Given that it excels in every context, you might expect that it'd be the de facto standard, yet, alas, it sees minimal browser support.

-

So, why were WebP and AVIF picked up so quickly when JPEG XL wasn't? Well, as you may have surmised from the article's title, it's down to Google.

+

So, why were WebP and AVIF picked up so quickly when JPEG XL wasn't? Well, as you may have surmised from the article's title, it's largely down to Google.

Google's Exploitation of Their Dominance

I'll be discussing Chrome's dominance and Google's exploitation of it for their own gain. I've written about this at length in my article Everything Is Chrome, which I advise you read prior to this section. @@ -142,13 +142,13 @@

Google's Exploitation of Their Dominance

What this really translates to is, "We've created WebP, a competing standard, and want to kill anything that might genuinely compete with it". This would also explain why they adopted AVIF but not JPEG XL. AVIF wasn't superior in every way and, as such, didn't threaten to dethrone WebP.

JPEG XL, however, is better than WebP in every quantifiable way and would obsolete it. AVIF also serves as something to point to should they be called out for stifling competition and innovation as they are. They can simply say, "We love other formats. Look, we added another one just the other year".

Interestingly, Firefox, which receives a pretty decent amount of funding from Google, quietly dropped focus on implementing JPEG XL support and now state that they are "neutral" on the matter, although the flag is still present in the nightly version of the browser. Safari, which is developed by Apple separately from Google, managed to implement JPEG XL support with no issues, and it's available in WebKit without limitation.

-

Many forks of Chromium and Firefox also include support with no ill effect. Firefox based browsers simply enable the flag, and Chromium based browsers just use the implementation prior to removal. Some of the forks with support include Thorium, Waterfox, and Pale Moon. The code is written and working, and both use external implementations, so the cited "maintenance burden" is really nonexistent.

+

Many forks of Chromium and Firefox also include support with no ill effect. Firefox based browsers can simply enable the flag, and Chromium based browsers can use the implementation prior to removal as a jumping off point. Some of the forks with support include Thorium, Waterfox, and Pale Moon. The code is written and working, and both use external implementations, so the cited "maintenance burden" is more or less nonexistent.

Why WebP?

So, Google sabotaged JPEG XL in favour of their own format, WebP. The question is, why? Well, I think that's pretty clear. Google wants control, and JPEG XL could take that away from them. They already have unrivalled control over the web, so why not expand that just a bit more?

-

Should Google decide they need to make some alterations to the format to benefit themselves, there is nothing standing in their way. They've got control over the standard and can make tweaks if needed. Especially the sort of business minded tweaks that are employed to better align with stakeholder interests.

+

Should Google decide they need to make some alterations to the format to benefit themselves, there is next to nothing standing in their way. They've got control over the standard and can make tweaks if needed. Especially the sort of business minded tweaks that are employed to better align with stakeholder interests.

Google could also stop supporting the format outside their products and services, leading to them faltering and falling out of compatibility. This could lead to fragmentation and compatibility issues in non-Google software, potentially pushing users to move to Google's offerings where support is offered.

Taking Action

-

It may seem futile, but I believe that if we raise awareness of the issue and put enough public pressure on Google and, to a lesser extent, Mozilla, they will begin to support JPEG XL. Use browsers that support the format, or toggle on the flag if possible. Spruik the benefits of the format wherever you can attract attention, and start using it in the various software that already supports it. The more demand, the more adoption we'll see.

+

It may seem futile, but I believe that if we raise awareness of the issue and put enough public pressure on Google and, to a lesser extent, Mozilla, they will reconsider their stance. Use browsers that support the format, or toggle on the flag if possible. Spruik the benefits of the format wherever you can attract attention, and start using it in the various software that already supports it. The more demand, the more adoption.

This is an effort that is worth fighting for. Google has trampled innovation far too many times in the pursuit of control for us to allow them to do it again. We must condemn this behaviour and fight these monopolistic practices at every turn to prevent stifling progress in the name of corporate control.

If you liked this article, then do consider sharing it, both for my own benefit and to raise awareness. Also, if you'd like to see me produce more content like this, then consider sending me a tip. It'd mean a lot.

diff --git a/docs/blog/feed.rss b/docs/blog/feed.rss index 96487ed..99982b0 100644 --- a/docs/blog/feed.rss +++ b/docs/blog/feed.rss @@ -1376,7 +1376,7 @@ In the event that your device does support the changes, it will still have reduc - + @@ -1388,7 +1388,7 @@ In the event that your device does support the changes, it will still have reduc
    • -
  • 1997 words
    • +
  • 2044 words
  • 7 minute read
@@ -1401,11 +1401,11 @@ Yet these formats aren't quite as ubiquitous as they once were, and we've seen m ## A Brief History -Since we've had computers, we've been trying to display images on them. We started by using characters and symbols to bodge things together in terminals. This obviously wasn't ideal and merely means to an end. The first actual image formats to see any form of popularity included [TGA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truevision_TGA), [PICT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PICT), and [BMP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMP_file_format). +Since we've had computers, we've been trying to display images on them. We started by using various text characters and symbols to bodge things together in terminals. This obviously wasn't ideal and merely means to an end. The first actual image formats to see any real popularity included [PCX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCX), [TGA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truevision_TGA), [PICT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PICT), and [BMP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMP_file_format). -Early formats were rudimentary. They largely lacked compression and weren't widely supported. It was an era when every piece of software rolled their own format and interoperability wasn't a priority. This was an issue, and as the need for greater compatibility grew, some proper standards formed. Of these, the main that prospered are GIF, JPEG, and PNG. +However, these early formats were rudimentary. They largely lacked compression and weren't widely supported. It was an era when every piece of software rolled their own format and interoperability wasn't a priority. This was an issue, and as the need for greater compatibility grew, some proper standards formed. Of these, GIF, JPEG, and PNG are probably the best known and relevant today. -GIF, short for Graphics Interchange Format, is messy. It released in the '80s, uses the simple Lempel–Ziv–Welch compression algorithm, and is limited to a meagre 256 colour palette. Sure, it looks pretty bad, but it's managed to stick around thanks to its great software support and animation capabilities. +GIF, short for Graphics Interchange Format, is messy. It released in the '80s, uses the simple Lempel–Ziv–Welch compression algorithm, and is limited to a palette of a meagre 256 colours. In today's landscape, it looks pretty rough, but it's managed to stick around thanks to its great software support and animation capabilities. JPEG, also referred to as JPG and short for Joint Photographic Experts Group, came out in the early '90s. While it does have a lossless variant, it is largely used as a lossy format. However, the degree of compression can be controlled, unlike many other formats, which allows users to select the trade off between quality and size. It's great compression and early debut led to it becoming the most widely used format. @@ -1413,31 +1413,31 @@ An attempt was made to supersede JPEG with the very retro futuristic sounding, b During the '90s, following GIF's widespread adoption, the Unisys Corporation, which owned the patent on the Lempel–Ziv–Welch compression algorithm used by GIFs, attempted to enforce its licensing. This ultimately led to much discourse, and a more open, improved alternative was developed. It was aptly unofficially dubbed "PNG's Not GIF", which, of course, abbreviates to the recursive acronym PNG, though officially, it stands for "Portable Network Graphics". The format spread due to its free, open nature, and good support for transparency by means of an alpha layer. -These three standards all got secure footing in the web and defined themselves as _the_ image formats for many years. They weren't perfect, but they've worked and seen great support. +These three standards all managed to secure footing early in the web's life and defined themselves as _the_ image formats for many years. They haven't been perfect, but they've generally worked and seen great support. ## A New Age -It isn't all sunshine and roses for them, though. As GIF, PNG, and JPEG have aged, the world has moved around them. Back when these formats were devised, computing power was a scarce resource. Many devices didn't hold the power to compress things on the fly without performance implications, and the web was in its infancy. +It isn't all sunshine and roses for these ageing formats, though. The world has moved around them. Back when these formats were devised, computing power was a scarce resource. Many devices didn't hold the power to compress things on the fly without performance implications, and the web was in its infancy. -Over the past 30 odd years, our devices, software, and knowledge of them have come a long way, yet those ageing formats still remain. That's why, in recent years, we've seen a shift to new formats. Ones that aren't limited to compression algorithms of the '90s, and are instead both more optimised and more usable. +Over the past 30 odd years, our devices, software, and knowledge of them have come a long way, yet these ageing formats still remain. That's why, in recent years, we've seen a shift to new formats. Ones that aren't limited to the compression algorithms of the '90s, and are instead more optimised and usable in the modern age. ### Enter WebP -In 2010, two years after the release of their Chrome browser, Google announced WebP. They proceeded to develop and refine it until its eventual stable release in 2018. The goal was simple. Make a format with the same quality as JPEG, with the transparency of a PNG, and the animation of a GIF, that's small. +In 2010, two years after the release of their Chrome browser, Google announced WebP. They proceeded to develop and refine it until its eventual stable release in 2018. The goal was simple. Make a format with the quality of a JPEG, the transparency of a PNG, and the animation of a GIF, in a small package. -As expected for a Google product, it very quickly gained support in Chromium, even before its stable release. Safari and Firefox didn't adopt support until after its stable release, but it now sees complete browser support. Once all browsers got support, Google very quickly began working to snuff out other formats. They made changes such as updating PageSpeed Insights to suggest that sites serve images as WebP files. +As expected for a Google product, it very quickly gained support in Chromium, even prior to its stable release. Safari and Firefox didn't adopt support until after its stable release, but it now sees complete browser support. Once all browsers received support, Google very quickly began working to snuff out other formats. They made several changes, such as updating PageSpeed Insights to suggest that sites serve images as WebP files rather than competing formats. ### Announcing AVIF -About a year after WebP's introduction, a competing standard, AVIF, had its first full release. The intention was for the format to succeed WebP, and while it did implement features such as HDR, which wasn't present in WebP, it also lacked features such as multi page support. Realistically, this places it in no man's land. It's not clearly better than the standards it's competing against. +About a year after WebP's introduction, a competing standard, AVIF, had its first full release. The intention was for the format to succeed WebP, and while it did implement features such as HDR, which weren't present in WebP, it also lacked features such as multi page support. Realistically, this places it in no man's land. It's not objectively better than the standards it's competing against. AVIF also uses AV1 video compression. As you might imagine, videos and still images call for different styles of compression. Video is most concerned with compressing information throughout multiple frames, whereas image compression is a lot more concerned with compression within a single picture. -That said, AVIF managed to see quick adoption. In August of 2020, Chromium received support, with Firefox enabling support in October 2021 and Safari implementing support throughout 2022. +That said, AVIF managed to see quick adoption. In August of 2020, Chromium received support, with Firefox enabling support in October of 2021 and Safari implementing support throughout 2022. ### Introducing JPEG XL -JPEG XL is a rather new format, having been finalised in 2021. It's created by the same group as the original JPEG, and is intended as a catchall image format. Looking at [Wikipedia's Comparison of Graphics File Formats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_graphics_file_formats), it's evident that it trumps every other raster image format. +Having been finalised in 2021, JPEG XL is a rather new format, and a good one at that. It's created by the same group as the original JPEG and based off of [Google's Pik proposal](https://github.com/google/pik) and [Cloudinary's FUIF](https://github.com/cloudinary/fuif).
@@ -1446,7 +1446,7 @@ JPEG XL is a rather new format, having been finalised in 2021. It's created by t
-Some of it's many features include: +Looking at [Wikipedia's Comparison of Graphics File Formats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_graphics_file_formats), it's evident that it trumps every other raster image format. Some of its many features include: - Choice of lossy or lossless compression. - Perfectly reversible, lossless conversion from JPEG with ~20% savings. @@ -1464,7 +1464,7 @@ Some of it's many features include: From reading those points, you may have gathered that it does everything that could be expected of a format and does it well. Given that it excels in every context, you might expect that it'd be the de facto standard, yet, alas, it sees minimal browser support. -So, why were WebP and AVIF picked up so quickly when JPEG XL wasn't? Well, as you may have surmised from the article's title, it's down to Google. +So, why were WebP and AVIF picked up so quickly when JPEG XL wasn't? Well, as you may have surmised from the article's title, it's largely down to Google. ## Google's Exploitation of Their Dominance @@ -1493,19 +1493,19 @@ JPEG XL, however, **is** better than WebP in every quantifiable way and would ob Interestingly, Firefox, which receives a pretty decent amount of funding from Google, quietly dropped focus on implementing JPEG XL support and now state that they are "neutral" on the matter, although the flag is still present in the nightly version of the browser. Safari, which is developed by Apple separately from Google, managed to implement JPEG XL support with no issues, and it's available in WebKit without limitation. -Many forks of Chromium and Firefox also include support with no ill effect. Firefox based browsers simply enable the flag, and Chromium based browsers just use the implementation prior to removal. Some of the forks with support include [Thorium](https://thorium.rocks), [Waterfox](https://www.waterfox.net), and [Pale Moon](https://www.palemoon.org). The code is written and working, and both use external implementations, so the cited "maintenance burden" is really nonexistent. +Many forks of Chromium and Firefox also include support with no ill effect. Firefox based browsers can simply enable the flag, and Chromium based browsers can use the implementation prior to removal as a jumping off point. Some of the forks with support include [Thorium](https://thorium.rocks), [Waterfox](https://www.waterfox.net), and [Pale Moon](https://www.palemoon.org). The code is written and working, and both use external implementations, so the cited "maintenance burden" is more or less nonexistent. ### Why WebP? So, Google sabotaged JPEG XL in favour of their own format, WebP. The question is, _why?_ Well, I think that's pretty clear. Google wants control, and JPEG XL could take that away from them. They already have unrivalled control over the web, so why not expand that just a bit more? -Should Google decide they need to make some alterations to the format to benefit themselves, there is nothing standing in their way. They've got control over the standard and can make tweaks if needed. Especially the sort of business minded tweaks that are employed to better align with stakeholder interests. +Should Google decide they need to make some alterations to the format to benefit themselves, there is next to nothing standing in their way. They've got control over the standard and can make tweaks if needed. Especially the sort of business minded tweaks that are employed to better align with stakeholder interests. Google could also stop supporting the format outside their products and services, leading to them faltering and falling out of compatibility. This could lead to fragmentation and compatibility issues in non-Google software, potentially pushing users to move to Google's offerings where support is offered. ## Taking Action -It may seem futile, but I believe that if we raise awareness of the issue and put enough public pressure on Google and, to a lesser extent, Mozilla, they will begin to support JPEG XL. Use browsers that support the format, or toggle on the flag if possible. Spruik the benefits of the format wherever you can attract attention, and start using it in the [various software that already supports it](https://jpegxl.info/why-jxl#software_support). The more demand, the more adoption we'll see. +It may seem futile, but I believe that if we raise awareness of the issue and put enough public pressure on Google and, to a lesser extent, Mozilla, they will reconsider their stance. Use browsers that support the format, or toggle on the flag if possible. Spruik the benefits of the format wherever you can attract attention, and start using it in the [various software that already supports it](https://jpegxl.info/why-jxl#software_support). The more demand, the more adoption. This is an effort that is worth fighting for. Google has trampled innovation far too many times in the pursuit of control for us to allow them to do it again. We must condemn this behaviour and fight these monopolistic practices at every turn to prevent stifling progress in the name of corporate control. @@ -1531,5 +1531,4 @@ If you liked this article, then do consider sharing it, both for my own benefit
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