Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Developers designed Portable Network Graphics as a patent-free lossless image format. The figure is taken from W3C PNG Specification, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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Yes. It sits on the Technology shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

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The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

The PNG image format was developed in 1996 to replace GIF

Developers designed Portable Network Graphics as a patent-free lossless image format

When Unisys began enforcing software patents on the LZW compression algorithm used in GIF files during 1994, internet developers created PNG as an open replacement. The PNG format supported 24-bit RGB colour palettes and variable alpha channel transparency without patent restrictions. It quickly became the standard lossless graphics format for web design.

Where this comes from

W3C PNG Specification

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Technology trivia Colour Match

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Tags: graphics, png, web

The PNG image format was developed in 1996 to replace GIF: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Developers designed Portable Network Graphics as a patent-free lossless image format. The figure is taken from W3C PNG Specification, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a technology fact?: Yes. It sits on the Technology shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.