The PHP users have been patient, and the time has finally come for GD users wanting to use GIF again - almost.

From this post on php|architect: Just quick tip off. With patents finally running out, looks like PHP 4.3.7's GD extension may have GIF support again. More info from Tobias here.

GIF support has been disabled some years ago in most of the open source software and so in PHP, since Unisys made demands on high license fees for their patent on the optimized LZW algorithm [...] Now, that the LZW patent has nearly expired all over the world, GIF support may return into open source (and also closed) software without license fees, which will give the old format (which was introduced by Compuserve in 1987) a come-back.

I know that I, for one, will be quite happy to see this format come back to the world of the living in web site development...