[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4cast #395: Trimming down web images

Wed Jul 23 10:31:43 EDT 2014

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OPLIN 4Cast

OPLIN 4cast #395: Trimming down web images
July 23th, 2014

scissorsAbout four years have passed since Google announced 
<http://blog.chromium.org/2010/09/webp-new-image-format-for-web.html> 
that the company had decided to release a new image format called WebP. 
Back then, Google estimated that about 65% of Internet traffic was 
composed of images and photos, and WebP was designed to reduce the size 
of those image files and thus speed up loading time for web pages that 
used the WebP format. Lean image formats are back in the news lately 
because the Mozilla browser group has decided WebP is not the best 
solution to the problem of image bloat on the Internet, and has decided 
to release its own solution instead.

  * The story of WebP: How Google wants to speed up the web, one image
    at a time
    <http://gigaom.com/2014/07/19/the-story-of-webp-how-google-wants-to-speed-up-the-web-one-image-at-a-time/>
    (GigaOM | Janko Roettgers) "Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari
    don't natively support WebP, and it's unlikely that the makers of
    these browsers are going to change their mind anytime soon. That's
    because like so often, everyone has their own vision of how the
    future is going to look like. Microsoft is pushing for its own
    format, dubbed JPEG XR
    <http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/hh707223%28v=vs.85%29.aspx>,
    to replace traditional JPEGs, and Apple has long steered clear of
    Google's media formats. The most logical ally for Google would be
    Mozilla, which has traditionally been a proponent of open media
    formats."
  * Mozilla's new Mozjpeg 2.0 image encoder improves JPEG compression
    <http://www.techspot.com/news/57430-mozillas-new-mozjpeg-20-image-encoder-improves-jpeg-compression.html>
    (Techspot | Himanshu Arora) "The JPEG format, which has been in use
    for more than 20 years, is one of the most widely used image formats
    on the Internet. It's a lossy format, which means that you can
    remove some data to reduce the file size without significantly
    affecting the original image's integrity. Google has been promoting
    the use of its WebP
    <http://www.techspot.com/news/56109-googles-new-webp-software-brings-animated-graphics-and-25-faster-display-times.html>
    image format, a derivative of the video format VP8, but Mozilla has
    long resisted the call to adopt it."
  * We don't need new image formats: Mozilla works to build a better
    JPEG
    <http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/07/we-dont-need-new-image-formats-mozilla-works-to-build-a-better-jpeg/>
    (Ars Technica | Peter Bright) "Mozilla has also been looking at the
    issue, but the open source browser organization has come up with a
    different conclusion: we don't need a new image format, we just need
    to make better JPEGs. To that end, the group has released its own
    JPEG compression library, mozjpeg 2.0, which reduces file sizes by
    around five percent compared to the widely used libjpeg-turbo.
    Facebook has announced that it will be testing mozjpeg 2.0 to reduce
    its bandwidth costs, similar to its WebP trial
    <http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/04/chicken-meets-egg-with-facebook-chrome-webp-support/>."
  * Mozilla releases mozjpeg 2.0 as Facebook tests and backs the JPEG
    encoder with $60,000 donation
    <http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/07/15/mozilla-releases-mozjpeg-2-0-facebook-tests-backs-jpeg-encoder-60000-donation/>
    (The Next Web | Emil Protalinski) "Facebook could use the encoder on
    photos that users have already uploaded to the site, or it could
    apply it dynamically on images that are regularly accessed, such as
    profile pictures or link thumbnails. Whatever the case may be, the
    potential to reduce loading time is very high, given that Facebook
    is such an image-heavy service."

*/Articles from Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:/*

# Here's 'mozjpeg' to reduce webpage loads 
<http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/pov/detail?sid=f619ba6f-54ac-4ad4-9d5a-8977df8f2e15%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=122&bdata=JnNpdGU9cG92LWxpdmU%3d#db=pwh&AN=EU9XEFY.20140306.674758>. 
(EFYtimes.com, 03/06/2014)
# Higher compression of images using MR-JPEG scheme and images standard 
deviation 
<http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/ehost/detail?sid=a5b40f3b-73ca-43b8-b597-3209a116dd30%40sessionmgr4002&vid=1&hid=4212&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh&AN=91690761>. 
(/IUP Journal of Telecommunications/, August 2013, p39-46 | Vikas Saxena)
# Beyond GIF and JPEG: New digital image technologies 
<http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/lrc/detail?sid=d2b01f3e-ae6f-44c9-89e0-123bfd2fe77f%40sessionmgr4005&vid=3&hid=4212&bdata=JnNpdGU9bHJjLWxpdmU%3d#db=lfh&AN=1538430>. 
(/Library Journal/, 2/15/1999, p111 | Roy Tennant) [Interesting list of 
image formats that looked promising 15 years ago, but are unknown now.]
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