animated .gif

An animated .gif (Graphics Interchange Format) file is a graphic image on a WebSite that has the ability to simulate movement.  An animated .gif can loop endlessly (and it appears in the attached file), or it can stop after a single iteration.

Java, Flash, and other tools can be used to achieve the same effects as an animated .gif, but since they require a browser plugin to operates, platforms using simple or locked browsers had difficulty using these technologies.