Great news. Yes, it is the LZW compression used in the standard ".gif" format. (Some freeware offers compression-free ".gif", but that is not particularly attractive in the fase of all the other formats.
I wonder whether we'll see the return of full ".gif" to the freeware image processors.
Time to edit and re-compile some of those to re-install the compression for .gif. And to port the "compress" program to some of the newer systems which don't have it because of the patent issue.
Thanks, DoN.