WhirlGIF Version 2.0
                                Documentation

WhirlGIF is a quick program that reads a series of GIF files, and produces a
single gif file composed of those images.

Usage:
        whirlgif [-v] [-trans index ] [-time delay] [-o outfile]
                 [-loop] [-i incfile] file1 [ -time delay] file2

options

-v
     Verbose mode
-loop [count]
     Add the netscape 'loop' extension, with an optional [count] number.
     If given, 'count' will set the number of times to repeat the sequence.
     Current Netscape versions ignore the count and always repeat infinite
     times.
-trans
     Set image transparency.
     This can either be a number 0-255 signifying the colormap index to set
     transparent, or a RGB color specification in the format #RRGGBB to set
     the first color matching the given value to be the transparent color.
     Note that in some user shells and most scripts, the string with the #
     (pound) sign must be quoted. For example:

               whirlgif -loop 5 -trans "#00f10e" tv*.gif

-time delay
     Set the delay time between frames to 'delay', which is a value from 0
     to 65536 giving the time to sleep in 1/100s of a second.

     Some example times and approximate frame rates
        o 5 = 20 frames per second
        o 10 - 10 frames per second
        o 20 - 5 fps
        o 100 - 1 frame per second
-o outfile
     Write the output to 'outfile' instead of standard out.
     By default, the program writes the GIF sequence to stdout, which is a
     good thing if you're using this in a CGI script, a very bad thing if
     you run this from a terminal and forget to redirect stdout.
-i incfile
     Read the list of files to process from 'incfile'.
     This can be very useful for systems with short command line buffers,
     and for scripted generation of long animations.
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     Hints and Tips

     The output file (if any) and -loop _MUST_ be specified before any gif
     images.

     You can specify several delay statements on the command line to change
     the delay between images in the middle of an animation, e.g.

            whirlgif -time 5 a.gif b.gif c.gif -time 100 d.gif -time 5 e.gif f.gif

     Although it's generally considered to be evil, you can also specify
     several transparency statements on the command line, to change the
     transparent color in the middle of an animation. This may cause
     problems for some programs.
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     Known Bugs

        o The loop 'count' is ineffective because Netspcape always loops
          infinitely.
        o should be able to specify delay in an 'incfile' list (see next
          bug).
        o Does not handle filenames starting with a - (hypen), except in
          'incfile'.
        o Needs better documentation.
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     Future Features (TODO List)

     Only save colormaps that are different from preceeding ones.
          This will saves space, CPU time, and reduce compatibility problems
     Save only the changed part of images
          Add an option to compare each subsequent frame after the first,
          then only save the smallest rectangle the encompasses changed
          areas of the image. Using this option can make for VERY small
          animations, however, it is likely to be incompatible with most
          badly-written rendering code, and the best algorithms for this
          process are patented.
     option for luma sorting of colormaps
          This speeds up rendering and helps on displays with limited color
          capabilities (e.g. most MS-Windows and many X-Windows systems).
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     If you're reading this as a text file or from some other site, This
     program is available from http://www.msg.net/utility/whirlgif/. The
     program is based on the 1.10 release of 'txtmerge' , written by Mark
     Podlipec podlipec@wellfleet.com