If you copy/paste an image at the OS level, if it's a gif, it gets converted to a still image/only the last frame is taken. This seems like it should be fairly simple to solve. Is it unsolved because no one has tried, or is there some big legacy reason why this is actually really difficult?
Synthesized Answer
Based on 1 community responses
The issue of GIFs being converted to still images when copied at the OS level is largely due to how operating systems handle clipboard data and the complexity of GIF format. GIFs are container formats that can hold multiple images, making them different from static image formats like JPEG or PNG. When copying an image, the OS needs to determine how to represent it in the clipboard. Historically, many operating systems have defaulted to handling images as static representations, often resulting in only the first or last frame being retained. The main reason this hasn't been 'solved' is not necessarily due to technical difficulty but rather a combination of legacy support, varying implementations across different operating systems, and the evolution of image handling standards.
Key Takeaways
GIFs are container formats that can hold multiple images
Operating systems handle clipboard data differently
Legacy support and varying implementations contribute to the issue
Copy and paste are handled by applications and the OS shell
Any program is free to define the formats it is willing to copy or paste - like mime types.
Software sucks, not because its bad, but because people wont implement things