A generic digital container file format, Interchange File Format (IFF) was introduced by Electronic Arts in collaboration with Commodore in 1985. Its purpose was to facilitate the transfer of data between software applications developed by different companies.
History and Development
IFF originated as a solution to the challenge of data exchange between incompatible software. Its design allowed for the storage of various types of data, making it versatile for different applications.
Key Features
- Flexibility: IFF can contain different types of data, not limited to a specific format.
- No Standard Extension: IFF files do not have a standard filename extension, as the operating system stores file format metadata separately.
- Common Usage: The .iff extension is often used for the ILBM image file format, which utilizes the IFF container format.
Related Formats
- Resource Interchange File Format: Developed by Microsoft and IBM in 1991, this format is based on IFF but uses little-endian byte order to match the x86 microprocessor architecture.
- Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF): Developed by Apple, AIFF is a big-endian audio file format derived from IFF.
- Tagged Image File Format (TIFF): Another format that has roots in IFF, used primarily for storing image data.