Image MIME Reference
FastBid
FastBid Sheet
image/vnd.fastbidsheet
VS
Windows Metafile
image/x-wmf
WMF
A complete technical comparison of FastBid Sheet and Windows Metafile — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | FastBid | WMF |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | ✕ No | Yes |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | ✕ No | ✕ No |
FastBid Sheet
image/vnd.fastbidsheet
Extension
.fbs
Container
Proprietary FastBid Container
Compression
Proprietary
Algorithm
Unknown
Color Depth
Unknown
Developed by
FastBid, Inc. (Scott Becker)
Released
Late 1990s
Magic Bytes
Unknown (Proprietary)
Windows Metafile
image/x-wmf
Extension
.wmf.emf
Container
Windows GDI Metafile Command Stream
Compression
Uncompressed (Command Stream)
Algorithm
None
Color Depth
Varies based on GDI rendering engine
Developed by
Microsoft Corporation
Released
1990
Magic Bytes
D7 CD C6 9A (Aldus Placeable Metafile Header) or 01 00 09 00 (Standard WMF Header)
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | FastBid | WMF |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ |
✓
|
FastBid
FastBid Strengths
- Historically allowed the FastBid application to securely associate and load proprietary construction plans within its ecosystem
Limitations
- Completely obsolete and unsupported in modern software environments
- The official IANA registration of the .fbs extension causes widespread false positives, breaking modern parsers, text editors, and AI SDKs attempting to read FlatBuffers schemas
WMF
WMF Strengths
- Infinitely scalable vector format that remains remarkably compact for simple geometric illustrations and charts
- Historically served as a seamless conduit for copying and pasting vector graphics between disparate Windows applications via the system clipboard
Limitations
- Notoriously plagued by historic security vulnerabilities, making raw WMF parsing a vector for exploits in legacy software
- Completely obsolete and unsupported in modern web environments (browsers cannot render them)
- Strictly tied to the Windows GDI architecture, making cross-platform rendering inconsistent across Linux and macOS
When to choose which format
FastBid
Use FastBid when…
- Legacy Construction Blueprints
- FastBid Estimating Software
- Causing .fbs MIME Type Conflicts (FlatBuffers)
WMF
Use WMF when…
- Legacy Microsoft Office Clip Art and Icons
- Windows GDI Graphics Export
- Early Windows Desktop Publishing