Why PDF vs .doc?

[Nifft]

I can tell you from experience that if a person does have the latest version of Acrobat professional installed on their computer than they actually can copy and paste images and text from documents that they open that are locked by others.

I can compile my own PDF reader that can do that, too.

The locks are enforced by software... and software has source code.

"Use the Source, Luke!"

-- N

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Really? I haven't played around with Professional that much, but I don't think many people do. It's either a several hundred dollar liscense, or a bit of work looking for it on pirated software sites. Neither case seems to be really representitive of the typical end user (as far as I can tell, there may be more conclusive data that shows a link or lack thereof)

Yup. Luckily my dads company has him work with PDFs forms a lot, making custom ones and inporting/exporting material from them, so they send him the newest software and he installs it. I then see it and ask him if it would be okay if I can install it on my computer and make a copy for myself. He okays it with the stipulation of not registering, and that is fine by me.

 

[Eternalknight]

I always thought html 'books' would be pretty sweet.

 

[Arrellion]

Frukathka

You are right if they are using the full Acrobat program. If all they have is reader then they are severely limited in what they can alter. If the PDf is encryted then they may not be able to do anything other than view or print it. The new "watermarked" PDF's are most known for their encryption.

Arrel

 

[Steverooo]

What the "PDF" is:

Simple question that I imagine has a simple answer...
Why are PDFs used instead of .docs? Filesize? Is it just the easier layout capabilites? The more universal reader?
I'd like to start putting some modules out on the net, but can't afford to drop $300 on Acrobat.
Just wondering.
Thanks!
Gruns

What Adobe designed the Portable Document Format (PDF) to do was to display the same document on any platform, and have it look the same. This is the problem that .PDFs were designed to solve.

If I create a document using the Zaph Dingbats font, and you don't have it installed on your machine, you will either get an error, or will see some other font substituted... and what YOU SEE will NOT be what I typed!

.PDF files save the font display information, so that users of the FREE .PDF-Viewer will see your text & pictures laid out just as you made it, regardless of which fonts you used. That's why .PDFs were designed. Adobe, of course, makes its money by selling the software to author them, and gives away the readers to increase their market share, but hey, that's just good business!

 

[The_lurkeR]

Seems like all the relevant points have been touched on already. I just wanted to add that Microsoft also gives out a free viewer for its Office Word docs.

Word Viewer 2003
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...87-8732-48D5-8689-AB826E7B8FDF&displaylang=en


I use OpenOffice myself at home, but there are times when it can mangle a native Office Word document. Also this is handy for the reverse situation, checking to see if an Open Office doc file will look ok in Word.


(There are also free viewers for Excel and Power Point.)

 

[johnsemlak]

And PDFs are set up to be printed exactly one way, on one paper size that's used on one continent. ]

Doesn't Adobe provide a feature that can automatically adjust the document size so that it fits on A4 or 8.5x11?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

If you want to write documents that will live forever, I suggest you use TeX or LaTeX. It's the most popular option in scientific circles, and these guys are smart. =)

Indeed. Since I got to know it, I learned to prefer it about Word or similar word processing units. LaTex has a few problems sometimes, but most the time, it is simply superior. And you will never have the common word problems that screw up your .doc file or causes strange behaviour...

Check these sites for more information... :
http://www.latex-project.org/

http://www.miktex.org/

http://sourceforge.net/projects/texniccenter/

 

[HellHound]

Seems like all the relevant points have been touched on already. I just wanted to add that Microsoft also gives out a free viewer for its Office Word docs.

However, i don't believe that this viewer is truly cross-platform.

Thena gain, Adobe doesn't support Linux anymore either...

 

[Morte]

Doesn't Adobe provide a feature that can automatically adjust the document size so that it fits on A4 or 8.5x11?

Sort of. Normally it prints on part of the paper, and makes the margins bigger at the top/bottom or sides. You normally get a slightly expanded or shrunk version of the original content and odd margins, which is mostly harmless.

Something like RTF or HTML would reflow the text to fit the new paper size. This would be lousy for printing your carefully laid out final document, but great for people who use the documents electronically. Not just read, but use -- e.g. copy the tables from that PDF RPG to make your own GM screen, or select a few paragraphs from the setting history and politics sections to make a player handout.

PDF is meant to be printed. It's for delivering documents to printing companies where they will be printed on great big machines with prints runs of thousands, to become leaflets and magazines and books. The web came later. It became the dominant format the usual way -- accident then inertia. It got the role because it was available and adequate, and kept it because changing involved aggro.

A format with physical layout like PDF certainly has its place in web distibution -- it's easy for publishers to crank out, and lots of customers just print anyway. A logical formal like HTML would be useful too, if anyone offered it. In an ideal world, publishers would supply both in one zip file. A pretty PDF to print, and an RTF/HTML file with minimum fuss that goes straight into the GM's wordprocessor/editor.